The neo dandies: what does it take to be a modern man about town?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2013/jan/06/new-dandies-mens-fashion

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"I really enjoy shopping for clothes at Matches, Prada and Martin Margiela, plus Uniqlo for basics. Fashion is very much part of my life."

It could be any affluent urban woman discussing her style strategy, but this is Oliver Woods, 41, hairstylist to the likes of Robbie Williams, Jude Law and Daniel Craig, and prolific, passionate shopper. Typical of a new breed of male consumer, he is discerning and well-informed when it comes to discussing designers, trends, historical influences and the art of dressing.

"Far from being a chore, putting together my look is something I derive great pleasure from, mulling over the fabrics and the fit of things," says Woods. "I'm not impulsive, but I consider my purchases very carefully. I like a narrow 60s trouser, shirts from Margiela or Spencer Hart, plus benchmade brogues from Tricker's, or Grenson, or Church's. I care enormously about how I look: women don't want to see men who are overweight, slobbing around in boring, functional clothes. You have to make the effort to look good."

With a monthly spend of around £1,000, and a wardrobe worth in excess of £50,000, Woods is a 21st-century dandy – and he's far from unique in his devotion to matters sartorial.

In 2011, global menswear sales increased by an estimated 9% to £21bn, while men's clothing and accessories now represent half of the luxury apparel market.

Tomorrow the British Fashion Council hosts the second London Collections: Men event, a two-day catwalk and exhibition launched in June to showcase long-established and fledgling British menswear businesses. More than 60 designers will show on the LC:M catwalk schedule, which aims to replicate the success of London fashion week as a platform for men's design talent, with young designers riding the shirt tails of international labels such as Alfred Dunhill, Burberry, Hackett and Paul Smith.

Adam Brown, a former photographer who founded the men's holiday brand Orlebar Brown five years ago, will be showing his latest collection to international press and buyers. "We are style-led rather than fashion-led, and we've remained focused on the concept of providing a carefully edited, intelligent wardrobe that will take our customers from sunlounger to sundown. Every piece we sell is manufactured in Britain or Portugal from quality fabrics, and everything has to be as relevant in five or ten years' time as it is now.

"We're a small business, but we are doubling in size every year and we're doing the same business in the US as in the UK now: whether it's a 25-year-old going to Ibiza or a 45-year-old heading to Mauritius, our clients have an evolved sense of style and a willingness to spend on products that have a credible provenance."

Across the board, retailers are reaping the benefits of Generation Y's profligacy. Selfridges in London has recently opened what it says is the world's biggest men's shoe department, with 15,000 square feet of retail space and more than 72,000 pairs from more than 250 brands – with a made-to-order salon selling bespoke footwear that includes £10,000 Tom Ford boots.

At Harvey Nichols, the designer department store group, menswear is booming, with men spending on average 25% more each visit than their female counterparts. Premium designer brands such as Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, Dries Van Noten and Lanvin have contributed to a 55% growth in menswear sales in the last two years, with forecasts for 2013 suggesting a further 20% increase. In just one week last month, the group reported sales of more than £50,000 on Givenchy T-shirts — selling at between £200 and £315 each. In these straitened times, it's a clear sign of a buoyant business sector amid a sea of profit warnings and liquidations.

"Men's shopping habits are changing at a phenomenal rate," says Darren Skey, menswear buying and merchandising manager at Harvey Nichols. "Historically, women shopped for their partners, but high-profile men such as David Beckham have made it acceptable for guys to express themselves through clothes and grooming. They now shop like women do, as a leisure activity, browsing and experimenting with different labels. They come in with pictures from blogs such as Tommy Ton on style.com and The Sartorialist, using those as a reference point to put together looks.

"We're also seeing customers enjoying a newfound confidence in less established brands such as Oliver Spencer, Christopher Shannon, Norse Projects and Blk Dnm, which are enjoying the benefits of this neo-dandyism."

Tim Little, the Chelsea cobbler who bought Northampton-based shoe manufacturer Grenson two years ago, has witnessed an enormous shift in British men's attitude to their appearance. "In France and Italy, it has always been thus, but English men have never wanted to appear vain or as if they care about what they are wearing. The dot.com boom saw a huge shift in dress codes in the workplace, and the traditional professional uniform of a dark suit with a Thomas Pink shirt and a wacky tie broke down. Men have become more engaged with the process of dressing, and have become passionate about brands in the way they've previously obsessed about Porsches or Triumph bikes: they can get geeky about the craftsmanship of a benchmade brogue and wax lyrical about the story behind a business like Grenson, which has been going since 1866 and made the shoes for the original <em>The Great Gatsby</em> movie.

"We are seeing 18-year-olds who are buying their first pair of 'real shoes' after living in trainers, and they want contemporary, chunky-soled brogues, but equally we sell our traditional styles to trendy twentysomethings and a retired 85-year-old sergeant-major who has worn the same shoe all his life."

Toby Bateman, buying director at Mr Porter – the younger brother (launched in February 2011) to the successful online designer womenswear boutique net-a-porter – suggests there is a return to more traditional aesthetic values with modern detailing.

"In my grandfather's day, a gentleman had a tailor, a shirtmaker and a cobbler, and style was about quality and craftsmanship. I think men are beginning to associate their wardrobe purchases with those attributes again: they want Donegal and Harris tweeds, and if they do buy into big brands they want a lifestyle element to identify with."

With such unequivocal evidence in the form of wallets being boldly brandished, it's clearly a lavish lifestyle that bucks all the prevailing economic and consumer trends.