That would never do in women's fashion, where changes can be measured in volumes -- say, from sleek to swinging -- in the course of a season or two. Menswear moves at a much slower pace. Five years is the norm. A "fast-track" shift could happen in three.


		Gant
	An elegant suit from Gant features slim lapels, an example of its swing to a dressier look this year.

Ari Hoffman, chief executive officer of Gant Co., said it has become an industry joke that a seemingly minute detail such as tie width or lapel style could be considered a drastic shift, but it's also true.

The attention to narrower ties and slimmer lapels comes as the industry continues to embrace dressier looks, Hoffman said: "From our point of view, we're going through a period of change from distressed, grungier looks toward clean looks, polished looks. It's crisper -- we definitely see that as an important direction."

Men's style is largely defined by the clothes they go to work in, unlike women, who often pay the most attention to their party dresses, even if they don't wear them often, noted Tyler Thoreson, executive editor of the Conde Nast-run Web site Men.Style.Com.

"There's a much narrower spectrum within which you can work in men's fashion," Thoreson said.

You'll see the pendulum switch from dressing up to casual as every generation starts shopping for itself, he explained.

"A lot of guys in their teens and 20s grew up with dads who wore blue button-downs with chinos or Dockers to work," he said. "How do you rebel against that? Well, you dress up."

Thoreson added: "I like that the tie is a form of fashion rebellion."

But the younger generation didn't exactly come up with this "cleaned-up look" on its own. Surely they've seen stars such as Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and he-of-the-skinniest-tie Pete Wentz wear their Sunday best every day of the week.

Men in their 30s and beyond also see the likes of Ryan Seacrest and his high-neck spread collars and slim ties on TV and think to themselves, "I can't do that," but the influence permeates their subconscious, noted Christian Boehm, vice president of marketing and merchandising for custom clothier Tom James.

"Fashion trickles upward," Thoreson agreed.

"Is it time for the suit? God, I hope so," said Janie Bryant, costume designer for the AMC TV series "Mad Men." "I think it's fantastic to see people dressing up. It's a beautiful thing to be cool but elegant but hip. A man can still wear a great suit and be casual, cool and comfortable. I say let's burn all the T-shirts."

The look of her show captures a successful Madison Avenue ad agency in the '60s. The clean sharp lines, shorter jackets, narrower legs and skinny ties are all historically correct -- and they're relevant now, too.

"The characters could walk out onto the street and totally look like they belong," Bryant said, although she'd encourage them to trade their wingtip shoes for zip-up ankle boots.

"The younger men on my show are so happy to know how to buy a shirt if they're going to wear a tie, they like knowing how a suit should fit," she said. "If they got into the tailoring and accessories today, I'd think they'd love it too!"

She continued: "The '80s is when comfort came into play. It was oversize everything and deep, deep pleats. It created a bad look."

In Europe, the silhouette really slimmed down in the late 1990s and early 2000s, largely owing to Hedi Slimane's work for Christian Dior. Influential New York-based designer Thom Browne, who was named the best U.S. menswear designer in 2006 by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, has taken the shape to the extreme with tight-fitting jackets and even cropped trousers.

Browne now collaborates with traditional menswear company Brooks Brothers on a line called Black Fleece that's aimed at updating Brooks Brothers' traditional image.

Men come in to see what this modern collection -- with touches of fur trims, embroidery and covered buttons -- is all about, Thoreson said, but they're not buying into the whole look. Instead, they'll buy the trench coat or a shirt, or perhaps a jacket in one size larger than Browne would recommend.

Browne's influence, though, can be seen throughout the regular Brooks Brothers collection. The partnership was named the year's best collaboration by the trade magazine DNR, which covers menswear.

Other winners of DNR's first-ever awards are Tom Ford as person of the year for the launch of his bespoke menswear line; Dolce & Gabbana for bursting the myth that they are a women's-only fashion house; and Clifford Grodd, the CEO and president of Paul Stuart, for successfully blending the styles of Saville Row and downtown New York for 56 years. Note they're all advocates of an elegantly dressed man.

Men aren't as quick to change their look because most simply don't have as much interest in fashion than women, Hoffman said. They are, however, much more aware of it than they used to be. If the cycle of change is now five years, a generation ago it was 10 -- "and that was a quarter-inch change," he said with a laugh.

Playing it safe does make more sense for men than women, he added, since women often use fashion to get attention.

"Men like to look put together and match," he said, "but they don't want to be noticed for their clothes. I like the idea of having a simple wardrobe. ... There are constants: a blue shirt, your favorite pair of jeans or chinos -- and then you build around it. The easy items are already there, and you use argyle or a stripe to mix it up and make the fashion statement," Hoffman said. "But most days, I don't want to make a fashion statement."

WHAT'S NEW?

Here are some of the small changes in menswear making big news, according to Christian Boehm, vice president of marketing and merchandising for custom clothing-maker Tom James.

Back in 2000, there was nary a two-button suit in sight -- men were interested only in three buttons or even four. Now, in 2008, it's all about the two buttons, although suits look different from those 1990s version, incorporating the slimmer fit that came with the three-button suit.

The whole stance has moved up, Boehm says, with the lower button right in line with the top of the jacket's lower pockets. In 1998, that button would have been 2 inches lower.

There's also a greater space between the two buttons, growing from 4 inches to 5. "The spacing gives a longer, leaner, trimmer look to it," Boehm says.

Shirts with button-down collars were the norm a decade ago. Men wore them with suits, sport coats and no jacket at all. Button-collar shirts are still worn but often with a more casual open collar, while the shirts worn with suits and ties have spread collars.

The same wider 3 3/4-inch tie survived for the past 15 years or so, but it recently went on a diet, measuring closer to 3 inches now.

Suit shoulders and lapels have slimmed down. The average shoulder on a size 40 jacket is now 19 inches from point to point instead of 20, and the standard lapel is 3 1/2 inches instead of 3 3/4. (Yes, these seem to be very small amounts, but, says Boehm, they really have noticeable effects.) The notch on the lapel has moved up an inch or so.

Trousers used to have double pleats, but flat-front pants are more common now. The knee and cuff aren't as full: On a base-size 34-inch waist paint, the knee is now 20 1/2 inches versus 22, and the bottom is 18 instead of 18 1/2.

Men aren't as afraid of color as they used to be. "You have brights in knitwear, neckwear, suspenders, especially in the spring and summer. It's a little more subdued in the winter, it'll be rust instead of orange," Boehm says. He reports one of Tom James' best-selling ties last year was a pinkish berry color.

-- Samantha Critchell

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