Vineyard Vines, the purveyor of New England nautical themed ties and clothing, has announced that it will be opening it's seventh freestanding retail store in the tony Georgetown section of D.C.
The 6,000 square foot space is located in an historic townhouse on the corner of Wisconsin and M streets. The store is scheduled to open in April of 2008.
As an aside, I was literally standing on that corner about 30 minutes ago. It is a fantastic location and the specialty retail hub of the city. Go up Wisconsin in one direction to find the newly renovated Ralph Lauren boutique. Turn around an go the other way to visit the new Rugby outlet and cafe'.
According to the DNR article, other than specialty retailer Sherman Pickey - itself in Georgetown, but further up Wisconsin Avenue - the Vineyard Vines store will be the only place in the capitol to buy their wares.
Though I am biased, both as a native New Englander and a longtime D.C. resident, I completely agree that Georgetown is an excellent market for the company. Vineyard Vines ties are incredibly popular with both Democrats and Republicans, not to mention all those well dressed lobbyists.
Throw in the fact that the Chesapeake Bay is only a short drive away and sailing is a huge pastime in the Mid-Atlantic and sales should be just fine.
Target just opened its cool little pop up store in Georgetown today, at the corner of Wisconsin and M Streets.
Target has squeezed a custom designed mini Swiss chalet into the parking lot right next to Old Glory (great place to stop for lunch by the way).
There are only three of these pop-up stores in the entire country - San Fransisco, New York City and here in Washington, D.C. It runs for only three days and then, it's gone. So make sure to swing by and check it out. Also, if you follow their Twitter feed, you'll get clues for the Target Gift Tag Hunt to win gift cards worth $100, and even on worth $500.
Sure, you can pick up a neat little Billy Kirk wallet over at ACL's occasional pop up flea - but for the next three days you can get your hands on a limited supply of Target's top holiday 50 gifts. Everything is pre-wrapped and ready to go. When you arrive, you are handed a clipboard printed with images of all the items, organized in nice, orderly fashion. The "store" is basically a huge glass case stocked with numbered examples of all 50 gifts, so you can see them in person. Make you picks, walk over to the bank or registers, pay and you are ready to go.
Products range from the new Star Trek movie DVD to a mini Margarita kit to a quilted bathrobe to a new Wii Fitness Pack. Some of the items are so exclusive to this project that they aren't even in regular Target stores yet. Whatever price point you have in mind, they can probably cover it.
I stopped by for yesterday's press event and was really impressed with the whole operation. Staffed by Target employees from both the home office in Minnesota and local stores across our region, the pop-up Target has a fun, seasonally festive feel to it.
It's cold out right now, so make sure to stop by the pink Curbside Cupcakes truck for a awesome cupcake and hot chocolate.
Not too long ago, while passing through Grand Central Station in New York, I first noticed the Art of Shaving.
Warm woods and glass, alabaster lighting with a vague Parisian/Milano feel to it, the store cum barber shop was an immediate draw.Its elegant feel belies a company obsessed with the timeless and masculine art of the shave. The approach? (1) Prepare, (2) Later Up, (3) Shave, and then (4) Moisturize. Their extensive line of product offerings follow this mantra with pre-shave oils, skin sensitive shaving cremes and a variety of after shave balms.
Founded by a husband and wife team, she with a spa and skin care background, the company is not just a fancy showplace; it's an actual skin care business. That it is a modern "guy's spa" that still retains a definite air of manliness is testament to the owners style and business savvy.
The Art of Shaving also stocks a wonderful variety of razors and associated paraphernalia. From the ultra-modern five blade Gillette Fusion to classic old school strait edge razors from Thiers-Issard, every need and skill level is covered. You will not, however, find an eight pack of disposable single blades. This is temple built to the "art" of shaving and is appropriately stocked with products equal in design and price.When I first saw that it was going into Union Station I hoped it would do well, it's a great site for travelers looking to grab that unique grooming product on the dash to the train's platform. It just feels right. I finally took the time to stop by the shop and chatted with Marcus, the store manager. Even with a shaky economy, he indicated the store was doing just fine.
His philosophy is that even when times get tough, there are some things people still need - and grooming products is one of them. I tend to agree. While I may not feel the need to get a Starbucks coffee every day, I do shave. Maybe I'll make Art of Shaving grooming products my small day-to-day luxury; form and function working together.
For a real treat, stop by the in-house barber spa for a shave or haircut. I have yet to get in there myself, but you can bet I'll let you know how it goes when I do. From what I've heard, it's worth every cent. Another larger Art of Shaving will be opening in 2009 near the Mayflower Hotel. It also will be in relatively direct competition with The Grooming Lounge.
