As a group, men may not be shop-a-holics, but they do seem to like heading to the stores more and more these days — at least when it comes to shopping for the women in their lives.

According to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor, nearly 55 percent of men surveyed said they enjoy shopping for their wives, up from 47 percent last year. Also, 51 percent of men said they enjoy shopping for another person — a friend, girifriend, aunt, cousin or co-worker — compared with 48 percent in 1996.

In fact, special occasions, such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas when men hit the stores en masse, are known as "Shopping Man Alert Time," according to one store manager.

"Men are sometimes embarrassed or shy" said a Victoria's Secret salesperson. "We have done a good job at making them more comfortable here. If a store can do that, it will attract the male customer."

And what about men who say they "like to" shop for their wives as opposed to men who say they "have to"? If given $500, the men who like to shop for their wives said they'd spend nearly $227 of it on clothing, while the men who said they have to shop for their wives would buy only $159 worth of apparel.

One out of five men in the proshopping group said clothing is the No. I item to buy. Only 12 percent of the "have to" shop men ranked clothing as their top choice.

More men than ever love to shop for their sweethearts.

That's why many retailers are pushing to make their stores more "male friendly," starting with the salespeople on the floor — especially in departments aimed at women's items.

Still, what's a man to buy? Not everyone can afford cashmere and diamonds.

"There are lots of different things men can buy that show they've taken care in selecting the right item," says Molly Vanden Bosch, manager of fashion marketing at Cotton Incorporated.

"Floral printed velvet scarves, classic white cotton button-down shirts, and richly colored plush terry cloth bathrobes are a few of the classics that show he has put a lot of thought into the gift." 

Corduroy and Velvet: Better and Back in Style
Corduroy and velvet fabrics are the surprise winners in the fashion world this winter. The cozy, luxurious cotton materials are adding pizazz to all sorts o clothing.

Men, women and children everywhere are cuddling up to revised versions of fashion favorites made modern with a little help from the fashion industry ¾ and from science.

Corduroy, especially, is no longer associated wit the nerdy, absent-minded professor look because new fabrics and styles make it more versatile and appealing.

"New technologies and special finishes make corduroy drape better and feel softer to the touch, so there’s a lot more sophistication in silhouettes today." Says Molly Vanden Bosch, manager of fashion marketing, apparel, at Cotton Incorporated.

For years, corduroy was just for pants. Now it’s being revived as the perfect winter casual fabric.

According to Ira Livingston, senior vice president, U.S. marketing at Cotton Incorporated, "Corduroy is ideal because it exhibits cotton’s comfort to the fullest, both to the eye and to the touch.

"It’s going to be the next big thing in casual dressing."

Now anyone can spruce up a winter wardrobe with stylish and practical accessories like a pair of deep-red velvet gloves or a velvet scarf.

Wide-wale corduroy jackets already are the rage for men and women and velvet-covered buttons, collars and trim add spirit children’s clothing. Relaxed pin-whale corduroy makes a great button-down shirt for man and women.

More and more people are adding velvet to their wardrobe because it "fulfills their desire for precious, luxurious dressing," says Sanden Boost.

"Our lifestyles have become much more casual, and we are looking for stress-free dressing and comfort-oriented clothes, but we till like to feel "dressed up" once in a while. Velvet fits the bill perfectly."

Both corduroy and velvet take color very well because they are pile fabrics.