Designing Women

Don't you believe it when a macho buddy tells you that real men like to shop for clothes alone. At least, most of the men we know don't. Guys, of course, want to look good for and to women, and the easiest way to avoid a conflict later on is to take the lady along when you're in a buying mood. With that thought in mind, this month we've added a new twist to our yearly Designer Forecast feature, in which we ask menswear designers to preview a sampling of upcoming lines. For a change, we've chosen four female menswear designers of international fame--Jhane Barnes, Corinne Delemazure, Oriana Girombelli and Cecilia Metheny--and asked them to give us the low-down on just how they like men to dress, with picks, naturally, from their spring/summer 1988 collections. The results may surprise you. But whatever your tastes--from a casual crew-neck and pleated khaki slacks to a wool-crepe evening jacket and Hollywood-waistband tuxedo pants--there's plenty to intrigue the ladies.