FASHION / RUNWAY TO REALITY : A Kick in the Pants
How to Do It Big
Total: $3,840
Known for her daring, Rei Kawakubo, designer of the Comme des Garcons line called Homme Plus, mixes casual sportswear with a traditional suit jacket and vest. For spring, she pairs up terry-cloth drawstring pants, $740, and a striped wool button-down shirt, also $740, over a plain white T. Kawakubo lets the shirt hang out and tops it with a traditional gray one-button jacket, $1,520, and matching high-button vest, $630. A pair of nylon canvas lace-up deck shoes, $210, completes the look. For the man who can afford to collect Comme des Garcons clothing, these designer separates are available at Maxfield in Los Angeles and at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills.
How to Do It for Less
Total: $269.97
The man who likes a Kawakubo kind of fashion adventure can approximate the look in lesser fabrics if he’s a patient and persistent bargain-hunter. First stop: the nearest Ross Dress for Less discount store, where striped cotton short-sleeve shirts by Ralph Lauren for his Chaps line can be had for $29.99. In the athletic wear area of Ross we found rayon pajama pants with an elastic waist for only $8.99. And the heather blue canvas deck shoes were $16.99. (The trick to shopping at Ross and its brethren is to go often and to explore every department. If you don’t find what you’re looking for in one location, check out another.) For the suit half of the look, we came up with a gray-blue sport jacket in textured silk, $165, and matching vest in 100% knit cotton, $49, at Structure in the Beverly Center. (The chain also has a location in South Coast Plaza, among other area malls.)
