“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

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 »

No one is more excited about this week than moi. The Men’s Fall Collections are launching in Milan and New York City. For the next few days, I will feature my seasonal Manzie Report, only this year, in an effort to tone back the rhetoric and vitriol I will report on the Best of as well as the Worst of, just to show you how politically correct I can be…ish. Over the past few seasons, men have gone from being enormously effeminate to overly butch and this season, I am predicting that the the two worlds will collide. At ENKNYC,… Read More »

Not only are the 70’s and 80’s experiencing a resurgence on the fashion runways across the globe, but so are the the mores and attitudes towards men. We are in the throws of a (yet another) redefining moment. Two seasons ago, men were like Pre-Raphaelite creatures whose waif-like bodies and fair skin made them the object of desire for both men and women. Manboys were sensitive, angelic creatures. Dior Homme was the look du jour and these men ate quiche. In 1982, Bruce Feirstein‘s book, Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche spent the year on The New York Times Bestseller List,… Read More »

Finally, men can come out of the closet…and we are not talking about their sexuality here, rather, that men can openly say they use cosmetics and still maintain their butchness…ish. The New York Times Style section has an article about the rapidly growing market of cosmetics created exclusively for men. I love that the evolution of man boils down to his desire to maintain his youth and beauty. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. On the contrary. When men became admitted metrosexuals…though I prefer the term Manzies for this purpose…all bets were off. Suddenly, “straight” men were allowed to… Read More »

The Spring 11 shows came to a close in Paris, as is the case in Milan, there were great, sexy, safe collections sprinkled in with those few designers that love…and are committed to…Manzies. Naturally, the free spirits of Paris saw more mandals, more drama and sadly, more quirky man-hats. The Paris Manzie Report ends by showing a few looks that could have been edited out…had they hired me.… Read More »

The Milan shows bring out the masculine guns of the fashion industry. Armani, Zegna and Gucci lead the charge in sophisticated, sexy, masculine clothes. One can consider it boring (some of my readers, you know who you are), but it is at the core of the business and must be respected as such. There is less frills on the runways in Milan, than let’s say, it’s sister fashion city, Paris. The shows got off to a hootenanny of a start here in the City of Lights. Once again, we were presented with the quirky man-hat, a look that I was… Read More »

Yet another Gay Pride Weekend filled with cha cha and booze is upon us. Since washboard abs and cheesy music has hijacked the look and tone of what is “gay”, let alone the Manzie fashion filled funways, you can see why I have proclaimed that I am homosexual yes, gay no in the piece I AM ASKING AND I AM TELLING.  However, this season there is provocative and compelling element that will be front and center in the Gay Pride Parade. I am speaking of my friend Lauren Foster, the Miami-based glamour puss, who has chosen to take this moment… 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 »

Dame Vivienne Westwood is a force of nature. She presents her avant garde collections in virtually every market on Earth. Mens’ in Milan, women’s in Paris, combo platter in London, Hong Kong Fashion Week and, if I’m not mistaken, she has featured the Anglomania collection in the United States. Last season her theme was “The Homeless” and judging by some of the looks from Spring 11, that message carries through. Homeless or perhaps even a bit crazy? You tell me. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BBbVdiqK20… Read More »

Jil Sander was always the epitome of cool, chic, sophisticated, clean lines, muted palette. Perhaps that was when Jil Sander was actually Jil Sander. That story has turned upside down. The German-born designer, Sander, is now designing for Japan-based Uniqlo and Belgian-born Raf Simmons is at the helm of the Milan-based headquarters of Jil Sander, who sold out to Muccia Prada, which ultimately pissed off Jil Sander, causing her to split, hence her current deal with Uniqlo. The saving grace for Jil Sander in this scenario, as opposed to what happened to Halston when he sold the rights to his… Read More »