During the worst of the recession, there was a lot of discussion about how women's clothing sales suffered because mothers would skimp on themselves and divert their more limited funds to the rest of the family.

While that behavior certainly occurred, new research from the IBM division that studies retail analytics suggests that menswear may be tracking the ups and downs of the economy more closely than women's apparel.

Why? It's likely tied to employment levels, with men spending more on clothes to wear to work.