ATTITUDES Speed counts more than style when men shop for clothes

Most men don't see shopping as the challenging and rewarding experience that women do.
By MARGARET WEBB PRESSLER
WASHINGTON POST
There is shopping, and then there is macho shopping, a kind of hit-and-run raid favored by large segments of the male population when it comes to shopping for clothes.
It works like this: He walks into a store maybe once or twice a year, buys everything he needs -- suits, jackets, shirts, pants, ties and shoes -- and hustles right back out. It's an almost entirely joyless experience that takes all of an hour, if that. Even better, he won't have to do it again for at least six months.
Why would anyone shop like this? What, exactly, is so heinous about buying clothes?
Even when I'm pressed for time, I find the act of buying clothes exciting. It seems rife with possibilities. I truly relish the chance to score a bargain or, even better, something flattering.
"I think it has to do with the way we work and everything else: When you can get something accomplished, the quicker the better," explained Neal Black, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing for the men's clothing chain Jos. A. Bank. "And if you can go into a store, get something you need, get something that looks good, and you did it really fast, then you've really accomplished something. Then you can go look at big-screen TVs."
The types
Black is speaking in generalities, but I know the type: His name is Larry, and he's one of my editors at The Washington Post.
Larry has shopping down to a science: He prefers a department store with an outside entrance right into the men's department, so he doesn't have to walk through the mall or, worse, past the perfume counter. He seeks out exactly what he's looking for and, save for the occasional tailoring needs, wants no input from the sales staff. "It just prolongs the experience when someone helps you," he says.
You may not know Larry, but you know the type. The Larry Look is neat and clean but boring: crisp blue button-down shirt and pressed khakis or a plain gray suit with a red tie and sensible shoes. There is nothing, fashion-wise, of particular note.
I don't want to suggest that men are never particular about their clothes. Another colleague, Steve, is a great example of the anti-Larry in his snappy, effortless-looking chic, an elegant palette of earth tones and subtle patterns.
Steve also shops once or twice a year, buying essentially the same basics Larry buys -- a couple of jackets, a couple of pairs of pants, a few shirts and ties, maybe a sweater or a new overcoat and a new pair of shoes. Steve looks forward to the ritual, taking three hours to choose things and consult with the tailor on whether this or that fits better. When he thinks he's finished, he walks around the store one last time, to make sure there isn't something he overlooked.
Why are there so few Steves and so many Larrys?
A lack of shopping experience
Plenty of men don't care much about how fashionable their clothes are. They may be willing to browse a bookstore, music store, hardware store or even a grocery store, but they don't rank their wardrobes as important among life's concerns.
One possible reason, suggested several men's clothing experts, is that men have less confidence and experience with fashion than women. Men's fashions have been so staid for so long that for decades the typical male shopper has needed to know little more than whether a suit had two buttons or three, or whether a tie was thin or fat.
Help from feminine side
The speed requirement many men have seems to be a macho response to an uncomfortable situation. Shopping so little only reinforces a lack of confidence, too, so that even the most accomplished, professional customers can be wary about making a fashion decision on their own.
"We have one power attorney who comes in with his wife, looks in the mirror and says, 'How do I like this?'" said Alan Shemer, one of three partners at the Boardroom Ltd., a men's tailored-clothing store in suburban Washington.
Men's clothing stores say the majority of their customers shop with their wives or girlfriends. That's great for business, because women automatically head to something more upfashion. They aren't so rushed, either: While the man is getting the same old blue blazer chalked up by the tailor, a woman will often browse and come up with a fresh idea or two.
One thing hasn't changed, however: Most men still shop for clothes only when they need something.
I look in my closet and think: "Gee, I want a peasant blouse. Everybody has one but me." A man with Steve Style thinks like this, too (though perhaps not about the peasant blouse).
Men with the Larry Look see shirts in their closets that are dingy and worn and finally conclude, "I need to replace these." Fashion or style has nothing to do with it.
And that's OK. At least now I understand.