What men want

Valerie O'Neill, menswear buyer at Arnotts, talks to DEIRDRE MCQUILLANabout what she thinks men want

AS HEAD OF the biggest menswear department in Ireland, all 2,800 sq m, Valerie O’Neill of Arnotts has an eye that never stops scrutinising what men wear. Her new department in Arnotts, spread out across an entire floor, brings together nearly 100 brands from Europe and the US, with footwear displayed in a central section.

Upping the ante at the entrance is luxury US accessories brand Coach, with its sophisticated leather goods – from bags and wallets to luggage labels and laptop holders.

Here the trend-setting JC Rags label from Holland, with quirky cable knits that some cool dude might wear on a date, is a stone’s throw from a Baumler Super 100 suit that might lure the more conventional businessman. A luxury version of a hoodie has the same urban attitude as a skinny, slightly shiny Patrick Cox jacket, while shackets, a combo of shirt and jacket, are the season’s hottest items, although caution might be needed when asking for guidance.

The key buzzword in department store parlance, however, is adjacency. O’Neill has grouped labels aimed at similar customer profiles together to make navigation easier. Hence, denim brands such as G Star, Diesel and Levis are closely quartered, while contemporary casuals Firetrap, Ted Baker and Penguin are similarly aligned with newcomers such as All Saints, Selected Homme, Luke, and Danish label Junk de Luxe. Suits are showcased separately.

O’Neill likes to point out the telling details men always notice in suits. “We start buying suits from swatch fabrics first, so handle, cut and fine thread counts are important,” she says. Newer, lightweight, often unlined suits, such as those of Simon Carter, don’t have as much padding, but deliver a sharp and flattering look, thanks to modern construction. As for the removable tack stitching on Paul Costelloe suits, that’s usually only found on custom-made clothing.

O’Neill was a menswear buyer for Roches Stores and then Brown Thomas before joining Arnotts, where she heads an all-female buying team. “As buyers we are totally objective,” she says. “We buy with the customer age profile in mind and we cover all product categories. We watch what guys are wearing and how they dress, particularly at menswear fairs like Pitti Uomo in Florence and Bread Butter in Berlin.”

Her revamp of menswear has coincided with the new “toys for boys” lower ground floor with its ultra-stylish display of iPads, iPhones and electrical goods and gadgets. A recovery room for exhausted male shoppers worn out from so much choice might be her next challenge