Whatever the result, there are going to be a lot more well shaved guys in D.C.
Preppy belt maker Tucker Blair is in the holiday spirit and Off The Cuff readers are on the receiving end. From now to December 24th, you can get 50% off everything at Tucker Blair.
A favorite of OTC, Tucker Blair's finished needlepoint belts are charming and stylish all at once. Though a new company, its clever and irreverent designs make these belts instant classics. I regularly sport the American Flag model while Mrs. OTC chose the starfish.
So pick yourself up a great needlepoint belt, maybe a needlepoint headband for your girl. The company is always expanding its offerings and by next summer (seems like a long way off right now) you should be able to order cool needlepoint flip-flops.
So, stop by the Tucker Blair's website and pick up your own belt for for 50% off! Just use the coupon code "holiday08" when checking out.
The economic crisis currently scorching balance sheets across the globe has finally reached up to singe some prominent retailers.
Companies like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks which have so far been able to ride above the economy's troubled waters, are now getting caught in the unprecedented economic downturn. In a nutshell, people are realizing that while they do need clothes, they don't necessarily need fashion; or at least pricey fashion. This is an abrupt turnaround from the last several years of aspirational aquistion.Basically, the party's over.Everyone's Feeling the PainUntil recently, the conventional wisdom held that prestigious retailers were more or less immune to the credit crunch affecting the masses. Their affluent customers appeared to be just fine - if only a little more judicious with their spending than in the past. For many companies, that mirage has evaporated. In October Neiman Marcus and Saks posted declines of 27.6 percent 16.6 percent, respectively. Nordstrom, which lowered its third-quarter earnings outlook to a range of 32 to 37 cents, suffered a 15.7 percent comparable-store decline.
Boston Area Gap StoreSpecialty retailers weren’t spared either. Gap North America and International put up comparable store declines of 14 and 5 percent, respectively, modest in comparison to Banana Republic and Old Navy, which registered decreases of 17 and 20 percent, respectively. Ouch.According to Burt Tansky, CEO of Neiman Marcus, high end customer service will not suffer. In today’s DNR, he stresses that the stores will continue to offer “high-level service” and that associates will continue to be work closely with customers. “They are obviously still shopping, just shopping less and shopping more focused.” He also said his customers’ shopping habits are very much tied to the stock market and that “based on our experience in previous business cycles, we believe our customers’ buying levels will increase once the economic environment stabilizes.”Though many retailers were expecting soft numbers going into the fall, the reality of the situation is on the bleaker side. Slowing sales and cautious shoppers are hitting everyone in the sector harder than anticipated. This is not a purely domestic virus. No, the international flavor of this crisis is a sign of things to come. When American debt held in Asian funds invested in by German insurers goes bad because of residential foreclosures in Detroit, you know we are in a new place.Bucking the Trend
Mid-tier retailers like Macy’s, J.C. Penny and Gottschalks had poor showings too, but not nearly as bad and their high-end counterparts. Discounters like BJ’s Wholesale – the place you go to buy a 20 pack of undershirts – showed positive numbers and WalMart, almost 2.5 percent. The message is clear, for the commodities of life, brand is no longer king; value is.
Ralph Lauren's Chicago Flagship
All that said, which company totally out-performed the market? Ralph Lauren. The company posted a second-quarter profit gain of 39.6 percent that beat analysts’ estimates by 33 cents. For those of you who are not into market lingo – that is huge. Normally companies beat expectations by two or three cents, not 33.The company announced that its online presence, RalphLauren.com posted double digit gains across all major categories. One reason for this strong showing could be the company’s brand diversification. With distinctive yet connected brands covering all price points, Ralph Lauren is able to compensate for slower sales of Purple Label inventory with greater demand in Chaps. The company also assumed full control of its Japanese operations this year, a move that will finally balance local inventory that heretofore always seemed skewed disproportionately toward menswear.What does this all mean for clothing retailers? Well, first it means that things will probably get worse as we lurch toward what can only be described as an anemic looking holiday season. Actually, anemic may be too generous an adjective. Second, this situation is also a chickens-coming-home-to-roost situation for many high-end labels that courted mass market shoppers with discounted luxury. I wrote at length about this earlier in the year.When the fiscal dust settles, we will invariably be in better shape as a market overall. Companies with thin financials and leveraged balance sheets will have fallen by the wayside. Those with solid business plans and strong fundamentals will see new opportunities here and abroad.Consumers will likely set the tone for a while as designers and manufacturers keep their noses to the grindstone, producing goods which customers actually want to buy. Passionate visionaries will be able to capitalize on the new breathing space in the market and present collections that can help define our new economic and social reality.
