Menswear AW08 Clueless or Clued up?

Remember the sequence in Clueless where Alicia Silverstone’s character bemoans the fashion choices of the males of her generation? As she decries their “baggy jeans and backward caps”, an image of guys walking down the sidewalk wearing said jeans and caps flashes across the screen. Fortunately, fashion for men has come a long way. No longer exclusively the territory of wealthy Europeans, male models, and select other men, the “metrosexual” movement has made it acceptable for guys to be just as fickle about their ties and shirts as we girls are about our shoes.

It’s not uncommon to see men walking down the street, jeans emblazoned with the same designer logo as their girlfriends (though, for the record, this type of matching should be avoided if possible). Aside from the competition for the bathroom mirror, most girls probably won’t complain about the increasingly fastidious habits of the men around them. I, for one, am highly appreciative of dapper men.

However, I recently came across a posting on two of my favourite blogs that provided links to two items of menswear that, frankly, belong in a women’s closet.

Item number one comes from famous shoe designer Manolo Blahnik. After a seven-year hiatus from men’s footwear, Manolo has come back to the men in our lives with … a blue suede open-toed slingback, um, something. Also included in the collection is a leopard-print thong. Sandals are all well and good, but slingbacks are for the ladies. If your men simply must have designer-wear, steer them in the direction of a nice Ferragamo loafer or Bruno Magli boot?

Item number two is by far the most disturbing. Prada’s men’s concepts include a selection of shiny, glittery fabrics. But I was too distracted by the little fluffy scrap of fabric floating around some of the male models’ waists to even process that the models looked like they had sourced their clothes from the closet of a Vegas showgirl. Is it a miniskirt? A particularly voluminous belt? Or is it … a tutu? Seriously, who thought this was a good idea?

For all the men out there who can appreciate a fine-gauge knit or a cashmere scarf, bravo! But, please leave skirts and slingbacks to the ladies.

[Via Manolo Slingbacks For Men: Via blogs.fashionweekdaily.com]