When Men Were Men

When Men Were Men

By now we have all seen this picture: 

(Images: Getty) Designed in partnership with Versace’s in-house design team, here is the latest mens fashion designs for J.W out of New York.

Before you send me emails or make crazy comments, the liberal hippie in me quite honestly feels that is if a man wants to wear a dress, so be it.  It is his business. However...what gets my pulse going, makes me sweat and start to blush is a manly man...no tight jeans, dresses, or all the things I like to wear myself.  Sorry, if a man wants to wear my clothes...I feel like we should only be friends, go shopping, get mani's and pedi's, go voguing in the club together and talk about how hot the latest Hollywood crush is.  #Justsaying.

I was hoping with the popularity of the tv show Mad Men we would see this return to suits and old school male aesthetic in the world of mens fashion.  As much as I don't want my man wearing dresses, I am really sick of the slouchy LA street style...ALL. THE. TIME.  I don't mind that style every once in a while..but once you hit your thirties and that's your everyday attire...maybe you should reevaluate some things in your life.  #Justsaying again.

In response to my meditations, prayers, and desperate pleading this is my ode to a time gone by When Men Were Men.  The source of inspiration is none other than the Rat Pack.  Frank, Dino, Sammy, Peter and Joey.  They were the embodiment of manly cool. From the website Modern Drunkard (yes, Modern Drunkard Magazine.  Don't judge me)

"Some reckon it was because the heart of the Pack, the holy trinity of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr., were peaking in their respective careers precisely when they forged their fateful union. Others claim their rise hinged upon the testosterone-fueled reaction of the fading Macho American Male against the encroaching, decidedly un-macho hippie revolution. Yet others believe it was the diabolical work of vast media conspiracy—the newspapers fed on scandal then, as now, and the Pack gave them all they could stand and more.

Then there are those, myself included, who believe the well is much deeper than that. That the Rat Pack wasn’t just a gang of hard-drinking, easy-loving, high-rolling celebrities who happened along at the right time, but also something much bigger and much more difficult to define—an idea, an ethos, a subconscious creed whose roots extend all the way back to ancient Greece. The Rat Pack was the primal embodiment of the notion that we are not put on this earth to toil until death, but rather that we are here to swing.

Admittedly, their timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The conformist 50’s were colliding headlong into the gooey flower-power movement, and red-blooded Americans were at a loss as to how they were supposed to behave. They were desperate for leadership and suddenly a group of very confident cats climbed up on stage in a small desert town in Nevada to deliver a soused sermon of sheer unadulterated fun. And the world sat up and took notice."

From a sheer fashion perspective the crisp button ups, and tailored suits still look fresh and crisp 50 years later.  The more casual cardigans and pleated chinos still fit in nicely to the Hamptons/Martha's Vineyard upper crust set.  Furthermore, there is no guessing that these are men. I doubt there is any lycra or spandex in any of their pants. Manly men...in well tailored suits.  You have to love it.

Pure manly man fashion.  Can you smell the testosterone?  Smells great doesn't it?  

If you or your manly man is looking to upgrade the wardrobe please check out Trunk Club, which I wrote about here http://www.iheartretailtherapy.com/2014/03/im-still-in-love.html.

Happy Shopping!

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