If nothing else, this turbulent and exciting moment in history is signaling to people everywhere that no country, population, or financial demographic is an island anymore. Financially speaking, we are a vast interconnected web of commerce and no one is immune from catching the proverbial cold.
As deep and technical as that all sounds, I'm really curious as to how this will all be reflected in a runway show.
When last in New York, I took some time to stroll along Fifth Avenue and wound up stopping at the GANT flagship store. While this may not sound like an overly significant event, for me it was an eye-opening experience.While an unfair characterization, my gut reaction to the GANT brand has long been something to the effect of, “GANT….don’t they make bland weekend wear I usually find on the discount rack?” At some level, I knew this was unmerited because one of my all time favorite story board catalogs is actually from GANT. It reads like a memoir from Marrakesh – complete with inserted typewritten journal pages. The clothes looked great and the overall feel was very updated and creative.
GANT's Fifth Avenue Store, Main FloorStill, this was at odds with what I actually knew of GANT – at least (as I came to discover) its American incarnation. Much like IZOD downgrading the storied history of Lacoste, the GANT of my youth was embodied in generic looking windbreakers and uninspiring rugby-like shirts. As a brand, it was completely forgettable.Then, several years ago, Tom, a friend of mine moved to D.C. from Europe and asked where he could find GANT clothes in the states. I thought about it and told him that I honestly had no idea. Why, I asked, would such a smart dresser seek out the very definition of bland sportswear? Tom pointed out that half of what he had on was, in fact, GANT. I was stunned. I learned that in Europe, GANT was another brand altogether – more Ralph Lauren than Ralph Kramden.Founded in my hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, by Bernard Gant, his small shirt making business went on to become a cornerstone in the WASP fashion ethos. Gant manufactured shirts for the likes of Brooks Brothers and fellow New Haven institution, J. Press. In 1949, the family launched their own brand and GANT was born. Focused on the emerging desire for dressy casual clothes, they introduced such innovations as the button down sports shirt to the market. The combination of exacting quality and innovative takes on traditional American styles eventually drove GANT to national prominence.After the Gant family sold the company in 1967, a series of corporate owners diluted the brand’s WASPy message and it eventually receded to the state of averageness I knew.
In the 1980s a Swedish company acquired the rights to license the brand everywhere except the United States. They infused GANT’s historically traditional East Coast American appeal with a clean and tailored European twist. GANT’s European arm eventually eclipsed the American one; the Swedes had essentially out-Americaned the Americans.
This situation explains why, when my European friend Tom and I were talking about GANT, we were in fact talking about two different worlds.After finally acquiring the U.S. brand, the now international GANT entered its original home market in 2001. No longer dowdy and generic, America was reintroduced to one of its classic brands. The combination of European design sensibilities and American heritage was a domestic hit and GANT has prospered and grown since.
While the American presence is mostly limited to clothing and some timepieces, GANT’s European portfolio also includes house wares and linens. Bernard Gant’s shirt making business has now grown into a global lifestyle brand. Why it has taken me song to catch on to GANT’s global presence is a mystery, but I suppose some prejudices are hard to shake.Once in the Fifth Avenue store though, I found myself transported to an urban preppy-ish library cum boarding school space. There was a distinct personality to the store and to the clothes: fresh but traditional, young but classically grown up. American, yet somehow European too. I even felt a little Hackett being channeled in some of the sport coats. It was a wonderful and wholly unexpected experience. That’s what I get for not paying enough attention to such a worthy company.
The Sartorialist Shoots GANTSo, if you find yourself looking for a new and different take on New England Americana, check out GANT. At testament to their new domestic prowess, Scott Schumann (The Sartorialist) recently shot a series based on GANT outfits. The models, amateurs all, got to put together their own GANT looks. Not surprisingly, everyone looked great. Now, that’s pretty cool.
I've been in New York City on business for the past few days and am happy to report that it's still the cool, hectic, stylish and compelling city I love. In addition to my meetings, NYC was hosting the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly. That means, apart from the backroom dealings, geopolitical machinations, and earnest, lengthy speeches - the traffic was awful.
Still, I got a chance to walk around a bit and visited some favorite parts of town. Quite accidentally, I also discovered where Alan Flusser's Custom Shop is located; 3 East 48th Street, on the fourth floor. With more than twenty years of experience in refining the art of men's classic style and tailoring, he sits at the top of my list when it comes to possible, "some day" interviews.
