Men's fashion retail goes tough-guy, nothing metrosexual about it

Five years ago, Boyds Philadelphia transformed its first floor into - gasp - a haven for designer women's clothing.

On the mezzanine of the men's fashion epicenter - next to its sushi restaurant - was a robust assortment of pointy-toed Jimmy Choos. And on the third floor, which used to be for guys only, was B-3, a collection of contemporary men's and women's clothing.

But that's all a-changin'. When you walk into the Chestnut Street store these days, you'll notice that the floor displays, save for one or two mannequins, boast ruggedly modern yet classic men's lines such as Paul Smith and Hickey Freeman. Cowboy hats teeter on busts with messenger bags strapped around them, and women's clothes now live on the third floor - completely out of sight.

In a postrecession, post-metrosexual world, fashion retail is manning up again. And Boyds is getting on board.

"By bringing men's back to the first floor, we are reinforcing who we are and what we stand for," said Jeff Glass, the curly-haired co-owner of the menswear dynasty.

A decade ago - recall Express for Men - retailers started appealing to men's softer sides. But after years of talking about feelings and pushing pedicures, the fashion world is admitting that most Y-chromosomers have little interest in bonding with their inner fashionistas. When it comes to clothing, men simply want to look up-to-date (read: professional) but not trendy (read: the dude who wears sunglasses inside).

And retailers - still reeling from a 6 percent decline in men's retail sales from $54.1 billion in 2008 to $51 billion in 2009, according to NPD Group - are embracing their needs.

"Fashion had to switch up its tactics and go from speaking to a very small segment of the male population - the metrosexual - and start speaking to the everyday Joe," said Marshal Cohen, a chief industry analyst with market research firm NPD.

A metrosexual, of course, is a man whose sense of style is sexually ambiguous. He is meticulous about grooming, from back waxes to manicures. He has excellent taste in clothing, yet he is more dandy than dapper.

But according to Cohen, fashion treated the metrosexual as "the lead dog in the race, when he was at best 11 percent of the male population."

Now the percentage is even smaller, he said. "So retailers find themselves trying to make fashion a part of men's lifestyle, not the lifestyle."

So how is the industry doing it?

Many are simply going back to man-friendly environments. Boyds, for example, is handing its first floor back to its core customer, no longer requiring men to navigate through displays of girly girlishness simply to buy a pair of pants.

Plans involve removing the women's and men's jewelry displays in the front of the store and replacing them with men's fragrances, luggage, scarves, gloves, and cuff links. Glass says there are plans to add carpeting and warmer colors in the foyer. And the second floor, always home to the men's custom department, will have more of an old-boys-club feel.

Nordstrom formed a partnership with New York-based men's fashion expert Tom Julian, and last month it starting promoting Julian's second book, Nordstrom Guide to Men's Everyday Dressing (Chronicle Books, $17.95). As part of the campaign, Nordstrom is building a display resembling a man's closet in each of its stores that will be filled with the must-have items for all parts of men's lives - the workday, after hours, the weekend, and travel.

Bloomingdale's too is focused on the "man experience." The King of Prussia store just finished a promotion that invited its male clients to spend $1,000 for the chance to win a VIP package to Caesars Atlantic City.

And tonight, Bloomingdale's will launch Loomstate for Surf Lodge, its new menswear collection that includes trendy board shorts, flat-front pants, and fitted woven plaid shirts. With surfing being the line's focus, the vibe evokes adventure.

Fashion marketing campaigns are speaking in gruffer voices as well.

For the last two years, the gritty yet debonair Sean Connery has been the face of Louis Vuitton. A Men's Wearhouse commercial features a bearded man in a suit running - on a mission to catch a sale. In March, Pert Shampoo introduced a campaign that includes a poster suggesting that men will feel like rock stars and kings if they lather up with the product.

Calvin Klein ads typically featured clean-shaven models, but these days you won't find any without facial hair. Even its underwear ad is territorial: They feature a guy wearing boxer briefs, a big red X marking his "package."

And by now, we all know how popular the Old Spice TV commercial is. Say it with me: "I'm on a horse."

"When I look at the ads, I definitely feel like they are speaking more to me as a person," said Christopher Gabello, a thirtysomething Philadelphia-based photographer known around town for his sense of style and his hot wife. "I look at them and I'm like, yeah. That's me. I can do that. I can live this way. Awesome."

But while the environment surrounding the latest in men's clothing is anti-Zac Efron, says Esquire fashion editor Wendell Brown, the clothing is fitted and the colors are popping.

"When you push images of frivolous men or men who are too pretty, it turned people off big time," Brown said. "The grittier hardworking man is in. More brooding. Less pouting. But still well dressed."

For instance, the fall menswear collections may have been full of plaids, rugged outerwear, heavy flannels, and sweaters, but the silhouettes remained tailored. The clothes, Brown said, are a return to the basics, but this time around they are more about masculinity.

And for men who understand fashion, that's a good thing.

"I'm able to mold fashion to my personality now," said Mike Brown, 29, a liquor rep for Ciroc Vodka who likes tailored clothing but was uncomfortable with the feminine messages that came with it.

"Back five or six years ago, I would dress nicely and women would ask me if I was gay, and I didn't like my sexuality questioned. Just because I liked to look nice didn't mean I was gay."

At Saks Fifth Avenue, its private-label men's collection that was launched in September included a full grouping of shoes, patterned ties, lavender cashmere sweaters, fitted twill pants, and tailored suits, said Eric Jennings, men's fashion director. But there was no mistaking the manliness of its target audience, as the photo campaign was shot on a racetrack.

"It kind of has that Steve McQueen vibe to it," said Jennings, who said the company was capitalizing on the latest resurgence in male icons such as Paul Newman. "They were real men. Women would swoon over them, and men would have a beer with them."

Macho, macho men.