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Tailored Dress Sock – Making Headway Into The Office |
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May 02, 2004 By: Carley Hardy Tailored Dress Sock – Making Headway Into The Office
Typically when we think of men's tailored business attire, a business suit and tie comes to mind. The NPD Group, a marketing information company finds men are opting for tailored clothing items, including dress shirts and dress slacks, that can be mixed and matched with more casual-styled tops and bottoms. According to The NPD Group's latest report, Men's Tailored Clothing and Workplace Attire, while only 10 percent of men say their office requires a tailored business attire dress code, over six in ten men (61%) voluntarily choose to wear clothing items considered tailored to work. One in five men tell NPD they wear dress shirts to work more often this year compared to last year. Nearly fifty percent of men wear dress shirts and dress slacks to work. Dress socks (45 %) and shoes (41 %) rank number three and four, respectively, with four out of ten men wearing them. Only one in six men (16%) tell NPD they wear business suits or suit separates to work. Why do so many men choose to wear tailored clothing items to work even though they're not required to? According to the Men's Tailored Clothing and Workplace Attire report, the biggest reason is to feel more professional, followed by special event/important meeting, like the image and like the style. Men are dressing for success, but in a whole new way, said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with The NPD Group. Men are wearing shirts and ties and even jackets, but they're mixing them with traditionally less formal khakis. When you look at what's driving the trends in men's tailored clothing, it is more about separates rather than the whole suit and ensemble, said Cohen. What Motivates Men to Shop Cleaning out the closet and replacing old, worn-out work clothes is the main reason men shop. The second reason is because they're building/replenishing their work wardrobe. Although national advertising is not a main reason men shop, coupons/sales rank third with over one in three men saying promotional offers get them to the stores. Men want comfort in their work clothes and they tell NPD it is their top priority when they buy clothes for work. In fact, three out of four men (75 %) say comfort is very important. Style, price and quality matter too, more than half of men tell NPD these attributes are also very important. It's no surprise that men want their wardrobes to be low maintenance. No dry-cleaning and no ironing are key factors when they buy new work clothes. Forty-one percent of the men we spoke to say not having to dry-clean clothes is very important in their decision to buy work clothes. For older men this factor is especially important, with close to half of men (48 %), age 45 plus, ranking this attribute as very important. Thirty-eight percent of men age 55 and older say wrinkle-free fabrics are very important to them. The apparel market has responded to consumers' needs by creating hybrid products for men - clothes that are a cross between dress and casual. Men want to look good, but they also want to be comfortable doing it. Manufacturers and retailers will continue to embrace this trend, since men have no intentions of giving up their khakis for a suit, said Cohen. Also see; knee high socks.About
The Author:
Carley Hardy is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.socks-n-socks.com.
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