Formal's out, casual's in

Cho Hyun-suk, a rank-and-file company worker, turned 38 early last month, but he doesn't want to look like an ajeossi, a term that is normally used to address older, married men but which can also refer to unstylish middle-aged men.That's why Cho hardly wears classical suits; instead, he buys jackets and pants from different brands and mixes and matches them, depending on the occasion."Suits make you look formal, but they also makes you look stiff and old for your age", said Cho. "Since my company doesn't have a strict dress code, I prefer wearing business casual".Women used to be department stores' biggest customers, but sales of womenswear have been dropping. According to Shinsegae Department Store, sales of womenswear rose 8.8 percent in 2011, but declined 4.1 percent last year, then fell 3 percent more in the first half of this year. However, sales of menswear,Graceful A-line Beaded One Shoulder Red Prom Dress especially business casual, rose 11 percent in the first half of this year from a year ago, driven mainly by fashion-conscious men in their late 30s and 40s.The Samsung Fashion Institute released a report last month about changing fashion trends in menswear.light pink chiffon One-Shoulder beaded prom dresses The institute analyzed the clothes of commuting men in downtown Seoul in May and found that 58.6 percent of them wore business casual, while the rest were clad in classical suits. Five years ago, the same survey found that 58.2 percent of men wore suits. 

Responding to the changing market, retailers and department stores are going to great lengths to capture male consumers.This fall, menswear brands such as MVIO and Basso converted their lineups from traditional suits to business casual brands. Other newly launched brands such as Manstar Folio and Topgear are also specializing in business casual.Meanwhile, department stores were quick to react to the trend.Simply Chiffon One Shoulder Beaded Evening Dresses Some have converted entire floors into shopping spaces for men where only male consumers can go top-to-toe shopping.The World Trade Center branch of Hyundai Department Store, in Samseong-dong,brown chiffon High-Neck beaded evening dresses southern Seoul, turned its seventh floor into "Hyundai Men's" in May. In the 495-square-meter (5,328-square-foot) space, men can find everything they need, from clothes to accessories to cosmetics to IT gadgets and watches.Since the changeover, 30 percent more male consumers came in between May and October from the same period a year earlier. Sales also jumped 60 percent.Lotte Department Store decreased its inventory of suits from 70 percent to 30 percent, then increased its inventory of business casual brands from 30 percent to 70 percent at its Sogong-dong branch, central Seoul. In addition,New Sweetheart Organza Satin Asymmetrical Pink Rhinestone Cocktail Dresses the branch turned its fifth floor into a shopping space for men in September 2012.Prompted by the success of shopping spaces for men, other department store branches outside of Seoul are considering launching similar spaces in the future.