A classic Salvatore Ferragamo creation; (above) a model in a Paul Smith jacket

This is one heck of an ensemble for the male peacock to strut about in: A Zegna suit, cut from the lightest of fleece, for Rs 16 lakh; a pair of Kenzo moccasins for Rs 37,000; a Fendi silk tie for Rs 7,000. And if god lies in the details, then accessories like a Hugo Boss bracelet for Rs 10,000 and a hard-sided Louis Vuitton bag (made on special order) for, perhaps, Rs 1 lakh.

The look — naturally — is priceless (or almost there)!

On the other hand, the same peacock could redefine his personal style when he goes suit shopping. Off-the-rack suits from some of the best labels from across the globe are vying for his attention at signature stores in India (that’s Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad).

Zegna, for instance, is offering to bring a ‘trunk show’ to a man’s doorstep. A Zegna representative will carry samples of fabric to his home and he can select the fabric and have his measurements taken. Does it matter that this exercise will burn a very deep hole in his pocket? Depending on the fabric, he’ll pay Rs 7 lakh (or even a startling Rs 16 lakh).

Even as the R word plays dampener, the splurge game continues. Luxe brands are now zooming in as doggedly on men as they have been focusing on women. And the war of the luxury brands — Louis Vuitton, Armani, Kenzo, Hugo Boss, Ermenegildo Zegna, Fendi, Paul Smith and Canali — picks up with some global trends as their ammunition.

Sanjay Kapoor, managing director, Genesis Luxury, which represents Paul Smith and Kenzo in India, says: “The presence of international brands has raised the bar on clothes and accessories for men in India.’’

Fashion stylist and image consultant, Yatan Ahluwalia, says that men are spontaneous buyers. “If they like something they are willing to pay the price — unlike women who make calculated shopping decisions.’’

So what’s new in men’s fashion this season? Just read on…

(From top) Canali’s 7-pleated ties are created with a metre of pure silk each; Paul Smith shirts come in a bright colour palette and in a variety of materials; Zegna’s water-repellent jacket comes with an LED safety system in the collar

CLOTHING IN STYLE

If the dapper man is out shopping for suits, he needn’t fly to the fashion capitals of the world anymore.

Zegna’s made-to-measure suit range offers a huge selection of fabrics and all he needs to do is to get his measurements taken and choose the fabric. Voila! The order is conveyed to Zegna’s dedicated made-to-measure factory in Italy; a wait of four to five weeks and the suit will be delivered. If you’d rather visit the store and go for the more pedestrian option of buying a ready-to-wear suit, that’ll come for less eye-popping prices — between Rs 1.8 lakh and Rs 2.8 lakh.

Going by what’s on designer racks, single-breasted suits with single buttons are hotsellers among the young, while older men tend to go for the two or three buttoned single-breasted suits.

It’s a return to the classics and the slim, military cut is back while the colours are not going beyond black and gray (think of Armani’s classic cuts). What’s more, starting this month, Giorgio Armani will begin customising suits and tailoring them in Italy.

Men also have the option of slipping on a Paul Smith single-breasted suit (also available in two /three buttons) priced between Rs 52,000 and Rs 1 lakh. From the Salvatore Ferragamo racks, the young blade about town can pick up single-button tie-dye suits priced at Rs 90,000.

Canali meanwhile is arming gents aiming for a formal but cool look, with linen suits that are light and easy to carry in summer at some Rs 75,000.

But if it’s jackets that men hanker after — and they will be the hot picks for spring /summer — there are plenty of choices. Like the suits, jackets have a slim silhouette as well and they are cropped for style.

Canali’s Kei Jacket (at Rs 84,000) is creating a buzz. This takes on the relaxed shape of a shirt but does not lose its identity as a jacket. The fabrics are linen, silk and cashmere while colours are red, blue and white with contrasting button holes.

Men can look to Louis Vuitton’s Spring /Summer ’09 collection, with slim, unstructured, short jackets peeling away at the front to expose the wearer’s waistband. “The Louis Vuitton lines are for the man who travels a lot so the emphasis is on practical clothes and accessories,” says Tikka Shatrujit Singh, advisor to the Louis Vuitton chairman, Yves Carcelle.

Hugo Boss too presents a collection encompassing both corporate and casual luxe. Its Spring /Summer collection includes slim-line two-button short jackets in shades of gray, beige, khaki and black (at Rs 40,000).

The Paul Smith collection has a selection of slim jackets in seersucker (a fine cotton), linen and cotton, between Rs 44,500 and Rs 70,000. And the Fendi man can shop for a grey-burgundy jacket and pair it with a multi-colour print shirt (prices on request).

On the casual and sporty side, Zegna has a surprise. Men can pick up a jacket cut from a water-repellent fabric, with an LED safety system in the collar (for night time visibility). This will cost Rs 42,000.

BUTTONED UP

While bright colours are the mainstay of Canali’s moccasins, sober shades dominate Armani’s shoes

With summer on in earnest, cotton rules in the shirt department and in a colour palette that’s brimming with pale pastels. Louis Vuitton’s cotton shirts with short cuffs come in green, pink and lavender.

The Paul Smith collection boasts of simple summer jerseys including polo shirts, rugby shirts and vests in bright cottons (priced at Rs 6,000).

Canali’s shirt collection — with a floor price of Rs 10,000 — offers classic, simple lines in ice pink, pale blue and yellow. But Fendi has a different take — men will get to wear silk shirts and team them with shiny jeans (at Rs 26,750).

BEST FOOT FORWARD

Pointed shoes will continue to dominate the market, be it for formal footwear or even for casual slip-ons. Formal shoes are keeping to shining black, brown and light gray.

