The Next Big Thing in Men’s Watches Is…Women’s Watches – Cutouts, Sheer Dresses, No Pants: How to Pull Off ‘Naked Dressing’ – The Going-Out Top. For Men.
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Dear Readers,
The Editorial Team of TextileFuture is proposing for your personal reading a total of three features.
All features are on fashion items and the changes resulting and the features were firstly published in the Wall Street Journal Magazine.
The first feature is entitled “The Next Big Thing in Men’s Watches Is…Women’s Watches”, it allows you an insight into the new world of Men.
The second item bears the title “Fashion Cutouts, Sheer Dresses, No Pants: How to Pull Off ‘Naked Dressing’, the changes are evident among women.
The third feature highlights a new trend for Men. It is entitled “The Going-Out Top. For Men“, there are also changes on way.
We hope that we made the right choices for you and that you do enjoy all items, these are well written and illustrated with ample captions.
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The Editorial Team of TextileFuture
Here starts the first feature:
The Next Big Thing in Men’s Watches Is…Women’s Watches
By guest author Jacob Gallagher from the Wall Street Journal Magazine.
June 13, 2023
There’s flashy watches, and then there’s what the Weeknd wore on the Cannes red carpet.
The Canadian singer’s price-on-request Piaget packed a smuggler’s bounty of gems: 626 diamonds, 156 yellow sapphires, 18-karat white gold. It’s like a rhinestone filet that just happens to tell time.
It is also, in Piaget’s classification, a women’s watch. In the world of watches, this phenomenon—a male celebrity materializing in public with a traffic-halting “ladies” watch—is becoming more common.
In January, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny sat courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game with a shimmery postage-stamp-size, gem-set, “ladies’” Patek Philippe timepiece from the 1990s visible on his wrist. At the Met Gala in May, “Succession” acteur Jeremy Strong flaunted a Richard Mille RM 07-04, a women’s sport watch with a tender turquoise bezel. Around that time, Timothée Chalamet, the mop-topped “Dune” main man, posted an Instagram selfie with what appeared to be a dainty Cartier timepiece curled around his wrist.
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Among the watch-erati, there is debate as to how far past the red carpet the trend reaches. “I don’t really see it with more than like, 1% of the collector population,” said Mike Nouveau, a New York-based vintage watch dealer who runs a popular timepiece-centric TikTok account. Most men, he says, remain down-the-mill dabblers: They’ll procure a conservative midsize Rolex Datejust and call it a day.
But, as he sees it, there are two varieties of watch-curious male collectors open to women’s watches: younger buyers, less concrete in their thinking about gender; and horological enthusiasts that like a compelling watch of any flavor.
Nouveau lands in that latter category. During our interview, he wore his first watch—a conventional stainless-steel Rolex—but his latest acquisition is a vintage, Midas-touched “Reflet” model from French jeweller Boucheron. On Nouveau’s tattooed wrist, the tidy gold watch really looks more like a bracelet.
Eugene Tutunikov, CEO of SwissWatchExpo, one of the largest U.S. retailers of preowned watches, attests that an increasing number of men search for accessory watches with “gem sets, diamonds and rubies.”
“For a lot of men, it’s their way to express their creativity and being different if they don’t wear any other types of jewellery,” he said. Tutunikov pointed to watches on his platform like a sapphire-dialed, gold-banded USD 10,990 Piaget and a rectangular diamond-capped USD 19,990 Vacheron Constantin as women’s designs that equally appeal to men.
To be sure, rappers and celebrities have long worn extravagant diamond encrusted watches, though they were often larger in proportion and customized by aftermarket jewelers.
Since around the time of the auction of Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona for nearly USD 18 million in 2017, horological hoarders have increasingly chased previously underappreciated watches.
“Being a collector, you’re always looking for something new, you’re always looking for something unique to talk about,” said Dean Madory, a medical student and watch enthusiast in Corona, Calif. On his wish list is a Bulgari Serpenti, a snake-shaped timepiece that curls itself, seductively, around the wrist. For a man, wearing such a lissome timepiece is an advanced chess move, something most collectors aren’t contemplating yet.
