Time for the Men to hit the Runway

There's a first time for everything and over the weekend the first Men's Fashion Week (end) took place making London no exception to trying something new. With Designer favourites Burberry, Tom Ford and Gucci and High Street one stop shops, Topman, H&M and Next, no fashion stone was left unturned. With most men probably occupied over the weekend with the latest game of the Euro 2012 tournament, the more fashionably inclined headed to the capital for the best looks every man will be wearing in the coming months. While some looks weren't to every ones taste, on the whole there was something every man will want to wear.

It is surprising that this was the first Men's Fashion Week in London, how did men know what to wear before. The truth is the reputation of men and their interest in fashion, has long been tarnished by the image of begrudging males sitting outside female changing rooms holding handbags, offering their undervalued opinion and hating every single minute of it. However Men want to look good as much as Women do but have never really had the outlet for this. For British men it's even worse due to the memories of their fathers wearing sock and sandals and their grandfathers wearing unflattering cardigans. Men aren't as proud as their European brothers to express their love of fashion as openly. The Italians seem to have a flare for fashion, where as the French seem to be able to make any thing work, leaving British Men not knowing where to turn. Thank God Men's Fashion Week in London came around.

The Truth is today Men are spending more and more of their hard earned cash on what they are wearing, Burberry saw an increase of 26% in sales of their suits in the last twelve months following the launch of their marketing campaign featuring Brit Actor Eddie Redmayne. So clearly Men know what they like. It certainly looks like Men's Fashion Week has come around at the right time, inspiring men to be a lot braver with their fashion choices. However maybe some looks should be avoided. MFW certainly showed some of the next great trends for the coming seasons. Although some of the trends maybe missed the mark and may find themselves on the sale rail come Christmas.

Recently however, it has been revealed that Men don't shop for pleasure, they're more pragmatic; they also, for the most part, don't seem to care what they look like. But that's changing – percentage growth in menswear sales is now higher than those in womenswear. High-end websites such as Mr Porter and my-wardrobe are proof enough of a new strain of bloke that is style- conscious in a way his father and grandfather were not.This blossoming in men's retail harks back to a more nostalgic time, when men were louche and dandified. At Hackett, models wore three-piece suits, seersucker blazers and chinos, summoning the lawns of Brideshead and Gatsby's drawing room. Yet another brilliant marketing technique to make men's fashion relevant, and tempt men into arraying themselves in new season pieces.

Men's Fashion Week has given Men the encouragement to burst out of their well stocked and fashion conscious wardrobes and enjoy Fashion as much as Women. If you want to look good Guys you shouldn't be ashamed, in fact it will make the weekends hanging around the shops with the Girlfriend much more fun. However I can't promise you'll be fighting off the models like the Lovely Benedict Cumberbatch, but it's worth a try. I'm definitely looking forward to next year Men's Fashion Week, and I'm sure a number of Guys are feeling the same.