I also stopped by Brooks Brothers' flagship store on Madison Avenue to check out the new Black Fleece line. Thom Browne's joint venture with Brooks has been both lauded and questioned. I have to say though, at least up there on the third floor with a huge plasma screen showing runway clips, the slightly industrial showroom style sample racks, and an overall hipper version of the BB clubby feel, I was pretty impressed.
Black Fleece by Thom Browne (Men's Vogue)
I ran into two Japanese gents trying on Black Fleece oxford shirts and asked them for an opinion on fit; " definitely a slimmer fit," came the reply. But they both seemed pretty impressed; so was I. The samples on display, turned inside-out, highlighted exceptional tailoring and the fabrics were alternately butter soft or weighty and dense - each appropriate to the piece.
The overall feel of the collection is a merger between the pared down monochromatic aesthetic of 1950s America and the restrained yet stylized European body conscious look of today. It's not your dad's Brooks Brothers, but it's also not an abandonment of classic style; not at all in fact. It's just a different twist.
Some things however, like the dove gray morning coat tricked out with white trim, a la boating jacket, are wholly decorative and practically nonfunctional in the real world (at least mine). Browne's trademark "shrunken suits" have been elongated to the realistic proportions of actual men who don't work the runways for a living. Overall, a fresh breath of air for a classic label. Nice job Thom.
Lastly, as I'm always on the lookout for interesting men's bags, I wanted to wanted to give a quick field report on one of my favorite brands, Jack Spade. I saw several versions out on the street, but the one that made me feel good about my recommending Jack Spade bags for the workday was on the 36th floor of Merrill Lynch's headquarters.
In a room filled with very sharp pinstripe suited equity analysts, one guy pulled out his Jack Spade field bag and told me he's had it long enough to wear a small but growing hole in the corner. When he needs to, he said, he's getting another one. And you know what? It looked darn good slung over the shoulder of a navy chalk stripe suit and Gucci loafers.
In today's newsletter, the leading menswear industry news source, DNR, highlights the innovative men's department in Bloomingdale's new Chevy Chase, MD, store. Located in a key luxury retail corridor with Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, and Cartier across the street, the new store boasts a third floor location for all menswear and men's' accessories.
The full article goes into a very interesting discussion on regional markets, unique brands to be offered in the Chevy Chase outlet, and Bloomingdale's overall retail approach for the menswear market.
The Chevy Chase Bloomingdale's opens Thursday, September 27.
I like Las Vegas, not enough to live there but enough to look forward to the five-hour flight from D.C. It’s a remarkable city that draws designers, retailers, craftsmen and brands from around the world.
On my most recent business trip to Vegas I was able to carve out a little spare time to explore Sin City's more acceptable vice: shopping.While gambling - or gaming in the industry's parlance - is the mother's milk of Las Vegas, the city's retail offerings rival most of the world's A-list venues. Think of a brand and it more than likely has a presence in Vegas. And not only that, the city's retail footprints are often large and glitzy. Like everything else in Las Vegas, bigger is better and flash always wins over subtlety.As a consumer-dedicated destination city, you will see cheek by jowl companies that you did not even know had a store and familiar mass market luxury names – Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Cartier and Rolex to name only a tiny fraction. Some firms use their Vegas presence to create a new version of themselves, capitalizing on the town's penchant for bigger and glitzier. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I found an excellent expression of this philosophy in the Forum Shops at Caesars.
The Tourneau Time Dome is the venerable New York company's Las Vegas Outlet. It's Tourneau's largest store; 35 custom-built brand shops-within-a-shop are spread across two-stories. From Swiss Army to Rolex to Breguet, more than 8,000 timepieces from 100 watchmakers are on display. Unsurprisingly, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the 17,500-square-foot space is the world's largest watch store. If you are a watch person, you must visit this temple to luxury timekeeping.And while you might expect to more fashion forward retailers in this other city that never sleeps, in the Forum Shops I encountered one of the nicest Brooks Brothers stores I’ve seen in quite a while. Large, well stocked and with a pleasant and knowledgeable sales staff, I’d go back in a minute.
Since I also have a thing for good pens and leather goods, I checked out the Mont Blanc store. I’ve never been too keen on their watches – I’m often like that with companies that aren’t really in the watch business; they are a pen company that moved into watches. I spent some time chatting with John Castiglione about the company’s plans to produce its own watch movements. With ETA close to ending its sales to non-Swatch Group watchmakers, Mont Blanc is taking the vertical integration approach and bringing everything in-house. Thanks to Mr. Castiglione, I have a better appreciation of Mont Blanc’s dedication to its watches. Maybe I do like the Timewalker after all.
