Perhaps fearing absolute ridicule, men attempt to persuade us to believe that they have only a passing interest in the world of fashion. However, a quick trawl through the male orientated magazines and alternative media soon exposes this to be a myth.

In reality, men have paid very close attention to the way they look for years. Take the Mods of the 1960s, for example. This group of image conscious men were, interestingly, influenced by the look adopted in the world of media and advertising across the Atlantic. They adopted the tapered trousers, button-down shirts and skinny ties of the boys of Madison Avenue.

The influence of media, including magazines, on men’s fashion has only grown in the intervening years. The success of publications such as GQ, Esquire and FHM, all with comprehensive fashion sections, demonstrate that men are seriously interested in how they look. Interestingly, the writing on men’s fashion is, stylistically, very similar to that found in women’s magazines. It is about selling a lifestyle, implying that the right wardrobe will give the wearer confidence, presence, flair or old-school charm. In this way, fashion hacks are able to sell the season’s collections to the male demographic.

Although most men, Beckham excepted, would be reluctant to be seen anywhere near London Fashion Week, the healthy sales figures of publications such as GQ, mean that the latest trends can be disseminated to the male world at large. For example, this autumn, the look is all about owning a key garment in ‘camel;’ be it a mac, bag or sweater, whilst those in the know are moving from jeans to cords as the staple trouser. The connection provided by magazines and their websites, from the heart of fashion to the man on the street, means that we will see these trends being worn in towns around the country.

The column inches designated to male clothing trends by magazines and newspapers, demonstrate that they are fully aware of the significance of fashion to men and thus, as cultural arbiters, the power they have to dictate trends. Journalists, such as Alex Petridis of the Guardian, are employed full-time in writing about male fashion, The Times Magazine devotes a weekly page to emerging male trends and the Telegraph has regular features on the same subject. The media has therefore positioned itself at the very centre of men’s fashion, they even hold annual award ceremonies to name the ‘best dressed male celebrity.

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