“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

It is most fitting that the Paris men’s fashion shows are staged while in New York City, Gay Pride is in full regalia. Sunday, while the androgynous models sauntered down the runway, the few nelly customers that will likely buy the Manzie looks were sashaying down Fifth Avenue in all their Sasha Fierceness. I did notice however, that Manzies were everywhere in New York both on and off the gay runway. So now, I have officially changed the name of Gay Pride to “Manzies and Tranzies and Bears…Oh My!!!” Though I liked much in most collections that were shown on… Read More »

Mr. Browne’s collections featuring outfits so “shockingly wrong” that a new category of mens clothing was born…The Manzie. But all that aside, I have come to terms to say that I Love Thom Browne!… Read More »

You have designers like Kris Van Assche and Kris Van Assche showing perfect menswear collections and then there is Thom Browne, using Paris to show his US brand of retardo fashion. Whenever we go there it is never a good thing. Case in point Zac Posen. I don’t even want to go on and on about how pretentious the Thom Browne collection is. I have said it all before and will sadly continue into the future.  Browne is so hell bent on replacing John Galliano’s fashion bad boy reputation in light of the him missing from the scene, that it… Read More »

There are so many viable inclusions in the Manzie Report: Paris, that I can’t even write individual comments because it is Gay Pride weekend in New York City, we got the Gay Marriage Act approved last night and I’d rather participate in some festivities than sit here and yattle on about Walter Van Beirendonck’s Bird Bird ensembles or his pastel cotton candy numbers that double as topiaries. Just click through these images and you will see a plethora of nelly galore ditties from leather sports bras…yes…for men…and Givenchy’s bouquet of Bird of Paradise skirts. Alexis Mabille seems to have tried… Read More »

The Paris shows have barely gotten underway and already have not disappointed. Seems like Marc Jacobs has been wearing skirts long enough to have fully inspired designers like Rick Owens and Yohji Yamamoto, who featured more skirts in their Spring collections for men than any collection Jil Sander did for women, when she had her own eponymous line. SIDEBAR: Now that Jil and Uniqlo have parted ways, perhaps Ms. Sander can figure her way back to regaining control of her name and getting rid of Raf Simons, who besmirched and nellied up the brand, especially this season. Now that women… Read More »

Italian men have the reputation for being sexy, brooding, manly and the overall Spring ’12 season from Milan held steady to that notion. I just barely squeezed enough juice out of the fruit (as it goes) to quench your thirst for a Manzie Report. One can only hope that Paris will have far more tasty fruits in the offing. With that, I give you the final looks from Italy.   Follow us on Twitter.com/imeanwhat or Sally Field Us on Facebook.… Read More »

For those of you who have been reading I Mean…What?!? for a while, you might recall in my many Manzie Reports from last year and my observation that Gina Lollobrigida Orange was the new black. Naturally, I was being facetious because the way they were showing orange on the men’s runways in Milan and Paris, you would have to be insane to be caught dead walking the streets in half of these get ups, rather, you would get the shit kicked out of you by a pack of homophobes. Fortunately, orange in regards to menswear, never really took off, but… Read More »

When the global economy took a nosedive back in September 2008, the whole world changed. The perception of what is cool and the reality of what is sellable had to be revisited. At that time, the mens runway shows in Paris, Milan and New York featured a look that catered to what I called Manzies, and it was the end of an era. For those of you who don’t know, or want a refresher course… Q. What is a Manzie? A. A Manzie is not a Pansy or a Dandy. A Pansy doesn’t necessarily dress effeminately to be teased by… Read More »

Tom Ford, that handsome renaissance man, went on record with a few of the by-laws that make up The Tom Ford Doctrine. Jefferson Hack interviewed him for AnOther Man about being a gentlemen. Let’s just call it the modern day Gentleman’s Agreement. I must say, we do see eye to eye on most things. He believes that: You should be the best that you can be. Check. (I took that suggestion from the Army ad song.) Gentlemen should work. (Check. Even if I had a Sugar Daddy, I would continue with I Mean…What?!?) Manners are very important such as opening… Read More »

The Spring 11 shows came to a close in Milan, and overall there were great, sexy, safe collections sprinkled in with those few designers that love…and are committed to…Manzies. There were noticeably less mandals than last year, more blue than black and less quirky man-hats, which makes me very happy. Yes, there were Mad Men, but more along the likes of Coo-Coo, rather than Jon Hamm lookalikes. The Milan Maznie Report ends by featuring these few designers who we can live happily ever after…without.… Read More »