If you really want to feel like a real high roller head over to the Wynn and check out Wynn Penske, one of the few factory authorized Ferrari & Maserati dealerships in the country. Once you’ve picked out your new set of wheels, visit the sumptuous Brioni boutique for some new custom duds. Then make a point to stop by Graff Jewelers and pick up a little 25 karat something for the girl in your life.
Over at Belagio, Hermes is regular stop for me. It’s not the largest store, but it always has a wonderful selection of the company’s exceptionally crafted goods. The store also overlooks the Casino’s famous fountains.
When I go out in Las Vegas, I always make a point of dressing up a bit. The place is choc a block with flip-flop wearing tourists; instead, I try to be the stylish traveler. There’s a big difference. Think “Ocean’s 11” – either version, though the newer one is to me the epitome of casually elegant modern style. As you wander through the swanky shopping arcades, aspire to be someone worth looking at. And in a place like Las Vegas, making the extra effort is extra fun.
Not all economic news is negative. Yesterday, Ralph Lauren Corp., announced first quarter results that indicates the company is exactly where it wants to be. Amid the credit crunch and housing slump luxury companies appear to be doing just fine and Polo is leading the pack.
Shares of Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., jumped 7.1 percent Wednesday after the company posted a 7.8 percent first-quarter profit increase and raised its full-year earnings guidance.According to a DNR article, for the three months ended June 28, net income rose 7.8 percent to $95.2 million, or 93 cents a diluted share, beating the consensus estimate of 72 cents from Yahoo Finance. That compares with $88.3 million, or 82 cents, in the year-ago quarter. The company said the growth was from a higher gross margin rate and a lower tax rate. Total revenues were up 4 percent to $1.11 billion from $1.07 billion. Despite essentially flat wholesale revenues of $574.5 million, versus $574 million, retail sales ballooned 9.4 percent to $492.4 million from $450 million. Same-store sales rose 3.9 percent, with Ralph Lauren stores climbing 5.3 percent, factory stores rising 3.3 percent and Club Monaco stores gaining 2.9 percent. RalphLauren.com sales jumped 20 percent.I have been talking about men's wear taking the lead in recent posts, and here is the data to back it up: the company said that men’s wear outperformed women’s in the quarter. Shares of Polo gained $4.36 to close at $65.86 in trading Wednesday on the Big Board.I'm going to post the rest of the original DNR article from this point on. It's a great piece and gives a fascinating view of a global luxury giant mapping out it's strategies and planning for the future. Heads' up, it's a long article.On a conference call with analysts, Roger Farah, president and COO, said, “Our first quarter reflects the successful benefits of our long-term strategic initiatives — primarily our commitment to new merchandise development and product innovation, our ongoing attempts to expand our direct-to-consumer, and our growing international presence. This multipronged strategy is designed to diversify our businesses, reduce our exposure to any one region of the world or channel of distribution and to give us more direct control over our brands.”The company’s results over the last few quarter reflect that it is still operating and executing at a very high level, Farah said. “Our inventories are very well managed as they are below last year and at the same time, our retail sell-through rates have been strong and our profit margins have benefited as a result,” he said. “Our cash flows have grown with more direct control we now have over our businesses, and we have made the right decisions in order to deliver a very strong balance sheet which large growing cash balances and very little debt. Our entire management team has supported and delivered on these key short-term operating priorities. Because of this cross-functional discipline, we are comfortable pursuing our long-term initiatives.”
In his comments, Ralph Lauren, chairman and CEO, said worldwide acceptance of Polo’s brands has been “supported by our continued investment in advertising, marketing and public relations, including high-profile events such as Wimbledon and the Olympics. Our status as one of the world’s few truly global luxury lifestyle brands is an incredible asset for our company.”In a telephone interview, Farah boasted that, with strong internal support, the company was in a good financial position to take advantage of unique opportunities.“It’s amazing, the cash flows that we now generate,” he told DNR. “It’s amazing the way we manage our inventories. And with our low debt, we’re in a position opportunistically to do what we want to do. We don’t have to go looking for either financing or approval from someone. We have been conscientious in operating [the firm] in a disciplined way, and that gives us leverage to do whatever is the right thing to do.”That means international expansion efforts in Europe and Asia, particularly growth in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe, and taking direct control over certain businesses, such as the children’s wear and golf apparel businesses in Japan from its former licensee Naigai Co. Ltd., which continues to hold the license for Polo-branded hosiery sales in Japan. The latest deal gives Polo direct control over product categories that account for 75 percent of its wholesale volume in Japan. So far the company has closed doors in Europe that it believes no longer represent the brand’s positioning, but is increasing the volume in places where it can give the brand better quality in representation. Even with fewer points of distribution, the European business has grown to over $1 billion from $180 million when Polo bought the final components of it in 2001.Farah noted that productivity in Europe is 50 percent greater than in the U.S. It generates about $1,000 a square foot in the U.S. and $1,500 a square foot in Europe, a reflection of differences in real estate.“Europe has a very concentrated, city-driven retail experience. It doesn’t have the mall suburban standalone environment that we have in the states,” he explained.
