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At London's Royal Stock Exchange bar, patrons sparkle with gold bracelets, diamond earrings and platinum necklaces. And it's not only the women.
In Britain, as in the United States, men's pieces now account for more than 10 percent of jewelry sales, and are one of the fastest-growing sectors for fine jewelry.
Why? The '90s casual look gave way to a brief revival of the corporate suit, which is now adding a hint of glam. Socially, bling on the necks of working-class men has made male jewelry sufficiently macho, and the rise of metrosexual chic has made it OK for executives. Says Mary Brittain, Latex Fetish editor of Jewelry magazine, "Expensive, sophisticated and subtle is in. We're a post-bling generation now."
Last year, Cartier, Georg Jensen and Garrard launched full lines of men's jewelry, with platinum rings and gold sword necklaces. Names like and Prada are offering chic takes on old staples zentai suit and tie clips. Next month Dolce & Gabbana launches a "military-inspired" jewelry line with 24-karat-gold dog tags. In March, Vivienne Westwood started selling single diamond earrings for men.
The typical customers are sartorially conservative, high-ranking executives older than 40. "The younger men can't pull off jewelry with the requisite confidence," says Harrod's merchandise manager Peter Nyhan. Barneys New York now carries 10 men's jewelry designers, up from zero two years ago, and top men's buyer Tom Kalendrian sees signs that this trend is here to stay "This is not a gift business," he says. "The men are shopping themselves."
The man best known as Puff Daddy, but latterly addressed as P Diddy, is really called Sean Combs - and has a fashion collection under the moniker Sean John. But then, a rapper turned music mogul turned fashion designer can never have too many names.
The Sean John catwalk show, which kickstarted New York fashion week this weekend, was poised at the point where hip hop's macho posturing intersects with high fashion camp. Held at the ballroom-sized Cipriani 42nd Street restaurant, the front row was packed with Combs's fellow black music industry players and artistes, most dressed in outsized nylon football shirts and garish baseball caps, and neck chains heavier than the fur-clad models perched on their knees.
The support of the crowd for Combs was overwhelming.
This time last year, the mood of the show, staged under the shadow of Combs's trial for gun possession and bribery, was very different. Combs was acquitted, and this season the atmosphere was softer, almost nostalgic, with the show - dedicated to the designer's fa ther - staged against a backdrop of black-and-white Combs family photographs. Extravagance was still in evidence - the scarlet knotted-silk zentai and embroidered linen handkerchiefs which served as invitations were reported to have cost Dollars 6,000 - but there was a notable absence of fur.
The streetwear influences of Combs's earlier collections were nowhere to be seen. The collection was more Gosford Park than Central Park herringbone tweed jackets, cable knit cardigans, suede jackets with elbow patches, cord trousers and shooting caps. There were spivvy suits, not dissimilar to the much-admired looks sent on to the and Yves Saint Laurent catwalks by Tom Ford last month.
In a short time, Combs's label has matured from a celebrity spin-off to a serious fashion player. Last year, sales Latexfetish approached Dollars 150m, and this year looks to be even better, with a Manhattan store and a womenswear line planned.
Meanwhile, London Fashion Week - already scaled back from six to five days - has been hit by two cancellations. Fake London, designed by Desiree Mejer, and Julian And, by Julian Roberts, have both pulled out of the schedule just a week before London's shows begin, due to financial problems.
Even a small catwalk show costs some pounds 25,000, and with last season's September-October buying season heavily depressed by September 11, small labels are feeling the pinch. Fake London stressed that the label would continue to design and sell, and planned to return to the London schedule next season.
Julian Roberts blamed lack of financial support in this country for the decision to cancel. "Returning to London for spring/summer 2003 could be possible only if the financial problems are successfully addressed," he said.
Claudia Crow, a spokeswoman for London Fashion Week, told Fashion Wire Daily "The responsibility of the British Fashion Council is to provide a platform for the designers to show on, not to provide financial support. We have worked very hard this season to make sure the buyers get to London. At this point, it is down to the designers themselves to produce sellable collections." .Are you looking full ebook about this topicGet Full Ebook For This Article