Why marketing fashion to men will never work.

This is, of course, bad news for marketers who are looking to generate seasonal desires manufactured by the women's-wear industry, which imperiously dictates a new skirt length or shoe shape every six months. In menswear, new silhouettes and shapes have to be dribbled into designs and editorials over many seasons.

"Men shop almost exclusively on a replenishment basis," says Doonan. "The best thing you can do with a male customer is remember what he bought before."

Another big obstacle: American men often equate fashion with elitism. "This is a country based on equality, and having the trappings of a wealthy lifestyle can be suspicious," says Fielden, who points out that presidential candidate Barack Obama has struggled to escape the scourge of sophistication. "There's always been the great disdain for someone being too highhanded. Guys here are very careful about stepping outside the chalk marks."

How this translates to the apparel market: Men rely on clothes to blend in, unlike women, who rely on fashion to stand out-which means that the vast majority aren't likely to dip in to Thom Brown's "carnival" collection anytime soon. Editors and retailers say that American men painstakingly prescribe to certain "uniforms" that stand as a badge of a particular community and don't deviate from that look.

"Men always fall into groups: the sports guy, the rock star, the cowboy," says Doonan. "Women's fashion is a totally different acid trip. Experimentation has no limits. Inflict that paradigm on men, and you'll get into trouble."

Since American men are less willing to take such risks outside their self-prescribed group, menswear designers are forced to cater to a more niche customer base. Yet in this respect, there's a happy trade-off for designers and retailers: Since men tend to stick with one look over a long period of time, they remain loyal to brands longer than women, who are more likely to skip around.