Currently on the agenda is the building of a store across from the Rhinelander mansion store at 72nd Street and Madison Avenue in New York. The new site will house three floors of its women’s apparel and accessories lines and one floor will be dedicated to home. The mansion will be dedicated only to men’s wear.Similarly, in Paris, the company will open a women’s only store in late September, featuring three floors of products and accessories. Farah said next year the company will open another store in Paris that will feature a full complement of men’s and women’s offerings, as well as a restaurant, on the Left Bank.The company will launch sportswear from its Lauren line in 100 doors in Western Europe in spring 2009, followed by footwear, accessories and dresses in future seasons.“We eventually want to get [Lauren] into Asia and Eastern Europe, but with much of the territories under license, it is hard to put a business such as Lauren into a licensed business,” Farah observed. “In Japan, where we have 75 percent direct control, it will come to Japan much sooner [when] we can properly position the brand and get the real estate to present the brand in the appropriate way.”The company is also in discussions with key retail partners regarding a replenishment program. According to Farah, the initiative will benefit both the retailer and Polo.“There are some items that are worthy of replenishment and some you want to sell out. The retailer can benefit if it is run right. There’s a lot of information about size scale, and one can learn from customers what size they’ll need, which can help in our novelty and fancy deliveries. From the information, we can adjust size scale in different regions.”Jennifer Black, analyst at Jennifer Black & Associates, said the quarterly results “demonstrate to us that this company both increasingly segments its merchandise offering successfully into an array of consumer groups and successfully taps new markets one by one....As it moves along the curve of buying back franchises that gave it an initial cost-effective means to grow its business, the company increasingly gains power over its ability to control its brand image and merchandise offering. Through likely continued turbulent economic waters, Polo Ralph Lauren is one that over time should continue to create shareholder value.”She added that the firm’s sizeable wholesale and retail business both in the U.S. and overseas “enables this company to penetrate segments where demand is growing and pull back where demand is leaner.”
In the process of doing a little background to answer a question on my recent J. Press column, I came across this great Time Magazine article from last year. The question was whether Brooks Brothers gets more street cred than J. Press on the Trad front because it is an older company.
My response was no, not particularly. J. Press is very much a traditional preppy mecca and always has been. Brooks Brothers is more of a classic clothier that, until being acquired by Claudio Del Vecchio, spend several years wandering in the stylistic wilderness.
As that Time article points out, Brooks has unquestioningly regained its sartorial mantle and to me is very much on the forefront of elegant fashion. Drawing from its incredibly extensive corporate achieves, Brooks has refashioned itself into a true clothier that blends the best of its past with the creative foresight needed to remain relevant today and in the future.
The timeless JFK suit model
If you are in D.C. any time soon, stop by the Connecticut Avenue Brooks Brothers flagship store - just down the block from the storied Mayflower Hotel - and look up Mr. Alex Brown. He is the very definition of a true Brooks Brothers salesman. He is a gentleman, professional clothing guide and a bit of a historian who has been through the company's ups and downs. That Mr. Brown is happy with the way things are going at Brooks means far more to me than what industry analysts have to say.
So from my perspective there is no real head-to-head competition between the two when it comes to Trad values; rather one compliments the strengths of the other. To whit, while I love my J. Press blazer, Brooks Brothers is the master of the pink oxford cloth button down (in fact, I'm wearing one right now). That's just the way it is.
This is a true story: Back when he was running for president in 1980, George H. W. Bush (that’s George senior) was giving a speech at his alma mater, Yale University, and being heckled by some students. Someone yelled out that Bush was just another out of touch “Brooks Brothers Republican.” The president, apparently offended by that particular remark, promptly opened his suit coat to reveal its J. Press label.
I’ve always liked that story because it shows the deep dedication that some cultures naturally create. J. Press has that kind of culture. It is the quintessential New England prep-Yale Man-old money-Ivy League brand that the J. Crews and Ralph Laurens of the world want you to think they are. Not that there is anything wrong with either of those brands, I’m a fan of both. But J. Press is special because that’s where it all started. It’s the real deal.
