Shop Like a Man?
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| Grand-mere Lucille, Drag King? |
This article in the Wall Street Journal doesn’t say much that’s new to those of us who have been paying attention to quality and fit for any length of time, but it’s a great reminder as we swing into the new year with intentions to “buy better, buy less.”
What does it mean to think like a man? Consider the way Jay Kos bought himself a pair of pants in New York last Sunday. Mr. Kos, himself a clothier and the owner of the Jay Kos store on Park Avenue, found a pair of olive wool pants at Soho’s Blue in Green shop. But the pants had to pass a few tests before he took them to the dressing room. First, he felt the wool with his hand to ascertain its weight and softness. He checked the seams for clean stitching—no loose threads. In the dressing room, he squatted to be sure they fit comfortably. Only then did he step out to take a careful look in the store’s biggest mirror and ask the salesman if the pants fit well.
This isn’t the way most women shop. But it can be.
A first step is to put less focus on the brand. Logos don’t guarantee fine craftsmanship. Dozens of luxury womenswear brands make high-quality fashions—Dolce & Gabbana and Akris among them. But I’ve found excellently sewn clothes at Zara (though not universally so).
The piece also addresses, much to my relief, that men’s clothing is generally much better made at any price point than women’s. I keep hoping that if more women begin pressuring retailers to up the quality (and the best way to do this is refuse to buy inferior pieces) that they might start paying attention. Hope springs eternal.
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OH I KNOW!!!!! My husband can easily find a beautiful Hickey Freeman suit in wool that is good for years – the Austen Reed wool gab suit line I loved was discontinued, so know I can buy super-expensive suits or wear polyester! Yay!!!! Working women don’t need better, right?
This makes me want to slap women’s clothing design companies.
Awesome photos. I don’t recall g’ma’s hips being quite that wide though. Must have been the tailoring of the times. Ha!
I have found that men’s clothing is definitely better made (and more comfortable) for the price than the stuff sold for women in the brick and mortar stores.
J. Kos is one of Le Duc’s meccas!
I’ll add that men don’t (usually)
– *Refuse* to go up a size if that is what fits them in a particular brand
– Shop because they had a fight with their daughter or because they have *nothing* to wear
– Worry that someone else has bought the identical pants
Wow! I’ve been following your blog for quite a while now. Thanks especially for all the tips on scarf folding! I’m wondering what you can tell me about this photo of your grandmother (?). I have a picture of a woman in drag from about the same time. It’s fascinating, yet I know nothing about it
Deja Pseu–I just read this article last night. One point the article made was that men’s clothing is made to be altered! I would be willing to shop higher end clothing if the alterations were included in the price of the garment and not something that was tacked on.
I was taken by this article as well.
Duchesse is astute in noticing some important differences between the genders, shopping-wise. Pater has been advised up a waist size, down a chest size occasionally, and he accepts the advice with equanimity. I’d have a tougher time. . .
And the importance of alterations can’t be overstated. . . I once bought a classic wool sheath and matching jacket for my daughter and paid $140 for the alterations that took it from good-looking to utterly convincing, unassailable. The in-store seamstress was brilliant and the alterations were worth every penny. Really, buying off the rack, given our differences, is a surprising act of optimism and menswear seems more often to come with an assumption that alterations will be made. I wonder why these costs are more often included in the cost of menswear and added on to women’s — women more commonly used to adjust their own?
Fascinating idea. So men, you think, shop with their left brain and we shop right brain? My husband leaves the shopping to me and makes a lot of his shirt decisions based on the fact that a garment promises to be iron/wrinkle free.
I have shopped at Jay Kos’ store for many years, and adore what he has to offer. It is very expensive, but well worth the investment. It is far better to have fewer things (and that doesn’t just apply to clothing) of quality than many of middling. RD
Such excellent advice. I’m with Mater on the alterations issue – it’s totally normally for Spouse to buy a suit that needs adjusting, and for that adjustment to be done either free or for a token amount ($10 or $20). It’s absurd to think we’re all the same shape (even when we’re the same ‘size’), so I wish they’d factor that in …
Bonnie – you’re very welcome. I wish I knew the context of these pictures! They were in one of her scrapbook/photo albums with no notes whatsoever.
