Captivating Connections.

it's mad mad fashion world for men.

What can I say? Love me some Mad Men (and it looks like I'm not the only one!)...

"Today the well-off 55-year-old is likely to be the worst-dressed man in the room, wearing a saggy T-shirt and jeans. The cash-poor 25-year-old is in a natty sport coat and skinny tie bought at Topman for a song. Young men are embracing the 'Mad Men' elements of style in a way that the older men never did, still don’t and just won’t. The result is a kind of rift emerging between the generation of men in their 20s and 30s and those in their late 40s and 50s for whom a suit was not merely square but cubed, and caring about how one looked was effeminate.

The evidence of this style gap is everywhere. Just check out the numerous men’s wear blogs — acontinuouslean.com, dandyism.net, thetrad.blogspot.com, fineanddandyshop.blogspot.com — dedicated not to cutting-edge European fashion but to old-school minutiae of dressing well. Or take a look at the Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones, who favors double-breasted suits and bow ties and talks about 'the resurgence of the gentleman.”'

So what's the reason?

“'I think it’s a reaction against the homogeneity of casual wear,' said Gordon Henderson, the design director of Topman. 'There’s nowhere to go with that in terms of personality, whereas a suit sets you apart. And now there are suits that are cut for young people. There’s never been that before, so it’s new to them.'

In a twist, neckties are being sold at the very place that did more than any other to usher in casual Friday: Gap. Not to be outdone, American Apparel now sells bow ties.

'The older generation, say 45-plus, look upon success as being able to dress down,' said Marshal Cohen, the chief analyst at NPD Group, which tracks retail sales. 'They think being able to wear jeans is the epitome of achievement.

'But the younger generation is looking at getting dressed up and making their mark,' Mr. Cohen continued. 'It’s a real generation gap here. I teach at three different colleges, and I am amazed how dressed up some of the students are. Girls still come in their hoodies and pajamas, but boys come in their suits.'”

private sample sales go public.

When private sample sales first started, I remember a few of my lady friends (mostly in PR) and I sharing sites and invites. Now they've expanded so much that my BROTHER is sending me invites (and asking for them!).

"Brick-and-mortar luxury retailers may be in a slump as big as the QE2, but business is booming in the online private sale sector.

Early last week, Pennsylvania-based e-commerce and interactive services firm GSI Commerce Inc. announced it was buying Rue La La for $350 million. Just days later, The Wall Street Journal reported that none other than Saks Fifth Avenue was experimenting with a private online event, and that it would test two more before the end of the year.

'We're really entering round two of this business, as consumers become increasingly aware of this new channel, and more brands start to recognize the benefit,' Paul Hurley, CEO of Ideeli, one of the largest members-only sites, tells Marketing Daily.

The concept started back in 2001 with the French Vente-privee, which is popular throughout Europe, and boasts more than 8 million members. (By contrast, Rue La La has 1.2 million members, and Ideeli just passed 1 million.) But it wasn't until 2007 that private sales sites really burst onto the U.S. e-commerce scene, led by companies like HauteLook and Gilt Groupe. (Gilt also owns Jetsetter, which uses the same model to sell upscale travel packages.)

Members-only sites provide, in effect, online versions of sample sales -- big discounts on the latest in luxury. While the sites are easy to join, most foster a little bit of an exclusive 'we may not want people like you in our yacht club' vibe. Marketing, based on email and text blasts about the timing of sales, keeps that insider-y feel going."

Are you a part of any? If so, which ones? What have you gotten? I've used Gilt and Ideeli to stock up on J Brands, some Marc Jacobs, and have done plenty of birthday gift shopping for other people on it.

it's all about mom.

"In these tight times, teen-clothing retailers are focusing on their core clientele: moms.

Aeropostale is designing new stores with wider aisles to accommodate parents with strollers and more seats to keep them in the store longer. Aeropostale staff also is exhorted to "TTM," or target the mom.

Buckle Inc. is offering personal-shopping appointments outside of store hours to work around parents' schedules. Old Navy is slanting its assortment to stress value as much as glamour.

Aeropostale

'You need to make that mom feel comfortable, because ultimately she's writing the check,' says Richard Jaffe, managing director of apparel and softlines retail at brokerage firm Stifel Nicolaus & Co. "She is the one who is responding to the economic uncertainty, the employment uncertainty."

Stores that attract school-age shoppers have always had to balance the dueling interests of the teen who wears their merchandise and parents who foot the bill. Historically, retailers have gone after the former, relying on teens to persuade their parents to make the purchase. But as the economy stifles consumer spending and crimps kids' budgets, retailers are re-emphasizing their mom-appeal.

'We're cognizant of the mom and the impact that that mom has,' says Tom Johnson, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Aeropostale, a New York teen retailer that has built its brand around the dynamic of parents shopping with their kids. Mr. Johnson says meeting her needs 'is critical to our success.'"

Here's the thing though...at that age, haven't moms (or dads!) ALWAYS had the final word by choosing to withhold the allmighty credit card? At least that's how it was for me when I was a teen. Maybe that's how I learned how to be a marketer, or at least tweak my powers of persuassion...sorry Dad (for all those times you were stuck bored at in clothing store listening to me argue the merits of why I just HAD to have that pair of jeans or boots, as well as the laundry list of reasons why they were savvy, smart purchases that YOU should feel good about!).

denim deals.

File this under: duh!

"The $13 billion denim industry — a life preserver for the sinking apparel industry the past year — may be fraying at the high end of its product line.

While old standbys including Levi's, Lee and Wrangler are still seeing sales increases that likely will continue in the coming year, sales increases for pricey premium jeans will likely occur only in the under-$200 category, according to market research firm NPD Group.

