Mimi and I were discussing this very thing the other day when strolling through Macy's. We were standing at the boundary of the Men's and Women's department and were rather struck by the difference perceived by simply turning one's head even if you didn't focus on the clothes. On one side was a kalidoscope of color, on the other side a drab combination of blacks, browns, dark blues and dark greens. "Drab" is a perfectly descriptive word, isn't it?Originally Posted by Jamie001
Mimi had the idea that this might stem from the romanticized cowboy era of the 1880s to the 1950s. Good Men were supposed to be rugged and utilitarian, and expressions of style or beauty were definitely considered to be effete. The exception to this were the singing cowboys of the B movie era, but everybody else toed the drab line lest they be considered "sissies."
A film clip to illustrate the point:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OaA3LZHbQs
