Metrosexuality Morphs, A Peek at What’s Next
by on 17 Sep 2009
In 2006 the same woman who in the 90’s claimed to have coined the term metrosexual, declared its death. Marian Salzman, in an interview with the New York Times, said that ‘uber sexuals’, the latest version of men, are confident, masculine and stylish, and (still) committed to uncompromising quality in all areas of life. So, along with the paisleys and your heart, your sleeves can also sport a pair of super masculine golf ball replica cuff links.
Today, the likes of George Clooney, Barack Obama and Hugh Jackman, carry their alpha maleness in every tone of stylish high couture. In India, the rugged, unshaven boys who grace our TV and celluloid screens are just a little bit scruffy and dirty. Yet, they’ve checked everything on their vanity list, without screaming from the top of roofs about their more than regular pedis, manis and/or facials.
The uber sexual man might even sport a slight belly. The sign that he is a busy man, who is more occupied with his political news, real world causes and grooming his mind, than being obsessed just about the gym! This new version of the alpha male, isn’t however an excuse for any kind of emotional emptiness, ignorance of anything outside sports, beer and burgers, and insufferable male chauvinism.
And with India’s first Men’s Fashion Week in full flow, a lot of questions are being thrown into the arena. Are men getting more involved in fashion? Is that metrosexual? But wait a minute; didn’t metrosexual slide way down in the trend o’meter, a couple of years ago?
But before we eagerly throw the baby out with the bathwater, we checked in with some men who are the trend spotters in Indian fashion.
Gaurav Gupta attributes a change in attitude to a general shift and change in the way men dress. “Men are looking at dressing up more. They are more individualistic, and even ready to wear something like draped trousers.” Gaurav says, instead of killing metrosexuality, there are just other ways of interpreting it. Men are more confident, they want to carry that stubble off with élan, says the eclectic fashion designer.
With the men’s fashion world exploding, this fashion week heralds a huge change, and it’s no longer just the difference between those who wear the paisleys and florals and those who don’t. It’s about those who wear those prints, and are still masculine. Dj, and fashion model Ignatious Camilo says, of the new turn, “At the end of the day, dress like men. Under the term metrosexual you can go completely wrong too. However now you can play around, throw in a little bit of the florals, strike the right balance, and carry it off.”
Of course as ‘maleness’ hits back amongst the stylish echelons, and trickles down from those who actually are influenced by the ramps and all their little nuances, women can just heave a sigh of relief to see that they don’t have to compete with men, anymore.
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