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Richard Eisenberg of New York-based Eisenberg International Corp. poses with an array of suits Tuesday at the Men's Apparel Guild in California show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Eisenberg said black and gray suits are popular now, outselling blues. Photo by Christine H. Wetzel. Castle, a tie company, was showing off blue ties at MAGIC. Photo by Christine H. Wetzel.

Thursday, February 21, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Reverting to Formal

MAGIC show highlights business suits' resurgence

Khaki slacks-and-golf shirt casual at work? That's so last year. At this year's MAGIC show, business suits are back.

It seemed, for awhile, that jacket-tie-slacks ensembles would hang forever forgotten in the back of men's closets, pushed there by the rise of the dot-com corporate culture's slovenly chic. But now most dot-coms are long gone and some menswear representatives at this year's Men's Apparel Guild in California convention say the slumping economy is reviving interest in more formal office attire.

"The basics are back: suits, ties and white shirts," said Philip Gormley, vice president of shirting for New York-based Peacock Silk Inc., doing business as Marici. "When the economy is tough, people go out for more interviews. They need to look sharp."

The slumping economy that's reviving interest in men's suits has also meant seemingly thinner crowds at MAGIC, representatives said Tuesday, the opening day of the four-day fashion megashow at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Sands Expo and Convention Center. Before the show, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority projected 100,000 people would attend MAGIC.

Terry Kalish, president of Riviera, a New York slacks company, said he thought conventioneer traffic was very light Tuesday. A calendar full of other fashion trade shows might have cut into MAGIC attendance, he said.

"There's a show in Denver now, a show in Chicago, a big show in Charlotte (N.C.), a show in New York," he said. "And I think (MAGIC organizers) used to do a better job promoting the show. There were more parties, more excitement. People used to really look forward to coming here."

Richard Eisenberg of New York-based apparel company Eisenberg International Corp., said some companies may have chosen regional shows instead of MAGIC. A Portland, Ore., company might, for example, have found it more palatable to send a rep to a show in Seattle for a few hundred bucks than to ship him to Las Vegas for $1,000 or more. Nevertheless, he said, MAGIC remains the year's most important fashion industry show.

"It's still the be-all, end-all," Eisenberg said. "Nothing's going to change that."

Bob Mason, a Southeast regional sales manager for Castle, a Cumming, Ga., tie company, said although business might be down for some in his industry, he can feel the rebound coming.

After Sept. 11, some Wall Street companies, notably Lehman Bros., mandated a return to a suit-and-tie men's dress code. Law firms and other business are following suit, Mason said, leaving workers fit to be tied.

"One of the most obvious ways a man can make changes in his wardrobe is with new neckwear," Mason said. "Since Sept. 11, we've seen double-digit increases in sales."

Buying a couple of ties, at $25 to $35 for print ties and $30 to $45 for woven ties, is a relatively inexpensive way to add sartorial splash, Mason said. This year's hot power tie color is blue, Mason said, pointing to an icy azure he dubbed "Bush Blue" after ties the president favors. In the last year, he said, blue ties have gone from marginal sellers to capturing 6 to 8 percent of the market.

Eisenberg of Eisenberg International said he couldn't confirm dress clothes were all the way back in at work places. But he does believe the trend toward formality has started.

"Not long ago, if you saw someone walking down the street in a suit and tie, you might have thought `There goes someone who isn't smart enough to run his own company,' " Eisenberg said. "The idea was, if he owned his own company, he'd be able to dress as he pleased. People don't have that attitude anymore."

Eisenberg said men are traditionally not exceptional dressers. But if better clothes will help weather a slump, he added, men will wear them. Black and gray suits are most popular now, outselling blues.

Suits sell, Eisenberg said, because they're versatile and flattering.

"It doesn't matter whether you're portly or in good shape," Eisenberg said. "Suits make (men) look good."