• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, February 4, 2016

Fare thee well, man tailoring. While Men’s Fashion Week may bring out the snappiest dressers, a new survey finds that the majority of American men now favors “the basic Bro,” a look consisting of jeans and t-shirts. But that doesn’t mean they see themselves as schlubs. An impressive 94% say they have “a defined sense of style,” reports the Boutique@Ogilvy.

Those favoring the Bro look -- 53% of the sample -- are having an impact on marketers or retailers. “If we look at what is happening with trends we’re seeing on the runways this week, it’s clear this ‘Casual Friday’ look is having its day, and it’s really differentiated from ath-leisure,” says Brooke Blashill, director of the boutique, Ogilvy’s dedicated e-commerce, fashion and retail unit.

But the influence of sport on casual wear is still strong, like in the new David Beckham menswear ads. The study finds that Millennial men are more than twice as likely, at 9%, as other generations to describe their look as either athletic or athleisure, compared with Gen X at 4% and Baby Boomers at 2%. 

Blashill tells Marketing Daily that the big surprise is the way men “clearly have an opinion about fashion” and are increasingly open to developing a style sense. But 40% concede they let others tell them how to dress, led by significant others and friends. And among Gen Y men, one in 10 admits their mom still tells them what to wear. Men younger than 35 are also more apt to take advice from sales staff -- at 27% versus 18% -- than are older men.

By 2017, menswear is expected to climb 8.3% to $110.3 billion, compared to the slower-growing womenswear business, reports Euromonitor. And while 40% of men say that someone else tells them how to dress, they are outspending women, ponying up $85 per month on clothes and accessories, about $10 more than women, the agency says. 

And another finding that’s important for retailers is that the survey, based on a sample of 1,200 men, also discovered that 30% of men say a purchase is a way they treat themselves, while 63% say they go shopping to replace worn out items. “That was a pleasant surprise,” she says, “but it’s important for brands and retailers to know that this mentality of treating themselves in part of what triggers them to make a purchase.”