The tired old conceit of a scruffy man waiting outside a changing-room while his wife interminably tries on clothes has finally been put to rest – not because the woman is doing all her shopping online these days, but because that man is now just as likely to be shopping himself.
As with so many recent developments in fashion, this explosion of interest on the part of our menfolk has been fuelled by the internet. There now exists a preponderance of menswear blogs, sating a voracious appetite for knowledge of topics from the latest in street style to the minutiae of tailoring, and allowing men to out themselves as dedicated followers of fashion.
Men have noticeably smartened up, taking a more considered approach to dressing. Now the average man is far more knowledgeable about designers, fabrics and cuts.
Men have always been interested in style, but fashion hasn’t always been fashionable for men. It shows that men are as fashion-conscious as women and have a hunger for unique newness.
Men’s style has grown massively in the past five years. That growth has been driven by the accessibility of fashion through magazines, blogs and celebrity influence, as well as designers who have focused on reinterpreting classic menswear, giving men’s fashion a broader and more masculine appeal.
Whether their sartorial influences come from the street, the catwalk or popular culture, it seems that men are happy exploring their personal style.