More Guys Are Shopping Like Girls
This Thursday NYC bespoke-style men's suit shop, Windsor Custom, is inviting gentlemen to come over for a flight of three Glenmorangie Scotches and a custom shirt for $150.
The store is under The Ainsworth, an upscale sports bar, so the idea is that guys come with friends; drink; shop; and then head upstairs for the start of March Madness.
The whole event is a really good example of where the whole male shopping experience is going in general. First, of course, there's the move toward affordable custom clothing we've been seeing for a while now ($150 for a bespoke dress shirt sounds like a deal).
The second trend is man-friendly space. According to The New York Times, retailers from J. Crew to Ugg, Saks Fifth Avenue to Christian Louboutin (think red-soled high heels) are completely rethinking men's stores, and in some cases, building completely separate spaces from women's stores.
Retailers are putting a lot of thought into the layouts of these spaces too — think: places to sit, darker colors, gadgets and reading material lying around.
Lastly, men's shopping is getting to be a group activity — not something that's done with a female, not something that's done alone.
It's a big change, and even though men have been the fastest growing segment of the adult apparel market, the change is coming slowly.
But the scotch will probably help.