Like many men over forty I've found that choosing suitable clothes can be difficult. I don’t want skinny cuts and low waistbands, nor do I want the shapeless designs so often sold on our high streets and online. What I’m looking for is stylish, well-made, properly-fitting clothes that enable me to reflect my personality.
Such clothes exist, but they have to be searched for. Brands in general don’t advertise to the older man. When did you last see a menswear advert featuring a model over 25 years of age? I’m not talking about the folksy older models used to sell boxy tweed jackets and corduroy trousers in Sunday papers, I mean cool, stylish older men used in a non-patronising way to sell quality menswear.
Such clothes exist, but they have to be searched for. Brands in general don’t advertise to the older man. When did you last see a menswear advert featuring a model over 25 years of age? I’m not talking about the folksy older models used to sell boxy tweed jackets and corduroy trousers in Sunday papers, I mean cool, stylish older men used in a non-patronising way to sell quality menswear.
 |
| Image from Men in this Town image by Joshua Lawrence |
The failure to try to sell to older men can mean we don't buy. Unfortunately, we often give up on style after 40. As we we no longer have to compete for jobs, love, a partner, the need to look good is less pressing. Furthermore, the absence of inspiration and role models showing how well we could dress does nothing to encourage us. The clothing industry seems to have given up on us and the rarity of older men in fashion advertising is symptomatic of the problem.
 |
| Image: The Sartorialist from The Sartorialist X |
I’d like to see the menswear industry wake up to the fact that the older man is the most affluent and fastest-growing demographic. Retailers are losing money by failing to market themselves effectively to us. If they sell to the older man, we will buy.
I wanted to show that older men are interested in style and to encourage others to explore the possibilities. I decided, with some reluctance, to start showing images on the blog of myself wearing clothes I like. This has snowballed recently and I’ve arranged or been invited to take part in a number of photo-shoots (see, for example, the image below of a Marks & Spencer photoshoot).
If this encourages other older men to look again at their wardrobes and to recognise the power and importance of dressing well, I will be a happy man. If it encourages menswear brands to use images of older men in their sales and marketing, I will be even happier.
If this encourages other older men to look again at their wardrobes and to recognise the power and importance of dressing well, I will be a happy man. If it encourages menswear brands to use images of older men in their sales and marketing, I will be even happier.
 |
| Grey Fox in a collaboration with Marks & Spencer |
I first wrote a version of this article for Men's Style Fashion and have adapted it for this post.
Hi Grey Fox,
ReplyDeleteI’m in agreement with you here, but I’m sure that the menswear industry does have its reasons. Would promoting the clothes to 40, 50 or 60 year olds by using models of that age, alienate the younger 20 somethings? After all, at that age, would you want to dress like your dad? I wouldn’t. Having said that, those 20 year olds are themselves going to be 40, 50 and 60 year old men soon enough, and then forgotten about.
Lets face it, these young models are used in the fashion industry and sent down the catwalk promoting the latest trend. Is the mature older man interested in “trends”? I personally stopped following trends some years ago. I would only buy into the latest trend now, if it coincided with my own taste and then, I would expect to be wearing it for a few years rather than the usual single season. So, I would be very selective.
I do have some difficulty placing myself in the clothes modelled by the younger man. I like the photoshoots that you are involved in, they’ve helped me tremendously. I hope you do more, I’m looking forward to them.
Regards
David
Many thanks for your thoughts, David. There are brands who combine ages in photo shoots and they seem to work well. I agree this may not always work with young men in their teens and twenties, but for men older than this I see no concerns of the type you mention. A cool-looking older man seems to fit when ages are mixed (Ralph Lauren, Hackett and others have done it successfully). But my point is that there is a huge cohort of men over 40 or so which is simply ignored. Their tastes may differ from twenty year olds, but they want to be inspired to dress well and the absence of interest in them from the fashion industry simply drives them away.
ReplyDeleteThis must be costing the industry huge amounts of money.
GF
Hi Grey Fox,
ReplyDeleteYes, there are some cool-looking older men who carry clothes with some confidence, and it's seeing photographs of them dressed so, that also give me confidence in my dress.
I do think we are on the same page.
Regards
David
Thanks David - yes I don't think we are very far apart on this! I feel things are changing and it's an optimistic outlook. Would you agree?
ReplyDeleteGF
Grey Fox,
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a well written and very succinct piece. You have hit the nail on the head here and David's comments too are very relevant.
I think there are two contributing factors from the customers' demands rather than from the suppliers offerings :-
(1) Role models - I am 70 years old and back in my formative dressing days all screen stars not only knew how to dress correctly but took pride in doing so. They simply don't seem to exist today. Now you have so called celebrities who receive "black tie" invitations and turn up in a yellow one, or a four in hand or no tie at all. Do they not have the mentality to realise the clue is in the wording "black" ? This also paired with brightly coloured trainers. Today's fans copy them and so another understanding of dress sense dies out.
These celebrities are persuaded ( and no doubt paid ) to be seen with brand logos plastered all over them. Why would anybody want to wear a vest with Jack Wills in foot high letters right across the front of it? I don't think any well dressed older man would parade about with "this is an Anderson and Shepard suit" emblazoned across it. Like David I don't follow fashion trends and even if there is an article of clothing I like I will not buy it if it has any sort of advertising displayed on it.
