Last week I attended Magic in Las Vegas. The business of fashion is what Magic is all about.
Men’s fashion used to be a major part of Magic but has grown so small it now seems to be out of place at the sales event.
I have found out that when you’re my age you learn more by simply walking the floors and having big ears. You listen to things like ,”today we had a record sales day but a great first day usually means bad sales the next day.” Or come back and ask me after Christmas and I will tell you rather or not we did well this week.
That men’s fashion is like global warming, changes happen ever so many years but instead of simply understanding that change is natural you have to have another excuse for it. Suits are out casual is in, its called change.
Look no further then leaders of the world and their casual no suit no tie look. If you go to look for a job today you most often wear a sports coat, casual shirt and slacks or jeans. Topped off with the one good pair of shoes that you have in your closet. (Seems like the excuse for slow shoe sales is that the product is too good and lasts so long no need to buy as many shoes as men used to.)
If you need a suit to go to a wedding or formal occasions you rent. The suit your buried in is more often the not even a real suit, it being made from paper.
At Magic there were also Slate and Street whom are still of reasonable size. Hip and fashionable but not selling as well as they would hope. Simple reason nothing to do with wrong decisions of what is hot but simply do we buy something trendy to wear or pay for gas to get us back and forth to our job.
In down turns of the economy you put what money you have into what is most important. Trendy, sort of doesn’t cut it when you have kids to feed and bills to pay.
There is an unfortunate tend today to blame weak sales on everything including the faulty sink and over look that the actual cause. You can’t spend what you don’t have no matter how much you want that new pair of pants or that wild shirt you want so much.
Money will be back and the companies doing business in men’s fashion will simply make the moves needed to get back up and running once again. Till then you buy only what you need to get by if your buying clothes and hang on if your fingernails if your selling them.
As it has been said when you’re my age it will eventually pass.