Embroidery and wedge heels aren’t just for women this season. Check out Fendi’s footwear line with an embroidered leather wedge-heeled pair of shoes (price on request).

Colours from garments are also being used in shoes for the first time and casual footwear lines are dominated by bursts of colour. The new collection from Armani was conceived, picking colours from the clothing range. So, rich browns, shades of grey, greens, white and blue dominate the collection (price on request).

Sometimes the heels are kept low like in Louis Vuitton’s shoes. They are kept light for summer by tapering the leather sole gradually towards the toe (at about Rs 20,000).

For casualwear, loafers in black, brown, white and tan are hotsellers while suede (associated more with winters) too has crept into spring-summer footwear.

But bright colours are the mainstay of moccasins from Canali which has gone for splashes of red and blue against white leather. So go for the white calfskin moccasins (Rs 19,000) or the croc print solid red calfskin moccasins. Kenzo too celebrates kaleidoscopic colours and patterns in its footwear collection (at prices between Rs 17,000 and Rs 37,000).

Sneakers too have become colourful and Paul Smith shoes give you an option of red, blue and even green. Ferragamo’s sneakers come in leather (for Rs 24,000), while its slippers are cut from patent leather, leather and fabric (Rs 20,000 to Rs 28,000).

By contrast, Zegna’s sporty trainers (between Rs 16,000 and Rs 20,000) have been designed in black and kept light and comfortable with rubber outer-shells and neat Velcro buckles.

Zegna’s high-end attaché briefcase is the most expensive in town; coloured patterns add an edge to Canali’s travel bags (above)

Bags anyone?

And you thought that only women have a penchant for bags? Now check this out: Zegna’s attaché briefcase is one of the priciest of its kind in town and can be yours for a whopping Rs 7 lakh. Made from shiny alligator skin and lined with smooth cowhide, it’s worth a look (if not a buy).

Some notches lower, Fendi has an eye-catching range of shoulder bags with hand-embroidery. Ferragamo is offering de-structured briefcases made of ultra-soft tanned leather and double-fastener hooks (these are easily carried underarm). Their briefcases, office and work bags are made from calfskin.

Armani, on the other hand, focuses on new textures and original details. A sanded enamelling technique achieves a very masculine, matte look and its Mitos line also features many functional pockets.

The Louis Vuitton bags — office, laptop and messenger bags (sling bags) — come with pockets, tonal hand-painted seams and minimal embellishments. The brand’s totes and modern doctor’s bag in calf-leather are available in black and flamingo pink. Prices are upwards of Rs 50,000.Their hard-sided bags are made to order and cost between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1 lakh.

Ferragamo uses neutral tones like vanilla, grey and beige with macro-prints all over its tote bags (at Rs 40,000) for a casual chic look.

For the man with wanderlust, Kenzo’s travel bags are priced at Rs 60,000. Then again Canali’s canvas bags in blue/red/white striped patterns and croc print calfskin inserts are both stylish and funky. And mind you, they don’t come cheap at Rs 72,000.

Ties That Bind

Silk, as always, is the fabric of choice for ties and Ahluwalia says that this summer it’s time to go for ties with a sheen. The ties — they aren’t too slim nor broad — can be striped, polka dotted or in solid colours.

Men can go for the retro look with Canali’s 7-pleated tie which has the promised seven folds and is handmade with a metre of the purest silk.

Louis Vuitton is rooting for silk and textured seersucker (Rs 10, 400) ties. Zegna’s silk ties have polka dots or stripes (between Rs 3,500 and Rs 13,000) while Ken-zo’s ties, come in striped jewel ton-es, luxurious pastels and tonal colours (between Rs 6,750 and Rs 8,300). Fendi’s regular silk ties for everyday wear come for Rs 7,000.

But for a formal do, Fendi’s gold or silver-mesh bow-tie (at Rs 5,800) is at hand.

Pairing it right

(From top) A bracelet in white bronze finish from Louis Vuitton; slim belts are the way to go this season; a quirky Paul Smith wallet

The well-heeled male is hitting all the right notes when it comes to choosing the perfect accessories A bracelet in white bronze finish from Louis Vuitton; slim belts (right) are the way to go this season; a quirky Paul Smith wallet (below)So you thought women were the only ones to show off their fancy accessories?

Harish Chandra, country manager, Bin Hendi Fashions that represents Hugo Boss in India, says: “Accessories have grown to become an important aspect of men’s shopping lists.’’ Read on for what men can pick up this season:

Bracelets: These are pretty hot at the moment. Dark chrome and leather pendants and bracelets come courtesy Louis Vuitton (Rs 15,000). Hugo Boss has gone for the sterling silver and leather bracelet (Rs 10,000).

Belts: Narrow belts are doing well this season — while the focus is also on the buckles. Louis Vuitton’s slim belts feature metal buckles (Rs 30,000) while Kenzo’s narrow belts (Rs 13,000) are accentuated by splashes of reds and greens. Canali’s suede belts come with brass grid buckles (Rs 10,000) and Paul Smith fans can go for belts with buckles that are thick or double-pronged (between Rs 7,000 and Rs 9,600). Ferragamo has introduced bewitching gold wire motifs on belts (Rs 20,000).

Cardholder, key case/ring, wallet and coin purse: Zegna’s offering cardholders (Rs 6,800), key-rings (Rs 5,500), coin purses (Rs 7,500) and key cases (Rs.8,600) in calf-leather. Or check out Paul Smith’s quirky cardholders (between Rs. 7,500 and Rs 11,000), key-holders and wallets (Rs 5,000 to Rs. 5,300)

Cuff links: They are making a quiet comeback this season, so men can wear them with élan. Hugo Boss has sterling silver mother-of-pearl cufflinks for Rs 3,500 while Paul Smith has enamelled cuff links for Rs 6,550.