Androgenous is out; Glamorous women and brawny men are in

Prescient fashion soothsayer Tom Ford is betting on the return of glamour, and I’m with him. Makes sense in this time when the world seems full of gloom and doom, from the economy and politics to environmental disasters. And that’s spoken by an optimist. People are ready for glamorous fantasies. No surprise, then, to read about the big appeal in Berlin nightlife finds inspiration in the Roaring 20s clubs, where vintage flapper dresses are the attire of choice, and couples dance the swing.

While women are glamming it up, men are turning to the rugged, manly look according to the Wall Street Journal. Trend setters have moved on from pointed shoes, slim cut black suits, and narrow ties to “a rough and tumble look that is unabashedly manly”. Think workwear by Levi’s, hats from Cowboy hat legend Stetson, shearlings, gray flannel and the comeback of brands like Barbour, Filson and L.L.Bean.

Tom Ford is right here again — he has come out with a suede shoe that’s a nod to the Minnetonka moccasin.  Some of these rugged outdoor classics are being updated by designers such as Japanese fashion star Junya Watanabe. As the article points out, hopefully this will be a big boost for “Made in America” fashion.