Topman Belts

Back in the day, there were many choices of routes to run a man down, but somehow there was more overwhelming than scornful laugh he was wearing a cheap suit. Then, of course, there was a new generation for whom the very term "costume", cheap or not, was an insult even worse: a man of middle management who could not think outside the boxy coat Big Business.

Calvin Klein wool suit, $ 300 at Macy's, Victor Gledmaud oxford cotton shirt with contrasting collar, $ 250 to Odin, black silk tie, $ 49.50 to as Banana Republic, wear cotton duck canvas backpack, $ 556 at Barneys.

But in the last decade, the costume, courtesy of designers like Miuccia Prada, Tom Ford and Thom Browne, has been transformed into a place of serious cons CRED-culture. Now, with the economy sluggish, even the cheap suit is brushing off her form unsuave. And in the hands of young designers like Billy Reid and Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos, Shipley & Halmos, and stores such as Uniqlo and Topman, the cheap suit has become a garment that is as uncomplicated as jeans or chinos has always back in an interview, at dinner or a date.

This change is motivated as much by the guys buying costumes that the guys make them: youth, cheap suits are one of the strongest most popular items on the sales floor now. According to NPD Group, which tracks retail sales, sales as well in 2009 were almost exactly even with the 2008 (a decrease of only 0.01 percent), while sales of sport coats and jackets slid more than 13 percent. (Remember, Mr. Reader, is the new flat top.)

"Less expensive suits, mostly purchased by younger consumers, are doing better," said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD. "Costume Men are a classic example of how consumers ambitious reached beyond their means are now back to more affordable prices - still expensive, but not as extreme as over $ 1,000. Suits over $ 1,000 are still in recovery mode. "

This is certainly the case in Topman. "They sell very well, especially in the New York store," Gordon Richardson, design director, said costume slim, smart (and economical) to Topman. "What is so attractive is that it is not the old power dressing. It's about looking good and looking cool in a trial."

In addition, improvements of style set the price - or shall we say cost-conscious? Costume call - new. It's not a dress still a safe, sober investment buy. There are costumes cotton pastels, sharkskin black, and synthetic blends high technology so that they can actually do your taxes. They may offer men's clubs (with a jacket or a self-belts), the country clubs (with a bright color or a jaunty plaid) and nightclubs (with shawl satin lapels or closing a single button). Ultimately, costumes now managed to establish an approach to the polite and casual dressing, 40 years ago, the suit leisure and reaches to miss - by a mile.

Some young designers have effectively been taken by surprise by the enthusiasm and demand for cheap suit. Ten years ago, new brands is a version of blue jeans their signature piece - now this piece is the combination.

"By the time we were at Trovata, we never had an actual trial," said Shipley, who was a partner in the Trovata before founding Shipley & Halmos with Mr. Halmos. "With this brand, we found ourselves gravitating towards costumes, as there is so much more you can do with fabric and cut and detail, and then they started to sell very well. Now guys, we return each season to another. This is how our company has grown. "

Cost was a key element of the formula. "We try to keep everything under $ 1,000, he said." We prefer to take a smaller margin and you guys in suits look good. "

No small part of the new appeal of the combination lies in the way it has been redesigned to be bigger than the sum of its parts. When a case has been.