New Haven Store at ChristmasThough not as well known commercially as Brooks Brothers – there are four brick and mortar J. Press stores to Brooks’ nearly 200 – J. Press is as classically preppy as you can get. In fact it quite literally invented the look. From the 1930s through the’50s, Press helped to cement the image of American preppy in the minds of college students everywhere. Known as the “Yale” or “Ivy League” look, it came to define the stylish New England intellectual or at least moneyed, layer of society that was the ruling class of the time. A hybrid of English prep school uniform and traditional American wear, the preppy look is timeless.
Jacobi Press in his New Haven StoreFounded in 1902 by Jacobi Press, in my hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, his namesake company has always adhered to a traditional some would say conservative, design philosophy. Much of their clothing is still American made and most of the shirts, ties, jackets and trousers are quite indistinguishable from from your father's wardrobe. Mr. Press would probably feel right at home were he to walk into one of his stores today. In fact, the New Haven flagship has never moved from its original location.
Sartorial innovations like the sack suit and natural shoulder were invented here. The trademark three-button suit coat with the rolled lapel that visually converts it to a two-button is also a Press innovation. The sack suit itself, given global branding by Jack Kennedy as the definitive American suit, is also credited to J. Press.
Another Press signature is the lack of pleated trousers. All J. Press suits have flat front pants and always have; it’s the kind of consistency and tradition that make the company such an icon among its customers, generation after generation. Where Brooks Brothers’ shirts are famously voluminous, Press shirts are more trim and discreet. Their shirts also have, should you choose the option, a distinctive flapped pocket. that's a little too quirky for me so I stick with the open pocket.But don’t mistake that tradition and adherence to New England stylistic values for old-fashion stodginess. Though clearly smaller when compared to Brooks Brothers, Paul Stuart or even Joseph A. Bank (once colloquially known as the poor man's Brook Brothers), J. Press is a global player and major style influencer on the Trad front. To see just how popular and relevant J. Press is to the fashion world – at least for the true preppy market – you need to go a little ways past New Haven, all the way to Japan.
J. Press is huge in Japan. In 1974, the Press family sold the rights to license J. Press in Japan; becoming in fact the first American brand to be licensed in that country. To many a Japanese professional, the sartorial standard by which business and traditional dress is measured is J. Press. In fact, the company is today a wholly owned subsidiary of its Japanese parent, Onward Kashiyama Co., Ltd. Onward Kashiyama realized almost immediately that to preserve J. Press’ Ivy League cachet, it needed to stay out of the way. And that it has done. Walk into any Press store today and it feels like the company never expanded past the boundaries of Yale, Harvard or the other Ivy's. Sure, the recently opened Madison Avenue store has a fresher, deco feel to it, but you still know it's J. Press.
That is the magic of this unique and cherished brand; it knows what it is, who its customers are and what they value. You cannot simply buy that kind of loyaly or respect through advertising or tarted-up branding. It's earned. J. Press has maintained its preppy core values and remains the truest expression of traditional New England Style. What else would you expect?
According to DNR, Rugby is getting ready to unveil its new e-commerce site. Considered in many ways the future of Polo Ralph Lauren, the company is carefully nurturing the brand's growth and expansion.
The next step for the younger-skewed and lower-priced line, which is sold in 12 company-owned stores around the U.S. (including D.C.'s Georgetown location), is an e-commerce site which will also include style tips, unique videos and blog-based content.
Off The Cuff DC is proud to have already been cited on the Rugby blog, and I look forward to reviewing the revamped site.
The e-commerce site has been in development for around a year, and the updated Rugby.com is scheduled to relaunch on August 12.“The site is fantastic and truly beautiful,” said David Lauren, senior vice-president of advertising, marketing and corporate communications. Additionally, it is user-friendly and “will break ground,” he predicted. “This is not just technological bells and whistles. It comes up quickly and is easy to navigate for anyone who wants to use it.”
Today’s DNR News has a great little article about a one-of-a-kind store in my old home town of Boston. Louis Boston is not only a local institution; it is a global style trendsetter. If you are ever in town, make sure to carve out an hour or so to explore this 40,000 square-foot sartorial legend.
Housed in the old Museum of Natural History, the building’s classic façade belies its modern interior and perpetually ahead-of-the-curve men’s, women’s, and home collections. In a stylistic juxtaposition, Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren are mere steps away on Newberry Street. But don’t get the wrong idea; Louis Boston is not about flash. It is very much about substance, classic but current elegance, and exceptional quality. The store even has a restaurant, music bar, and venerated men’s grooming salon. You can stay all day.
