Strong suit

Some years ago, Casual Friday gave way to Casual Every Day. But now men's clothes have veered to more conservative styles.

By MARK ALBRIGHT,
St. Petersburg (FL) Times Staff Writer

James Stant dressed down to the casual look that dominated office attire after the peak of the dot.com era.

Not anymore.

"Now I wear dress shirts and slacks to work," said the 23-year-old Clearwater network software consultant. "I wouldn't think of wearing a golf shirt. I used to see a lot more sneakers at work. Now it's more dress shoes. It's definitely changed."

Yes, after Casual Friday eventually gave way to Casual Every Day in many workplaces - believe it or not - men are dressing up again.

Sales of men's tailored clothing slacks, sports coats and dress shirts - soared 18 percent over the past 12 months ended Feb. 28 compared to the same period a year ago, according to NPD Group Inc., a Port Washington, N.Y.-firm that tracks spending on a variety of consumer goods. That's more than three times the gains of men's or women's apparel overall. And that's still behind a stunning 25 percent gain in the sales of men's suits, sports coats and formal wear.

To be sure, men's fashion changes at a glacial pace. So it is possible men's apparel sales just hit bottom. After all, 2004 provided the first increase in men's apparel sales in four years and the first gain in men's suit sales in more than a decade. Suit sales recovered from a 14 percent nose-dive in 2003 compared to 2002. And sales of neckties are not yet part of the revival.

The numbers confirm that what had been seen as a series of fashion fads has become a full-blown trend.

"A lot of men dress for the job they want, not the one they have.'
The fashion mavens have their theories. One New York Times fashion writer even theorized that some young men who have no qualms about dyeing their hair are becoming "dandies." Others think men got bored with khaki pants and polo shirts, especially after they became work uniforms for low-paying jobs at places like McDonald's, Winn-Dixie and Target.

Experts see other reasons, ranging from uncertain job security to the break-up of the middle class to a generational change.

"Men over 35 are finally replacing their old suits because workplace dress is changing," said Marshal Cohen, senior apparel industry analyst for NPD. "But men under 30 think they discovered the suit. Many never owned one. A lot of them never saw their father wear one, either. That makes it okay. Some even buy suits and sports coats as club wear."

"A lot of men dress for the job they want, not the one they have," said Steve Lossing, vice president of tailored clothing for JCPenney, which sells Stafford, the nation's best-selling business suit line. "The suit is fashionable again."

Employers have been quietly tightening dress codes, in writing or by the boss' example. About 10 percent of Fortune 500 companies have Casual Friday policies, according to America's Research Group. AmSouth Bank, which allows casual dress only for back-office employees whom customers never see, last year rewrote its code to ban jeans, collar-less shirts and sandals for them, too.

"Men just got too sloppy," said Chris Hayes, AmSouth vice president of human resources in Tampa.

Others who get their cues from peers cleansed grubbies from their work wardrobe.

"I dress up for work six days a week and I've seen a big change," said Ray Mihara, a 37-year-old agent with Signature Real Estate in Tampa. "Not only do men dress up more; they're more willing to buy more expensive casual styles like Tommy Bahama. Today you see a much cleaner look."

Not that men are becoming the clothes-horse women are. The fashion industry has taught women to buy outfits in five seasons a year. In subtropical Florida men's apparel stores have established only two true seasons: hot and the rest of the year. Indeed, despite the rebound, men's apparel accounted for only $50-billion of the $173-billion in U.S. apparel sales in 2004.

"We have shifted more store real estate to men's dress clothes.'
Many men are not even aware the winds shifted despite being bombarded with hints the zeitgeist is changing. The media focuses relentlessly on Hollywood stars dressed to the nines. The ambitious young contestants on TV's The Apprentice have a predilection for pinstripes. Cable makeover shows such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and What Not to Wear have developed audiences to watch fashion experts trash, toss and reload slobs' closets.

On an episode of the HBO comedy show Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ed Asner played a character who fired a lawyer who refused to dress in a suit and tie on Fridays.

"I don't want somebody representing me dressed like that," Asner's character said.

Retailers aren't waiting for more confirmation. They are lavishing more attention to an all-but-forgotten part of their stores.