It is no accident then that, according to Tutunikov, the early-adopter men shopping for women’s watches tend to be younger ones who “really want vintage pieces to pair with their streetwear.” It could be said that the watch market is crossing the threshold of its sneakers moment: The more endangered or unexpected the timepiece, the better.
Even if the mass market is not leaping for emeralds and sapphires, dealers report that broadly, men are drifting toward watches of a smaller, traditionally female scale. “It’s almost like a backlash against the giant Panerais and 51mm Rolex dive watches,” said New York City watch dealer Patrick Parrish. When he started selling vintage watches a couple of years ago, his first sale was a women’s size “tiny, tiny dive watch” to a male friend. (Dutiful watch devotees will note that dress watches circa the ’60s and ’70s were comparatively elfin in size.)
There can be an economic incentive for men to contemplate women’s watches: Women tended to “treat their watches better” than men did, said Parrish, so there are more well-conditioned women’s watches available on the market. With a larger supply, women’s timepieces can be less wallet-gouging.
“A cool benefit of people starting to get into ladies watches is that they’re actually way cheaper,” said Madory. For example, on the vintage market, a smaller-faced Rolex can run thousands less than a similar “men’s-size” watch.
Tutunikov had one idea for watch brands to increase market share. While women have long been amenable to wearing an oversize men’s Rolex, he said when men look at a watch and he tells them it’s a women’s timepiece, they are suddenly uncomfortable buying it. “I guarantee you we would be selling more ladies’ watches to men if they were labelled unisex,” he said.
Corrections & Amplifications
The Serpenti watch on Dean Madory’s wish list is made by Bulgari. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said it was made by Cartier. (Corrected on June 13)
This is the beginning of the second item:
Fashion Cutouts, Sheer Dresses, No Pants: How to Pull Off ‘Naked Dressing’
Updated June 17, 2023
By guest author Katharine K. Zarrella from the Wall Street Journal Magazine.
Barely there, see-through and otherwise skimpy outfits are dominating runways and red carpets. But you needn’t show all to try the trend. Here, expert advice on how to wear ‘naked’ clothes chicly—even to work.
Cut outs gen 0001 NUDE AWAKENING Model Ashley Graham paired relatively conservative underpinnings with a sheer, shimmering Prada dress for a party in Cannes in May. Dave Benett/Getty Images
“I’M 60. It’s dangerous to show that part of your body,” said Suzanne Corcoran. In April, she’d ordered a pleated, turquoise A.L.C. dress online (below right, in yellow) with what she thought was a small cutout above the right hip. The Alexandria, Va., developer loved the piece’s shade and silhouette—she’d worn a similar dress to prom—and figured a tailor could close the peephole. Not so. She asked friends if they’d struggled with exposure too. “They were like, ‘No. Why would I buy a dress with that?’”
Corcoran’s niece, 28, stepped in, telling her aunt the flesh flash looked fabulous. Reassured, Corcoran donned the dress sans underpinnings to a formal Manhattan event. Disaster did not ensue.
“Naked dressing”—apparel that leaves little to the imagination—has been dominating runways and red carpets. Kendall Jenner eschewed pants for her 2023 Met Gala look; model Ashley Graham wore a sheer Prada mini to a May fete in Cannes; and Zendaya essentially donned a bra at 2023’s NAACP Image Awards.
“The idea of skin-baring gets bad PR,” said New York stylist Steven La Fuente. “We’re seeing extreme versions on red carpets and it can look ridiculous. Like, we’d never go out looking this.” And yet, he said, most anyone can wear more subdued takes on the evident-epidermis trend. “Everyone says the number-one step is to have confidence. But more important is having the right base layer,” he said. Once you get that, “any body type can wear these things.” Even so, a little swagger doesn’t hurt. After triumphantly debuting her bare(ish) torso in New York, Corcoran decided to take her dress to a Boston fundraiser. “I’m going to rock it with the cutout,” she declared. “I will wear it again and again.” Here, clever ways to dress a little more nakedly than usual for all sorts of occasions, from nights out to days in the office (yes, really).
