Men's fashion is changing

Country Road are selling madras shorts. It’s that simple. Let me explain. Something like this has been a long time coming. For too long its been whispered in corridors and passed back and forth like a note in the back of class. But for the first time in a long time, men’s high street fashion in Australia has a real chance of not only competing on an international level, but more importantly the real possibility of dressing young Australian men well and with much-needed swagger.

The way the vast majority of Australian men dress is influenced by external factors; the economy, the weather, the Ivy. A city like Sydney dictates that men need to dress casually, minimal almost. Our climate negates the need for over-dressing, layers virtually don’t exist, any fabric other than cotton are often uttered like they’re dirty words. This has meant that for too long guys have had to rely on simple, predictable fallbacks like boardies and a printed tees. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an elitist and I’m certainly all for comfort and reliability, nothing looks worse than an over-dressed guy wearing two shirts, a bowtie, 10 fedoras and tennis shorts. Looks need to be simple, proportions sensible and fabrics relevant for men to be comfortable and confident with what they’re wearing.

Which brings me back to Country Road.  For a long time, as long as I can remember, board members of CR have been promising a resurgence, a change, a fresh start for the heartbreakingly persistent “almost-but-not-quite” stigma that has dogged the brand for so long. And whilst a pair of mismatched cotton shorts doesn’t mean the floodgates are about to open, it certainly seems there is a change in direction and gives off the impression that there is someone in charge (the brilliant Sophie Holt) who knows exactly what they’re doing.  

Many countries have extremely successful high street fashion powerhouses; the Brits have Topman, Japan has Beams (and Journey Standard, and ships and United Arrows, the list goes on) and America has J-Crew. These are all stores that manage to tap into the mainstream menswear market without dumbing it down and pandering to predictable clichés.

It’s not a done deal just yet (see above fedora reference) but if Country Road can keep going down the path it’s headed, continue to introduce exciting, accessible pieces with interesting details that don’t over complicate the garment and most importantly get the fit right, they could find themselves fraternising with the above companies and that, let me tell you, will change the face of men’s fashion in Australia forever.