“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic, remembering when Sportwear International labeled me “The Truth-Teller” and included the Manzie Report in the Who’s Who Fashion Yearbook. … 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 »

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 »

Sometimes I wish my body type was different so I could wear styles of clothing that would not me look fat or short. Trust me, if given the choice, I would happily look like a lanky, pale, unfriendly, male model, whose greatest achievement is walking down a straight and narrow path. If you think I like being restricted to jeans, sneakers and V-neck sweaters…think again. The only person who gets my sense of style is Simon Cowell. Need I say more? As an aficionado of fashion, I love wondering what it would be like to wear a Rick Owens skirt,… Read More »

Hello my fearless flock of fashion following friends. What I love about World Fashion Week is that we get to see so many beautiful collections from all over the world such as New York, Milan, and Paris. Sure we also see lots of nonsense from other ports of call such as Madrid Fashion Week, Australia, Brazil, Lakme Fashion Week (India) and assorted Middle Eastern countries. But today, let’s discuss Paris. With the economy still in turmoil, many of the collections have been fiercely edited, and buyer optimism is reflected on increased orders. And frankly, the blogosphere is having a positive… Read More »

Yes, there is a definite shift in the air since Spring, when nelly, prissy, fembots ruled the men’s runways. There is a butcher tone overall, but Lord knows not exclusively, as that would render me out of business. Surprisingly, Junya Wantanabe, Viktor and Rolf, and even Gaspard Yurkievich all had smart showings. It’s not like I am disappointed that I can’t find what to poke fun at, I would frankly rather not have ever started this Manzie business. I am a bit Pollyanna in that I want every designer to do well. Rather than leave a hole for yet another… Read More »

Last night I went to a screening of A Single Man, Tom Ford‘s maiden voyage into film making. There has been plenty of hype around his wanting to be a director since the day he left Gucci five years ago. He made all the right moves, too. Bought a fierce house in the desert near Palm Springs, schmoozed up Bryan Lourd at CAA and totally made the scene in Los Angeles, yet chose New York to launch his signature clothing company. Ford’s return to the schmatta business was a subtle hint that Hollywood was not waiting for the fashion superstar… Read More »

Finally, ‘black is the new black’, after Women’s Wear Daily and every other fashion rag or “news source” has claimed everything from Pink is the New Black, to Color Is the New Black, to Green is the New Black, to Obama is the New Black. We even had “Bitch is the New Black” to quote Tina Fey, from Saturday Night Live referring to Hillary Clinton. Why can’t black just be and stay black? Why must colors or things try to usurp it’s power every season? Can’t we all just get along? I have been a fan of black for more… Read More »