From left: Sheer style on Chanel’s spring 2023 runway; a Prada-clad Ashley Graham in Cannes in May. Photo: Chanel; Dave Benett/Getty Images (Graham)
Cutouts
If you don’t share genes with Gypsy Rose Lee, or if you’re simply new to naked dressing, sheer is the easiest point of entry—and has been for decades, said Amanda Suter, owner of online boutique Butch Wax Vintage, where transparent pieces from the 1930s and ’90s are in high demand. To start, pull a sheer maxi dress over an opaque slip, said Washington, D.C., stylist Naina Singla, creating an illusion of exposure. Los Angeles stylist Emily Men, 35, sports such layered, diaphanous looks to work events, dinner with her parents and even the grocery store. “If I happen to be wearing that and need to swing by Whole Foods, I have no problem,” said Men. Easier than a see-through dress is a sheer blouse, which Singla deems appropriate for most offices—provided it’s paired with a cami beneath or a blazer on top.
What are we going to cut out next?” joked Sarah Hoover, referencing fashion’s gopher-like obsession with holes. While growing up in Indiana, the New York writer, now 38, tried to channel the “pretty rad” cutout Hunza G mini dress Julia Roberts wore in 1990’s “Pretty Woman.” (Fun fact: The brand has reissued it in multiple colors.) Hoover has lately favoured high-fashion iterations of the flesh-baring outfits she coveted as a teen. “It’s been interesting and fun to see how much you can get away with,” she said. Singla finds side cutouts most approachable for her clients, while La Fuente suggests starting with bare shoulders. Worried about showing too much skin? La Fuente advises “Frankensteining” together combos of sheer bodysuits (or slips) and cutout wares, an approach that Liane Wiggins, head of womenswear at e-retailer Matches, said is proving popular among customers.
Bra Tops
“What are we going to cut out next?” joked Sarah Hoover, referencing fashion’s gopher-like obsession with holes. While growing up in Indiana, the New York writer, now 38, tried to channel the “pretty rad” cutout Hunza G mini dress Julia Roberts wore in 1990’s “Pretty Woman.” (Fun fact: The brand has reissued it in multiple colors.) Hoover has lately favored high-fashion iterations of the flesh-baring outfits she coveted as a teen. “It’s been interesting and fun to see how much you can get away with,” she said. Singla finds side cutouts most approachable for her clients, while La Fuente suggests starting with bare shoulders. Worried about showing too much skin? La Fuente advises “Frankensteining” together combos of sheer bodysuits (or slips) and cutout wares, an approach that Liane Wiggins, head of womenswear at e-retailer Matches, said is proving popular among customers.
No Pants
“Novices need not apply,” said La Fuente of pants-free fashion. “It’s intimidating. You don’t have to go there.” Instead, he advocates beginners nod toward bottomlessness by pulling a sheer skirt over something safe but small, like boy shorts. Dare to be barer? Singla proposes teaming a long blazer with stockings. “It’s intriguing but classy,” she said. La Fuente seconds that idea but adds hot pants in a color and texture that make them “feel intentional, not like a wardrobe malfunction.” If determined to conquer this double-black-diamond naked trend and go truly pantsless à la Cher in 1989’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” video or Lady Gaga in the 2010s, opt for opaque tights, briefs and an ample sweater or jacket. “It’s a balance of, ‘I don’t have pants on but I’m fully covered,’” said Barber, who touts the comfort of going sans pants. “I wear it more for me than for anyone else.”’
The Wall Street Journal is not compensated by retailers listed in its articles as outlets for products. Listed retailers frequently are not the sole retail outlets.
This is the start of today’s last item:
The Going-Out Top. For Men
Sheer shoulders, backless blouses and diaphanous négligée fabrics. Welcome to the era of the he-halter.
By guest author Jacob Gallagher from the Wall Street Journal Magazine
June 16, 2023
How do you say “that’s hot” in German?
On Monday evening in Berlin, Saint Laurent, the gothique French luxury stalwart, staged its latest show at the city’s Neue Nationalgalerie, designed by revered German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
The clothes that came down the runway, however, did not channel van der Rohe’s predilection for expansive suits and big ties, but alluded instead to a more modern style icon: Paris Hilton.
The cornerstone of the collection was the sort of leave-nothing-to-the-imagination going-out tops that Hilton and her paparazzi-baiting pals like Tara Reid and Lindsay Lohan wore to bottle-service-serving clurbs during the aughts. There were see-through nipple-freeing sheer blouses, bicep-exposing tanks and one-shoulder shirts.
Oh, and this was a men’s fashion collection. One that, as the accompanying show notes outlined, was “foremost a free interplay between elements considered masculine and feminine.” As such, the tenuous men’s blouses were echoes of Saint Laurent’s recent womenswear collections, having become one the brand’s signature designs under designer Anthony Vaccarello.
Perhaps the wider world has caught up with Timothée Chalamet, who made headlines at last year’s Venice Film Festival when he slithered down the red carpet in a red disco halter top by designer Haider Ackermann. The hardly-a-shirt left Chalamet’s biceps and upper back exposed, making it look more like a sexy cami from mall brand Bebe than anything you’d locate in the Brooks Brothers men’s department.
More recently, Bad Bunny backed the free-the-shoulder-blade campaign, wearing a cutout Jacquemus suit that exposed his upper back at May’s Met Gala.
Vaccarello is not the only designer making the hard-sell for the male going-out top. A few nights later during its show at a leather-goods factory outside Florence, Fendi offered a sleeve-free spin on the tuxedo shirt.
French designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin has made translucent crepe shirting a cornerstone of his collections going back several years, and Gucci has offered dainty pussy-bow blouses to men and women alike.
At the Pitti Uomo men’s fashion trade show in Florence this week, resort-y British label SMR Days was showing a series of sensuous silk shirts. Co-founder Gautam Rajani pointed to a black variety with a spritz of tie-dye, calling it perfect for a pricey night out at say, New York’s Casa Cipriani—the clubby eatery where Taylor Swift and rumored ex-boyfriend Matty Healy were recently spotted.
The contemporary male going-out top nods most vigorously to a 2012 Met Gala appearance from designer Marc Jacobs, who wore a see-through lace frock exposing his bare chest and stark-white boxers beneath. In terms of length, it was more sleepytime nightie than Studio 54, but as Jacobs said to reporters, “I just didn’t wanna wear a tuxedo and be boring.”
Men have never lacked their own version of a clichéd “cool guy on a date” shirt. You know the shirt: It’s got paisley swirls all over it, glimmering white cuffs, maybe even some red thread to offset the buttons or a Rolling Stones logo thrown into the pattern. For years, brands like Etro and Robert Graham have made a killing selling these shirts to largely middle-aged men who fancy themselves much too unique to settle for a mundane button-up. The aim isn’t so much looking good, as being looked at.
The surrealist Netflix comedy show “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson” masterfully skewered this kitsch with a sketch about a guy who spends all his money on “very complicated shirts” from a brand called Dan Flashes. “They have this one shirt that costs USD1000 because the pattern is so wild, I want that one so bad,” pleads the skit’s main character.
Attention may be a shared aim between a sheer Saint Laurent blouse and a psychedelic-swirl Robert Graham shirt. But while the benefit of the latter is that it can distract from a middle-aged paunch or thinning hairline, the barely there former is effectively a report card on just how many hours you’ve clocked in the gym.
“It’s an evolution of ‘I work out and I want to show it off,’” said Jian DeLeon, Nordstrom’s men’s fashion and editorial director. “Men are learning the power of the tease.”
Through this translucent lens men’s fashion may finally be catching up to contemporary wellness culture. Men and women can equally clock hours in a HIIT class or thrum away on a Peloton. The sheerification of men’s shirting shows that there is a broadening market for men that want to flaunt the fruits of hours spent in the gym. (To be clear, since some gay men have long valued these qualities in clothing, it is perhaps the straight men that are the ones catching up.)
DeLeon also noted that this breezy trend is being propelled alongside a return to international travel, when people tend to be more liberal in their attire. He had seen it firsthand that day: vacationing American tourists in lithe linen shirts and sandals crowding the cafes and gelaterias of Florence.
Perhaps by this time next summer, some of them will have upgraded to sheer polka dot blouses.
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