(2) Females:-You are correct when you say (generally) the older man is not seeking a partner and so I believe there is a lack of willingness to dress presentably in order to appear attractive to a potential wife or lover. I wonder if, once in a long term relationship, there is a tendency to think 'anything will do....near enough is good enough.' Added to this the husband often relies on his wife to buy his clothes so he gets, and subsequently wears, what she turns up with. There seems to be a belief that the term "ready to wear" means exactly that. Although the trousers are a foot too long and the coat sleeves hang inches past the end of his fingers the suit was bought as 'ready to wear' and so it damn well must be.
In my opinion there is no need for any older man not to look exceedingly smart. If no high street brand fits the bill then bespoke tailoring surely will. What about the cost I hear people shout, but a well made tailored suit will outlast and also remain elegant in appearance, long after the cost of a few cheaper ill fitting ones have been discarded. Added to this the tailoring cost of getting a high quality second hand or vintage piece altered to fit perfectly far outweighs the expense of buying several new "off the peg" items which only fit where they touch and never look nearly as good.
With such informative and well written blogs as yours, together with any number of very good books, there is no reason why any man could not learn to dress well.
Best regards,
Snapper
Snapper - many thanks as ever. I'm always so grateful to you for taking the time to write your highly relevant and thoughtful comments.
ReplyDeleteYour comments about celebrity lack of style are highly perceptive. Some do it right (Daniel Craig and often David Beckham) but the majority doesn't and I suspect that the stylists who dress them (a subject in itself) are under pressure from brands who want their goods aired to throw together outfits that would cause any self-respecting sartorialist to weep with despair.
Yes, fit is essential and the lack of understanding about the topic is fuelled by online buying and poor advice in menswear stores. I agree with your comments on made to measure and bespoke.
Overall, if older men see the advantages of looking and feeling smart they will buy. Brands can encourage this by showing them how good they can look. Meanwhile, I try to do it, together with a few outstanding brands like Oliver Sweeney.
GF
Future inspiration right there.
ReplyDeleteBuckets & Spades
I think there's been a regression in maturity in men over 40. Generally speaking. They may be more interested in the "cheap" throw-away stuff of the modern catalogues and such.
ReplyDeleteBut I'd encourage men over 40 to consider themselves as role-models for a younger generation somewhat floating along, buying junk poorly made that lasts as long as the latest "craze". Regardless of what the industry is doing. Style, to me, has always been a brother of manners - another reason men over 40 should consider what they wear, around their sons, others, in a culture where manners are lacking, in a culture of consumerism means fashion, vs. well-made products that have style spanning generations...
The rise of suburban lifestyles may also be a factor of why men over 40 are not targets of the industry - they've outgrown style. Convenience is the word. The "fashion".
Overall, your blog is an incredible inspiration for those of us who appreciate style, as well as manners. Hope all this makes some sort of sense...
Pray for France...
James
I would not like to be seen as a niche market by marketing men trying to taylor brands to what they perceive as my needs. I buy most of my clothes from charity shops which requires me to imagine how I might put together an ensemble, you can't buy the complete look. I can go out with only my shoes, sock, underwear and hat bought from mainstream retailers. I always look for reputable brands and last week I went out in a Magee topcoat [£9.99], Austin Reed suit [ £25], Lewin shirt {4.99], Paul Smith Tie [a baragin at £1.99] pocket square [.99p]. I get most of my style ideas from Mr Mort and occasionally from The Satorialist. It can be quite traditional if required but eclectic when I feel like it. Bright socks, lots of scarves and cravats, hat from berets to fedoras and everything in between and never black shoes or anything black for that matter, the colour of choice for the sartorially dull and unimaginative.
ReplyDeleteI agree that designers and manufacturers of mens clothing don't seem to care about older consumers. When I go shopping I always have trouble finding clothes that appeal to older gentlemen, or even fit older men properly. The suits are all cut to be super slim, the pants are ultra skinny. Even if I like the style the clothes don't fit. This seems to be more of a problem for the designers to recognize the value of older consumers, because when I go into a store the staff are falling over themselves to help me. They can see that even though I'm over 50 I'm a good client. I have money and I'm not afraid to spend it on quality clothing. Retailers can see this, but not the designers. As a whole, the menswear industry is missing out by ignoring the older demographic.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your work with the blog, which I find interesting and quite useful. May it long continue!
Alvin
Thank you ao much for this article. Recently, I have been taking a harder look t why I wearing and how I feel as a man in his 40's. Admitting that the industry is ignoring us made me realize that I am not crazy, and I want/need to take more pride in my appearance. It's so easy to give up as we get older, but why should the kids have all the fun?
ReplyDeleteJames, Michael, Alvin, canuck - thanks do much for such thoughtful comments. I find it very helpful to receive such views to help me develop and modify my own.
ReplyDeleteI entirely agree with James about the regression - my generation had fathers and grandfathers as role models in style. I'm not sure that today's fathers offer that in the same way. Maybe this is changing as men's fashion becomes bigger and styles become smarter and more tailoring-based.
Thank you all.
GF
Excellent point, Grey Fox!
ReplyDeleteOur company largely sells to an older demographic, and we've found that using early-middle-aged models is most effective for our particular niche. Why that is, I can't say, but it's an interesting observation nonetheless. As far as cut and design are concerned, we offer more traditional silhouettes and also a smaller collection of more fitted, 'modern' styles. This is for the most part an accurate representation of what people like our customers, people who want to look smart but still be comfortable and classic, are wearing out in the real world.
You are on point in that too few retailers market directly to that demographic, and it's certainly their loss. Perhaps they fear that older men will not embrace new trends like younger men do, a concern which may not be unfounded. Still, we encourage older men to experiment with their style, because you never really know what works until you try it!