Marylin Johnson, AJC
Pink is the new blue. For men, that is.
Ironic but true, this girlie shade is popping up everywhere, from the boardroom to casual parties to magazine layouts.
Billionaire Donald Trump wore a shiny pink tie with a dark business suit on his hit TV reality show, “The Apprentice,” last month. And hip-hop artist Andre Benjamin of OutKast wore a pink-and-white checked shirt and green polka-dot bow tie in the “50 Most Beautiful” issue of People magazine. The weekly describes the rapper as someone “who’s comfortable wearing saddle shoes, pearl bracelets and plenty of pink.”
Even regular gents such as Robert Nix, 40, are comfy in pink, specifically button-down-collar, oxford cloth shirts from Brooks Brothers or the Lands’ End catalog.
“I started wearing pink shirts in the early ‘80s,” said the Atlantan, who sells retirement plans. “I guess, if you hang around long enough, pink will come back.” Nix likes the soft hue because it goes so well with khakis and bluejeans.
Designers of classic menswear such as Ralph Lauren, Izod and Tommy Hilfiger, and specialty retailers like Brooks Brothers, J Crew and Atlanta-based H. Stockton, are leading the pink resurgence.
“Pink is hot for spring. . . . The look is fresh and exuberant,” said designer Tommy Hilfiger. “The feel is sexy and sophisticated, but still fun. And pink really captures that energy.”
