Dear friends, we meet again today for the last episode of Sapristi before a little summer break.
Our theme today is a question that concerned me from the very beginning, and which I had left aside a little since:
Why is men's fashion different from women's fashion?
Is that true, why?
Have you noticed that I don't ask "how" , but "why"?
Because it's no secret: the demands of the women's market are different.
Talk for a few minutes with a product manager who has worked on both the men's and women's market, and he will tell you that on the women's side, we have fewer expectations in terms of solidity for example, but that the work of cutting and design supports much less approximation due to customer requirements.
He will undoubtedly also tell you that the need for variety, for aesthetic renewal, is much stronger within collections.
In this infographic from 2014, we see not only that their clothing budget is higher but, all things considered, the number of “purchasing acts” is higher for the same budget. (credits Kantar WorldPanel)
In short, asking "how" is also very interesting, but this is information already available to anyone who would look for market research, on which I think we would ultimately not be surprised by the result.
On the other hand, can we explain “why”? That is to say, what are these differences in conceptions, ideas and morals that ultimately led to different consumer behaviors?
You will also notice that I turn the question so as to focus on men's fashion first and foremost, because that is our subject. Rather than trying to completely explain the reasoning behind women's fashion, we will instead use women's fashion to define men's fashion through what separates them.
So let's start by trying to explain this: why buying in larger quantities, while giving pride of place to aesthetics , is a behavior accepted as feminine rather than masculine?
1. The need for aesthetic variety
We will see here that men tend to justify all their purchases by a function , and that consequently, our cultures tend to conflate purchasing "for aesthetic pleasure" with exclusively feminine behavior.
Men also need variety in their wardrobe. Besides, this one is a bit absurd with its 16 formal jackets just above five or six pairs of Nike Dunks and Air Jordans?
We will also see that the man passionate about fashion can find himself a little socially embarrassed when his passion pushes him to buy also out of a need for variety, out of visual pleasure, and when he feels obliged to justify it.
2. The relationship with coquetry
We often hear that an elegant man is a man who knows “not to do too much or too little” .
And these flirtatious men are often criticized for being “too dressed up”.
Our eternal fight, our Ying and our Yang, our great paradox... Credits: Sketches Sartorials
Remember that the word “dressed” comes from the word “prêt”, that is to say “prepared”. What we criticize a man who dresses too much is therefore having “done too much on purpose”, of having “calculated too much” .
Conversely, women are often said to be “well dressed”, and preparation, the desire to appear beautiful, is seen as positive. We accept it as something that goes without saying.
However, even men who spend their days thinking about "clothes" persist in this balancing act, in this air of "not having done too much" even though clothing is at the heart of their lives.
In short, here we have a very strong contradiction which is perhaps at the very essence of the idea of a masculine style.
2. Coquetry depending on the country
In this part of the video, we will take the examples of England and Italy , to see this same problem of coquetry from a different angle, by comparing them to France.
Because even if by speaking of this half-assumed coquetry we designate something rather "global", I am also convinced that it is not expressed at all at the same levels and with the same intensity depending on the culture .
"Hi, I'm Luca Rubinacci and I'm in a pale pink casual suit on a scooter. Huh, what? Did you say "too much"? I don't know what you mean..." Credits: Luca Rubinacci
Italians are known for a certain uninhibited exuberance , and my experience leads me to think that they have, these days, much less questioning of this coquetry than the French...
Whereas classic English elegance is full of suggestions on the appearance of sobriety that a man should exude.
4. The “functional masculine detail”
Finally, in the fourth part of the video, we tackle the very design of our clothes:
What is commonly recognized as “beautiful” in men's clothing are very often design elements that are self-justified by a function, or at least an appearance of function .
Exactly like the way he builds his wardrobe.
Thus, the man uses pockets indiscriminately with geometric shapes to demonstrate subtlety, but is a little afraid of floral embroidery, for example. And he'll feel like he's taking a big step if he starts wearing rings. Or a scarf.
As a man, do you find it elegant, beautiful, and reassuring at the same time? This is normal, everything in this design can be justified by a function, or the appearance of a function. Credits: Private White VC
A men's designer, to find a new pocket, a new aesthetic detail, must therefore go through the archives of military clothing, work clothing, traditional clothing, and look into the history of everything that has been “utilitarian” in clothing, something aesthetic, which can be justified by a use, a tradition, a function. Even if all this were completely over.
This is perhaps also why men are particularly sensitive to the history of clothing , and to the idea of authenticity : on the one hand, it is objectively interesting for everyone, but in addition, for us, it reassures us in their role.
For example, once its history is explained, the perfecto is no longer seen as a bizarre item of clothing with shiny black leather and metal everywhere, but as a protective jacket worn by bikers. And it makes us feel more legitimate to wear it.
And this is how, even in the very design of our clothes, we can draw a parallel with this relationship to the hidden coquetry that we spoke of earlier: man wants beauty, but since he cannot do everything quite openly say that he wants beauty, so he must find an external reason to have beauty, and very often, it is functionality.
In summary, we can say that as a general rule, women's fashion is simply freer in morals .
Have you noticed how overalls and jumpsuits, although emblematic of workwear and clearly masculine when they were created, are much more widespread among women today?
For women, stylistic choices will be the subject of a debate of taste, or “good taste”, but on the other hand the question of whether “a woman has the right to wear that” arises much less.
Therefore, if we want to talk about “feminine” clothing, theoretically, it is much more accurate to define it the other way around: nowadays when it comes to clothing, everything is potentially feminine, but not everything is potentially masculine.
In fact, as soon as a piece of clothing loses its functional aspect, or at least becomes forgotten at one time, it begins to be considered by men as feminine by default, even if it would have been mainly worn by men. in the past.
5. Conclusion:
To conclude, as the subject is a little special, and it can touch on issues of society, and even identity, I must provide one or two clarifications:
The analysis that I carry here, perhaps does not represent the exact situation of the fashion market and social mores at a given moment, in its smallest details and nuances, but rather a global vision by looking at what I myself I know people, over a more or less large period of time.
In other words, I try to generalize, simplify and show these phenomena , and to find their origins in our customs, our beliefs and our history, without justifying or condemning them.
I don't have an ideology or opinion on how things "should" be, and I'm just making an observation.
And like all Sapristis, this episode is designed above all with the aim of inviting reflection, and without absolute certainties on my part.
You are then free to appropriate my hypotheses, my conclusions, and to do with them what you see fit. The important thing, for me, is that we thought together. 🙂
Good viewing !
In this video I wear...
- A Percival Clothing shirt
- Officine Générale pants
- Artisan Lab sneakers
- Mazarin linen knee-highs
- Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses
