Speaking of things styled for the wangus—
There is a bit of discussion over H&M offering skirts with their menswear for Spring 2010. It is true that somebody is always trying to introduce skirts to menswear and it is going to make the blogs titter every time. What is new is that it’s not some fancy-pants (skirt) designer who’s most outré pieces have no chance of trickling down to department ready-to-wear copies. This is H&M, which—for cities that are not Portland—is as solid a source for clothing as Target is in the ‘burbs.
That there is no (apparent) feature of these skirts that differentiates them from styles sold regularly to women doesn’t really matter. These are Skirts For Men, racked next to skinny jeans and blazers in the men’s section. There will be no need to wander over to Juniors or Ladies and parse a different department’s sizing system, practising legit-sounding reasons for being there. More folks who shop in the men’s department will try them on.
If the experiment fails, whatever, the seed has been planted. Once a style permeates the department stores it never really goes away. Less classy/hep joints will begin picking it up. The process will rev the feedback cycle until, like cargo pants and babydoll tees, skirts in the men’s section are always represented to some degree—though every couple of years you may have trouble finding a style you like since the world’s gone obsessed with something else for the season.
