Priority male
Luxury brands are increasingly opening stores just for chaps
Men's stores are nothing new in the world of fashion. Throughout the world there are countless shops, tailors and haberdasheries that cater only to men. Men-only brands, such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Canali and Alfred Dunhill, have had their presence on the retail landscape for years - decades even. They've created environments and shopping experiences specifically for their clients.
In the past couple of years, luxury brands catering to men and women have started opening stores exclusively for their male shoppers. Fashion has always served the ladies first and foremost but, recently, it's been warming up to changes brought about by the post-metrosexual age - men like to shop too. And, with the present "b-romance" culture, men would probably shop more in places surrounded by other guys, in stores made to look like pool halls, Ivy League clubs or bachelor pads.
In New York, there is the Bergdorf Goodman Men's Store, directly across from the women's store on Fifth Avenue. While wives and girlfriends do their shopping, husbands and boyfriends can cross the street and browse the many in-store boutiques, which include Dries van Noten and Prada.
Instead of hanging around looking bored as their wives try on countless dresses and pairs of shoes, why can't men indulge in a little retail therapy too?
Meanwhile, the men-only stores of Hermès, Bottega Veneta, J. Crew and Ralph Lauren are up on Madison Avenue .
This trend has made its way to our side of the world. Ralph Lauren recently opened his first flagship men's store in Asia in the Prince's Building in Hong Kong. A multi-storey affair occupying over 10,000 sq ft, the store is built to reflect the atmosphere of a men's club, replete with handsome wood panelling, tons of chrome and glass, and a bar that can serve everything from wine to martinis and cheesecake.