Susie O’Brien: Smart casual, like Roger David, is a thing of the past

THE collapse of menswear chain Roger David is another case of a familiar, if slightly daggy, brand being swept away, writes Susie O’Brien.

IN THE 1980s, Bob Hawke was prime minister, men went without socks thanks to Miami Vice, and Dexter the robot computer-matched couples on TV. We spent our hard-earned on camcorders and CD players from Brashs and Ken Bruce, gorged on Sizzler all-you-can-eat buffets and got our groceries from Tuckerbag.

Women bought stirrup pants and body suits from Laura Ashley and men bought slacks and suits from Roger David.

My, how times have changed.

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Bob Hawke’s now an old-age pensioner, socks are back and perfect matches are made by swiping right on Tinder. Brashs, Ken Bruce, Sizzler, Tuckerbag and Laura Ashley are long gone. And now Roger David, Australia’s third biggest menswear retailer, has been placed into voluntary administration.

Roger David never managed to shake off its daggy reputation.

Although Roger David has been around since 1942, its heyday was surely the 1980s, when it was known as the menswear brand of choice. Men who had to wear suits — but wanted to pay as little as possible for the privilege — headed to Roger David. Remember all those daggy Roger David ads from the 1980s?

“There’s a new you waiting at Roger David,” one TV ad promised. It was great if you wanted the new you to be a dork in a three-piece suit and Ugly Dave Grey glasses.

“Some blokes are smarter than others,” another ad says. But I’m guessing smart men didn’t wear $14.95 business shorts and short-sleeved shirts.

One 1986 ad shows a dapper guy in a suit arriving on a tropical island by seaplane accompanied by an attractive blonde in a white dress.

“Roger David’s looking good this summer,” the voiceover says as the price of his shirt ($20) flashes up on the screen.

Roger David’s heyday was surely the 1980s.

The fact is that the demise of slacks, suits and lounge jackets has a lot to do with why Roger David is the latest 1980s icon to go. Smart casual is a thing of the past. Suits are worn only for weddings and court appearances. And slacks have given way to pants. Or, if you’re a hipster, pant. As in: “Do you have the beige slim-leg pant in stock?”

Now men are just as likely to be in anti-wicking four-way-stretch athletic wear for gym sessions that never happen, or dressed in puffer jackets designed for the North Pole although they rarely leave the suburbs. They do their work in cafes wearing Ksubi jeans and $70 T-shirts designed by AFL players cashing in on some men’s willingness to wear clothes with images of half-naked women on them. Or they wear T-shirts sporting deeply cool slogans such as “lol ur not tyler oakley”.

The same daggy reputation plagued Fletcher Jones — the home of viyella work shirts and tailored trousers.

They don’t buy suits and if they do, they don’t choose Roger David.

The news of the retailer’s demise will be bittersweet for many men who would remember buying their first suit from Roger David for their first job interview after school.

Even so, it probably wasn’t where they bought their second or third suit.

The company put its collapse down to the influx of international competitors and online rivals.

But other brands have managed to reinvent themselves in the same retailing market.

Somehow, though, Roger David never managed to shake off its reputation as the home of nice slacks your mum bought you for your cousin Reggie’s wedding to that girl he met at the bowls club.

The same daggy reputation plagued Fletcher Jones — the home of viyella work shirts and tailored trousers.

Of course, Roger David tried to move with the times. Oh yes, they sure did.

They changed some of their stores to RDX, assuming the X would make them cool. It didn’t. They dropped the 1970s-era men’s symbol from the O in Roger. And they started selling clothes online, showcasing their wares on tortured young teens with vacant expressions. They also started a blog with posts such as: “How to dress on your first date without looking like a total tosser.”

Macca’s view.

One Roger David ad even featured a teenage girl with the word “slave” barcoded on her shoulder and a Union Jack gag in her mouth. The company told the Advertising Standards Board it was an “ironic patriotic comment on capitalist recruitment and identity”.

Sheesh. It’s a long way from sea planes and suits.

So long, Roger David. It’s been a great seven decades for the price-conscious man of style and you’ve been with us every step of the way. Best stop now before a pair of slacks becomes a “slack” and makes a comeback.

Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist

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