Terri – Yes! about the alterations! I’m keeping that firmly in mind when I shop from now on, and will look for construction details that will allow for altering. I’ve been given the name of a good tailor in my area, and will utilize!
LBR – you’d know better than I about the driving hemisphere. But I do think men are generally less emotion-driven shoppers. They don’t get so attached to something that they can’t walk away if it doesn’t fit right or has a crooked seam.
Artful Lawyer – I’m going to be on the prowl for well-made women’s lines, and will post what I find. It does make me angry how poorly some things are made, and they aren’t cheap either.
citizen spot – I think it’s definitely the cut of the trousers, think they’re more “jodphur” style. If you look at pictures of men in tuxes from around this time (1920) they seem to have a similar bulk.
Duchesse – good points! Le monsieur usually balks at spending premium prices for his clothing, and STILL manages to find better quality and fit that I do at middling price points. But I’m taking him to Jay Cos’ store next time we’re in NY, for sure.
materfamilias – that’s a good question. I once asked a Nordstrom’s sales associate why they charge to alter women’s clothing and not mens and she wasn’t sure. She mumbles something about women’s alterations being more complicated, but I was just getting pants hemmed!!
Reggie Darling – I agree and am truly making a concerted effort to put this into practice. I’ve made a note about the Jay Cos store and have added to the list for my next NY visit. Le monsieur needs some better shirts. It’s funny, his late father had no problem buying high quality clothing, but LM balks at paying higher than J.Crew prices, even if he knows the item will last longer.
Tiffany – I’m really wondering now how there came to be such divergent paths between men and women when it comes to altering clothing bought off the rack. I’m wondering if women have bought into the notion that if something doesn’t fit, it’s our body that’s the problem, rather than the garment. I don’t know, but now I’m on a mission to find out.
Mater: You have stores in in-store alterations specialists? We don’t even have someone to take up pants hems here.
I will attest to the quality of slacks from Akris. Having lusted after a pair all season a few years ago, I was fortunate to find one pair in my size (14) on-sale for only 1/3 of the regular price. They are still the most expensive slacks I own but by far the best fit and fabric. After three winters of wear they look brand new.
I would just love to be able to find more clothing like this. Makes me long for my career days in the 1980’s when I wore lovely clothing in the bridge lines: Anne Klein, Ellen Tracey and Dana Buchmann. These lines are still around, but they are a shadow of their former selves.
Laurieann:
My main career years were the mid 80s to mid 90s. I too was a huge fan of Dana Buchman and Ellen Tracy, but for most of those years, those lines were a bit pricey for me. I did buy a few items, which were beautiful. But what did happen to them? Dana Buchman has a line at Kohl’s now. I like Kohl’s for some things; they carry a low-priced Ralph Lauren/Chaps version which has some decent stuff, and which looks very much like the Lauren bridge line. But the Dana Buchman stuff is just crap. I would not be caught dead in any of it—it looks cheap and has tacky fabrics and gaudy prints. Yeeccch.
Thank you Deja for this post. What caught my eye, was the word fast fashion. So true.The younger generation is living it now. I remember from my youth, that clothes were cared for much more than today ever. School/work clothes were changed to ” home clothes”. I really feel bad when I see young people walking on the dirty, wet streets in overlong pants. Surprisingly it does not bother them at all! These days so many clothes are made in China. Not everything is badly made, but I do feel better, if I know the origin of my clothes, and am relieved if they are made in France, Italy.. under a respectful label.
I have not paid much attention in the woman/man clothes quality. Men sure do manage to shop faster; )
Pseu: Jay Kos is a very expensive, small boutique- just so you can prepare monsieur. Le Duc- who wears bespoke Italian when he is out of jeans and polos- spends way more than I per item but and one-seventh of the linear feet in the closet. (Always telling me to buy less but of the best.) I sense a post coming on.
I wonder if mens clothing is made better since their style changes so infrequently? With new trends for women every season, it must seem like it’s not worth it to devote the same level of attention to items that are projected to be discarded shortly.
I agree with Freeda, men typically expect their clothes to last for years and years. Men aren’t expected to change with every nuance of a style shift. Certainly those of us in l’age must assert ourselves in a similar manner and buy what works, fits, functions while expressing a touch of style and personality. But it takes a strong woman to dress like a man.