![\"Interview_with_Karen_Alberg-Grossman_at_Keikari_dot_com\"](\"http:\/\/www.keikari.com\/english\/wp-content\/pictures\/2013\/04\/Interview_with_Karen_Alberg-Grossman_at_Keikari_dot_com.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nI grew up in the mod 60s and wore the shortest skirts, the whitest lipstick, the blackest eyeliner. My parents were horrified, but that didn\u2019t stop me.\u00a0My father, Max Alberg, was vice president of menswear at Macy’s in NYC where he worked for 30 years. I worked there, too, when I was in high school and in college during summer vacations, and learned a lot about the business of fashion. He was also a very dapper dresser with tremendous style and charm. I learned so much from him, about quality and style and first impressions, but, more importantly, about how to treat people.<\/p>\n
Ms Alberg-Grossman\u00a0as host of the pretigious Uptown Downtown dinner\u00a0at the Four Seasons hotel in NYC<\/p>\n Most of my knowledge comes from shopping the market (trade shows, showrooms, factories) and from staying in constant touch with retailers. I am also always talking to men about how they dress and why. We do focus groups and consumer surveys on a regular basis.\u00a0My mother, Ursula, comes from a very affluent family in Germany and truly values appearances. To this day, I make sure I\u2019m well dressed whenever I see my mom; she does not react well to sloppy or overly trendy.<\/p>\n Ms Alberg-Grossman with\u00a0Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees<\/p>\n MR magazine<\/a> is the largest men\u2019s trade magazine in the States. We launched in 1990 because we felt that DNR (the men\u2019s counterpart of WWD<\/a>) was not doing a good enough job capturing the heart and soul of the industry. DNR has since gone out of business, while MR is going strong, both in print and online. We write about the business and the fashion, but we also write about the people and what makes them tick.\u00a0MR is essentially a trade magazine for industry insiders. GQ and Esquire are consumer magazines. That said, consumers who want to learn more about the business tend to love MR because it goes a level or two deeper.<\/p>\n Ms Alberg-Grossman with Jason Taylor (right), former Miami Dolphins football star, now commentator for ESPN,\u00a0at a Zegna event in NYC<\/p>\n MRket <\/a>is the quintessential men\u2019s trade show, featuring luxury to contemporary menswear collections. There\u2019s a separate section for new and innovative companies and much trend information and direction. All the top menswear stores in America, and internationally, shop MRket in NYC and Vegas.\u00a0Technology has revolutionized the industry: more business is done online, more items are customized via new fitting and design technology, more marketing is done through social media. That said, it\u2019s still mostly about beautiful clothing sold by knowledgeable experts. Fashion-wise, there\u2019s a definite trend to dress-up; tailored clothing has never looked more beautiful and is increasingly popular among young people.<\/p>\n Ms Alberg-Grossman at a\u00a0IACDE <\/a>convention modelling an award-winning coat<\/p>\n I love sitting in parks or cafes or train stations or airports and striking up conversations with interesting people, many of whom happen to be men (I believe flirting is one of the joys of life, at any age).\u00a0My personal style, these days, is understated and subdued. I like to wear simple, fitted sheath dresses or slim pants with tailored jackets. I don\u2019t buy very expensive clothing, except on occasion; two favorite brands are Kenneth Cole and BCBG.\u00a0My personal blogs are more about business and life than they are about fashion. For example, I just wrote about my son\u2019s beach wedding in Costa Rica and how hard it was for the guys to figure out what to wear. But my MR editors (all in their 20s and 30s) are very tuned in to the contemporary fashion scene, and your readers would learn a lot about men\u2019s fashion and lifestyle trends by checking out MRketplace.com on a daily basis.<\/p>\n Ms Alberg-Grossman\u00a0presenting an award to Russ Patrick, VP of Neiman Marcus, at the sixth annual Uptown Downtown dinner<\/p>\n I love beach yoga, theater, and music of all kinds. I also love writing poetry and essays: my next goal is to work with elderly people, helping them to write their life stories.\u00a0Very simply, I would like men to know that they can step up their style quotient without looking foolish by making a few simple changes. Buy clothes that fit (have a professional help you). Embrace a more modern look (clothes today are a bit slimmer and more body-conscious). Don\u2019t be afraid of color, if not in the apparel itself, then in the accessories (socks, scarves, pocket squares, hats, belts). Pay attention to shoes (brown suede looks great with grey and navy clothing!) And don\u2019t feel you must follow a rule book: express yourself and have fun with clothing. For why not?’<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.mrketplace.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n