Ack!
It is that word many "manly men" shy away from - metrosexual.
Which we women find silly because it reveals that many men are so homophobic that they refuse to deal with anything that is remotely "gay".
As such men's high fashion has suffered over the decades to the point that men really can only wear suits and uniforms. Anything too risque and they feel they are being emasculated
However done right, men's high fashion doesn't have to look metrosexual.
What it should look like however is:
Rugged.
Cool.
Capable.
And a touch of James Bond doesn't hurt.
As such high end clothing for men really needs to flatter a man - building a bridge between "uniform / suit" and "rugged casual wear".
Check out the image below to see what I mean. The men in the photo below, all wearing clothes from Toronto-based company Kish Wear (see http://www.kishwear.com/), look rugged yet sophisticated. And this is what men want when it comes to high fashion. They want to look professional, yes, but they also want to look like they could doff a cowboy hat and ride off into the sunset at the same time looking heroic while they do it.
And then he shows up wearing a black bow tie, wearing a white shirt, suspenders, a black jacket with fur collar (I am describing the photo on the right here) then I am going to be instantly impressed and have the following first impressions.
#1. This man is intelligent. He is smartly dressed.
#2. This man knows how to dress properly and takes care of himself. He probably bathes daily, does his laundry regularly, and might even wear cologne on special occasions.
#3. This man probably knows how to treat a lady. If he treats himself well, then he probably treats others well too.
#4. This man has a job / career. He wouldn't be able to afford this quality of clothes if he is still living in his parents' basement.
#5. He looks like Viggo Mortensen. Part of that is just the hair and beard, but the clothes completes the package.
#6. Retro. And anything retro is cool. So that is automatically a bonus.
Thus, first impressions, I would be very happy to meet a man dressed like that. Whether his personality matches mine, that is another topic, but the first impressions means that I will be taking this man seriously and he will be having my undivided attention while I sip my latte and contemplate a second date.
Below are some photos from Kish Wear's 2014 Winter Collection available at http://kishwear.com/lookbook/winter-2014
