Men’s style: Metrosexual or Just Plain Feminine?

“Metrosexual” is a term used to describe men that are particularly meticulous about their grooming and appearance. The term came about in the mid 90s and has stuck. Metrosexual men typically spend a lot of time and money shopping to get their look just right. The term is often used to describe heterosexual men who have adapted the fashion sense of a homosexual man, though this is not always the case and the term doesn’t necessarily lend itself to a person’s sexuality.

Now that you’re a bit more acquainted with who a metrosexual man is, lets take a look at some of the most popular men’s trends and decide which ones are metrosexual and which are just plain feminine.

1.) Men’s Heels – Not long ago the NY Times brought the issue of men’s heels to light when they did a piece on some of the hippest and most exclusive parties in town. The journalist covering the story noted that many of the men attending were wearing high heels, some which rivalled the highest heels in women’s fashion.

While some men have small enough feet to fit into women’s shoes, most have to look elsewhere to find the heel of their choice. One thing’s for sure though, the men that wear the shoes insist they aren’t dressing in drag, just exploring the various fashion options available to them. Men’s high heeled shoes can cost upwards of $2,000.

The fashion verdict: feminine. Lets face it fellas, high heels are best left to the ladies.

2.) Men’s tights – Much like ladies tights, men’s tights cover the legs, add a little colour and for those that shave their legs (yes, there are guys that do this) hide any unfortunate leg stubble that may have popped up. They come in a range of colours and are designed to fit men who tend to have larger, more muscular legs. The trend hasn’t really caught on and most people aren’t even aware men’s tights exist, but they are out there and there is a definite market for them.

The fashion verdict: feminine. Many women don’t even like wearing pantyhose, so why would a man want to fight his way into these things?

3.) Men’s mascara – Twenty years ago no man would dare buy mascara unless it was for his girlfriend or his burning desire to be a cross dresser. However, today, manly make-up is a real thing and many men are using products like mascara to enhance what their papas gave them (see what we did there?). Department stores, drug stores and online sites are seeing a rise in men buying cosmetics year after year.

Make-up for men is growing more popular with every demographic. It’s not just the edgy, goth or punk rock stuff that’s catching on either – subtle enhancements are being used by men the same way they are used by women.

The fashion verdict: metrosexual. Whether it’s a subtle enhancement or an edgy rocker look, male make up can work on quite a few men.

4.) Men’s skirts – Men’s skirts come into style every so often. The last time was in the 90s during the grunge movement. Today’s skirts focus more on the kilt look than a true skirt and many manly men are declaring that it takes a true man to wear a skirt. Whether it’s male models walking down the runway in a skirt or a Scottish festival full of plaid numbers, the male skirt is certainly stirring up attention.

The fashion verdict: metrosexual. Though to be fair, real men wear kilts, so the trend isn’t only for the metro men in the world.

5.) Men’s corset – There aren’t many women on the planet that want to wear a corset, so it’s hard to imagine this trend taking off with men. The male version of the classic shape wear looks pretty much identical to the female version. Models on the walkway wearing Galliano’s fashions wore corsets with their signature painted on abs in a vain attempt to make the style look cool.

The fashion verdict: feminine. There’s no way even the most metrosexual man could make this look like anything but ladies shapewear.

6.) Men’s purses – Men’s purses have a variety of names from the man bag to the “murse”. The look has been seen on television sitcoms and they are designed to hold everything from a wallet to a small laptop. Most man purses are cross-body style messenger bags scaled down to be labelled a purse. Leather is popular and rarely are the bags seen in colours other than black or brown. You can find some great ones here.

The fashion verdict: metrosexual. The man purse is the go-to accessory for urban men. The bags are great for holding bulky wallets and other daily necessities.

So, did we get any of the above wrong? Tell us what do you think!