Death of the metrosexual: men s fashion goes large

The revolution in men's fashion has been gaining paceSince then, the dandy-esque ways of a range of
for some years now. First, the rise of the worldmen in the public eye have become an inspiration to
'metrosexual' - used to refer to trendy men whothe fashion-conscious in Britain: from Russell Brand to
took care to dress well and look good - brought theDavid Tennant, men's fashion trends have been
growing male awareness of style to the forefront.immortalised on TV, in film and photography. The
However, in the last couple of years, so many menresult has been that investment in male retail stores
have begun to take an interest in fashion and clothinghas increased considerably, with leading British fashion
that singling certain males out as 'metrosexual' seemsretailer Topman having recently opened a new
to have little meaning: everyone's in on it.flagship store in Cardiff - the store's biggest premises
In large part, the rise in male fashion consciousnessoutside of London.
has to do with the emergence of popular style iconsMoreover, the recent upturn in the men's fashion
as household names. Trends in men's fashion havestakes has had an equally influential effect on
often been swayed by cultural figures: from theteenagers, as much so as on young professionals and
distinctive clothes of Mick Jagger and David Bowie tothe under-40s. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, for
the original haircuts of anyone from The Beatles toexample, is often held up as an exemplary model of
Kevin Keegan. But with the meteoric success ofmen's fashion, while young bands like the Arctic
David Beckham as a well-dressed celebrity in theMonkeys, The Klaxons and The View are frequently
limelight throughout the 1990s, it became 'stylish' tolauded for their irreverent approach to clothing and
be stylish again - and men seemed to start takinghairstyles.
acute care of their clothes, hair and generalOlder men needn't feel left out either - after all, the
appearance.likes of Jagger and Bowie still hold sway in the
While other famous sportsmen - like Amir Khan andfashion lottery. And while some older fashion fans
Kevin Pietersen - have been making inroads into themight not be able to successfully sport the trendy
fashion industry, it's musicians that are leading theofferings of Beckham and Doherty, there's still plenty
new generation of male style icons today. Peteof in-vogue inspiration coming from the likes of Jose
Doherty's relationship with Kate Moss, each chapterMourinho and George Clooney. After all, fashion is for
of which has been meticulously catalogued in thelife: not just for the twenty-somethings! Adam
press, instantly projected him into the consciousnessSingleton is an online, freelance journalist and keen
of style gurus the world over, making him an instantamateur photographer. His portfolio, called Capquest
fashion idol of men keen to keep up withPhotography is available to view online.
up-and-coming clothing trends.