Sales of these and even pricier jeans had soared deep into the recession — up 17% last year alone, says NPD — as retailers and apparel makers benefited from a largely recession-resistant jones for jeans. But really pricey denim pants may be falling out of fashion.

"The economy shifted, and all of a sudden those outrageous prices actually look outrageous," says NPD chief retail analyst Marshal Cohen. "The superpremium jean business has dropped off tremendously because the inspirational shoppers aren't going up that high, and luxury customers aren't buying two or three pairs anymore."

r.i.p men.style.com.

"Conde Nast will shut down one of its web-only brands, Men.Style.com, when it gives two of its titles, GQ and Details, their own websites in October.

The move marks a partial dismantling of Conde Nast's strategy of creating web-only brands to house magazine content, such as Style.com, Epicurious.com and Concierge.com, and the realization that in many cases the best brand for the web is the one that's been successful in print.

vogue takes a page from consumer 'high/low' trend.

You know the times are changing when Voguefeatures ANYTHING under a (few) hundred dollars...

"When a magazine features items like a $40 Gap hat, a $50 pair of J. Crew shorts and a $48 Tommy Hilfiger scarf, one might assume that the magazine is Cosmopolitan or Lucky, proudly midrange publications. But in fact, the magazine is the high-fashion bible Vogue, which has gone budget-conscious in its July issue, promising a 'Steal of the Month,' and a section with all items under $500.

The index section for the July issue of Vogue includes a mix of high and low products, like a $449 croquet set. The issue also has a 'Steal of the Month' and a section with all items under $500. Sally Singer, fashion news and features director for the magazine, said that Vogue had included lower-priced items for some time.

'We’ve always shown a wide range of price points and lower-priced items,' she said. 'As long as Anna Wintour’s been at Vogue, from her first issue, she had jeans on her cover with a Christian Lacroix top. She’s always had a high-low sensibility.'”

Um, really? Are we talking about the same Vogue here??

fashion week video game on its way.

Two unlikely worlds are coming together: Gaming & Fashion

"505 Games will co-develop a series of video games with media company IMG Sports & Entertainment based on Fashion Week, the annual events where clothing designers and labels parade malnourished models wearing the next season's collections down runways in Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Milan. The concept of the games, created by makeup artist Pat McGrath and fashion insider Noel Gordon, features top models and runways. The series will become available on consoles from Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, as well as Apple's iPhone.

Although in the early stage of development, the games could serve up static or dynamic ads as part of the real-world experience at Fashion Week, typically sponsor-supported. Virtual goods could serve as the debut of various products. Dresses and purses might be previewed in the game before they hit Bloomingdale's racks.

505 Games plans to tap Twitter, Facebook and MySpace to create campaigns, but also work with Wal-Mart Stores, Target, Toys R Us, Best Buy and Game Stop to promote the games. The series will tie in with Fashion Week events in Milan, New York, Los Angeles and other locations that host the event worldwide."

brand america.

Are consumers becoming increasingly brand conscience?

"The recession may be pummeling America's ability to indulge its fashion fantasies, but Brand Keys' latest ranking shows that people are becoming increasingly brand-conscious.

Five years ago, the New York-based brand and customer loyalty research consultancy says, less than 3% of U.S. fashion consumers said that brands and logos were 'more' or 'much more' important in clothing purchases. These days? That number has jumped to 14%.

That marks the second year where both men and women say they care more about brand names, reversing a seven-year slide. In his analysis, Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys founder and president, notes that the change has more to do with look-alike clothing than the economy.

'Over the past decade, fashion providers went through their satisfaction and quality stages and, by now, most of the clothing produced is pretty undifferentiated,' he writes. 'Most products on offer to American consumers are pretty much the same.'

As a result, that puts more pressure on brands: 'Brand meaning has become a surrogate for product differentiation.'"

bendel to focus on accesories.

Sorry, ladies:

"A venerable name in New York retailing, Henri Bendel, is planning to stop selling clothes this summer and focus on accessories and beauty products as it struggles to lure shoppers during a prolonged recession.

Bendel’s flagship store at 712 Fifth Avenue will also give up one of its three floors, according to the company’s plans."

teens & clothing shopping.

Teens seem to be the latest demo the press seems to be focusing on when looking at how the recession is impacting different people. New research looks at teen spending...

"While the comparable-store sales declines of leading teen retailers have been telling a mostly dismal tale for months now, Piper Jaffray's new 'Taking Stock With Teens' survey pretty much confirms it: Among the 8,100 teens surveyed, with a median age of 16.7 years, spending on clothes is down 19%.

A bigger surprise, however, is that they are actually spending more on shoes -- a 9% increase, according to the 17th semiannual survey, and 8% more on accessories. In fact, shoes are hot: 'Footwear posted the strongest year-over-year and sequential results at a 4% and 21% gain respectively,' the Minneapolis-based brokerage firms says in its report -- 'an indication that the strong footwear cycle, particularly relative to the weakness in apparel, continues for the youth demographic.'

Overall, teen spending fell 14%. 'The decrease in spending leads us to believe that the economy is forcing parents and teens to cut back on spending across the board,' the report adds. 'Teens and their parents are still buying new clothes, footwear and accessories, but are more selective and increasingly price-conscious. This will force retailers to discount prices and offer unique promotions to keep a steady flow of spending until the economy improves.'"

A bit of good news was that among parents, who were also surveyed, the spending decline seems to have stabilized, and 2009 spring levels appear to be slightly ahead of last year. In this survey, parents say they spend $915 on clothes for their teens annually. And while that has dropped from $1,085 last fall, it's also above the $883 average in the survey last spring.