“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bid a fond farewell to The Manzie*. (*See below meaning of Manzie for those of you new comers.) What was once a vibrant, hysterical fashion statement that captivated the runways of Milan and Paris—heck and New York for that matter—looks that left us speechless, or gagging anyway, have now gone to that great fashion graveyard beyond… Ebay. Who won’t miss those retarded styles by Thom Browne, or some of those collections from Rick Owens and Walter Van Beirendonck’s Big Bird ensembles from Spring ’10? And surely we can never forget that madcap John… Read More »

The Jean Paul Gaultier collection was fantastic and one of the funner elements was his inclusion of couture menswear, for those rich Manzies out there who want to wear a skirt or dress and are not feeling the recent collection by Rick Owens. Not sure if anyone saw some of the comments from my recent Paris menswear shows, but some anonymous person really has it out for me for being a hack. This person does not seem to think that we are all entitled to our own opinions. And (B), hack, is what I was doing (hacking) when I saw… 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 »

Milan continues to show great collections, many are strong and colorful and leaning toward manly-man. One can only be happy for companies that design to be sold. Naturally, a few nelly ditties slip through to the cracks of better judgment to create some magic or drama or giggles. Here they are some Manzies by proxy. Follow us on Twitter.com/imeanwhat or Sally Field Us on Facebook.… Read More »

Two years ago I coined the phrase Manzie in response to the men’s runway shows in Paris, Milan and New York. That phrase caught on like wildfire within the industry and in a short time after that, the looks being thrown down the runway became increasingly butch. Designers like Billy Reid set a new tone and standard for what men should look like and all was well in Glocca Morra. That was then and this is now. There is something in the air and it is living up to Lord Alfred Tennyson‘s poem, Locksley Hall when it says, “In the… Read More »

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 a bunch of blokes. They can have a sisssing “S” in their speech, run with their arms flailing or cheerleaders. A Dandy dresses like a gentleman with a touch of avant-garde. A Manzie is desperately trying to be “on trend”. A Manzie can be a straight man trying too hard to be stylish or a straight-acting-gay-guy who acts extra butch to compensate for his quirky fashion choices. Comprende? Some runway looks fall under the umbrella… Read More »

There is not much to say. This Not Best Dressed List has become a staple in the I Mean…What?!? universe and shall stay in place forever. Why? Because so many fashionistas are clueless. Or just not brilliant. Words speak volumes, but pictures tell the story. Without any further ado, here are this year’s entries onto The CFDA NOT Best Dressed List for your perusal. Follow us on Twitter or Like Us on Facebook.… Read More »

Now that you are getting the drift of what a manzie is, what better way to honor these bold, confident individuals than by creating the First Annual Manzie of the Year Award? Hereby I have started the list of nominees and invite you to join me by submitting your own suggestions. As New York Fashion Week is just around the corner, the streets will be chock full of manzie’s…in all shapes and sizes…sporting their new fall purchases. We at I Mean..What?!? will be out en force looking for candidates. It’s easy to participate. Simply grab your iPhone, B-Berry or Mino… Read More »

The least of Pakistan’s problems is the recent discovery that Osama Bin Laden was living high on the hog in the midst of their military retirement village. As Bill Maher so eloquently put it on Real Time this past Friday, “Let’s not call Bin Laden’s compound a mansion, it looks more like a five story tenement in Van Nuys.” One would have to agree there. No, what the Pakistanis have to be far more concerned about are their dueling Fashion Weeks. Yes, as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week has inspired even third world countries to get on the fashion stick, Pakistan,… 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 »