"We have shifted more store real estate to men's dress clothes," said Melissa Goff, a spokeswoman for Macy's. Designers even were emboldened this spring to get men to buy colors, shocking pink or lime green sport shirts, that have not been seen since the beach wear of the 1980s. As khakis and polo shirts have given way to slacks, silks and pricier knit tops, many shoppers even lost their aversion to clothes that must be dry cleaned. Nonetheless, the drip-dry men's suit JCPenney debuted last year will give way this fall to a washable version that's supposed to endure a clothes dryer.

"It's been gradual, but the country has been swinging to more conservatism in dress," said Jack Herschlag, chief executive of the Menswear Buyers Association, a trade group of people who buy clothes for retailers. "Even the hip-hop designers are easing off the backward hats and wild look to more elegant double-breasted suits and full-length coats."

Indeed Sean John, a clothing line with annual sales of $300-million that's controlled by rap producer Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, features $64 dress shirts, $145 blazers and $105 linen pants in addition to all that fleece.

Jos. A. Banks Clothiers, a chain of 269 traditional menswear stores, parlayed the generational switch into being named one of Business Week's 100 Hottest Growth companies last month.

"A few years ago we were concerned because 15 percent of our customer base was over 65 and only 7 percent was under 30," said Robert Wildrick, president and chief executive of the Hampstead, Md., chain. "Today those numbers have exactly reversed. Our average customer is five years younger than 1999."

The company is bulking up its inventory this year not on fashion items, but the basics: navy blazers, white shirts and dark suits.

"We missed some opportunities last year because we were not in stock in every size all the time," Wildrick said.

Like many retailers, JCPenney broadened its men's repertoire this summer to offer a generation of first-time suit buyers something other than sportswear that is meant specifically for the 18- to 25-year-old.

The company introduced nick(it), a tailored clothing line created by Nick Graham, the San Francisco designer who came up with Joe Boxer, which transformed boxer shorts into a full line of casual clothes for the same age group when they were younger.

Nick(it) now is mostly pinstriped suits with a British flair designed to be worn with a dress shirt or T-shirt. By fall the suit line will be expanded with more form-fitting styles priced at $40 to $120 laden with a plethora of pockets for cell phones, PDAs and MP3 players.

"Women knew how to dress casual and still look professional. Men didn't.'
Tampa Bay apparel retailers say the dress-up trend is more pronounced in cooler climes and business hubs such as New York City.

But the garment industry's use of technology to make heavy fabrics such as wool cooler and more comfortable has encouraged Florida merchants. New synthetic linings wick off sweat. New synthetic blends are more natural-looking and let hot air escape rather than contain it. Stain-, fade- and wrinkle-resistant treatments that five years ago were sprayed and then baked into garments now are woven into the fabric. Armholes are more stretchable because the fabric is interwoven with tiny bungee cords.

"There has been a resurgence in dressing up, but I don't think we'll ever totally turn back the clock in Florida," said Mark Shine, owner of Kirby's Menswear, a Tampa retailer that sells $2,000 Zegna suits and $175 Eton dress shirts. "Women knew how to dress casual and still look professional. Men didn't. Businesses realized khakis and a polo shirt, especially one with a golf course logo, didn't cut it."

The new focus on men's retail is changing conventional wisdom.

JCPenney executives were surprised when their research found that 70 percent of men buy their own clothes.

"The accepted industry sense was always that women bought more than half of all men's clothes," Lossing said. "We learned that women told their husbands they don't have the time. They're on their own."

Old habits are dropping by the wayside. The Gap and Limited Express, which never sold tailored clothes, now stock men's sport coats, linen blazers and $50 dress shirts. Men's Wearhouse, a chain of traditional men's stores that enjoyed 9 percent sales gains for the past two years, started selling men's suits as separates (pants and jacket can be bought separately).

"I held out, but we are selling separates now because that's how people want to buy them," said George Zimmer, chief executive of the Houston-based Men's Wearhouse.

Many men, however, are holding out, too.

"I see some younger people dressing up, but I'm staying a T-shirt guy," said Chris Rezac, a 22-year-old Hillsborough County Community College student training for a career as a firefighter.

Gary Cornwell, human resources director for the city of St. Petersburg, also had not picked up on the trend.

"If anything, it's gotten more casual around here," Cornwell said.

But like many managers on the city payroll, he has learned to keep a sport coat and tie hanging in his office - just in case