Like Wilkes Bashford in San Francisco, this store has an impact far beyond its local market. Here is a link to an excellent PDF highlighting Louis Boston’s current Men’s collection.
I will also be profiling some excellent Washington, D.C., stores in the near future. But Louis Boston should be on everyone’s short list – even if just to stop by and look around and be inspired.
Sorry for the delay in posting – home sick yesterday and still working toward recovery.
I want to talk about Tom Ford today. Normally, I would never begin a sentence with those words; I’ve never been a big fan of Tom. It’s not personal. I just feel that his Gucci years were over the top, a little too much for me. By the time he had wrapped up his tenure as creative director of that re-invigorated fashion house, I’d really had enough of his smoldering, open-shirted self-marketing persona.
That said, after seeing his new collection housed in the now-requisite elegant townhouse atelier (see David Chu), I am, if not a convert, at least pleasantly surprised. His clothing is remarkable and remarkably wearable. Sure, his off the rack suits start at around $3,500, and even a simple shirt will run you almost $900. But they are very nice.
Ford has created, or re-created depending on your view of these things, a sense of classic elegance that truly hearkens back to the 1920’ or ‘30s. The clothes themselves are actually interesting. There is texture and pattern, sheen and silky heft to his materials and an easy elegance that moves way beyond the velvet gigolo thing so associated with Ford. Too often, designer clothing is stunning and beautiful, but not actually attractive. You would not really want to wear it to the office on the street. Ford has avoided this pitfall. He has moved out on his own, grown up, and grown into an even more masterful designer.
True as that all may be, what does it mean for those of us not able to run out any time soon to pick up some Tom Ford pieces?It means you should use his or any good designer’s offerings as a template for your own sense of style. Visit the store; look at some ads or photo shoots, like the one-pager in the August issue of Esquire; or simply collect images and samples of style elements that you like. Make your own look book. Search for affordable alternatives to the $900 shirt. If you happen to find one at H&M, that’s great. Go ahead, mix high- and low-end pieces. Never be beholden to a label or an image, unless of course it’s your own.
NEWSFLASH: British shirtmaker Thomas Pink has followed in the footsteps of Hermes and Canali, opening a 3,000-square-foot store in New York City’s financial district.
The new outlet, located at 63 Wall Street, is steps from the New York Stock Exchange and bolsters the menswear options targeting the city’s financial professionals. In addition to a delivery service and uniquely organized sales floor, both designed to cater to busy businessmen, the store also boasts a custom shirt service, one of only four stores in the world to do so.
Read the DNR article here.
Such significant investments in prime real estate and high-end product lines, coupled with a clear retail interest in updated traditional business dress and tailored clothing speak to a positive future for menswear aficionados.
Brand allegiance is a funny thing.
When it works well the customer clearly and deeply identifies with the brand. When it doesn’t work, more specifically when the brand lets the customer down in some way, the old loyalty can be almost impossible to win back.
In menswear, brand loyalty has historically been a deep seated thing. While women are still targeted by designer trends, men traditionally stick with a brand they like and trust. Over the past few years, designers and marketing departments have been working overtime to encourage men to think more like women – season to season, for example. Thankfully that tactic has not been too successful.Ultimately though, that all matters less and less because of what happened during last year’s holiday shopping season. When the luxury retail economy collapsed along with everything else, the jig was up. In less than one year, the very concept of brand loyalty and even the basic thought process of how a consumer sees their favorite brand, logo or company had dramatically changed.The Crash of Mass CoutureIt all started with Saks Fifth Avenue.There were already fears about economic problems in the months leading up to the 2008 holiday shopping season. But as Black Friday rolled around, the retailing earth shook when, without any pretense or warning Saks, the bastion of luxury retail, preemptively slashed prices on designer clothes by 70 percent.This was unheard of; the designers from whom Saks Fifth Avenue purchased the high-end goods were caught totally off guard and other major luxury retailers were forced to quickly follow suit. Soon after, boutiques and then second tier retailers were forced to massively reduce prices.
A cardinal rule of luxury retail had been broken and overnight already skittish consumers were suddenly wondering if their Louis Vuitton bag or designer jeans were ever worth what they had paid only the day before. (The text of the original WSJ article on this fascinating story and reader commentary can be found here, courtesy of StyleZeitgiest.com)What occurred next was nothing less than a reshaping of the luxury landscape. Saks had correctly surmised that this was the last hurrah of the luxury-for-all boom years and acted in an appropriately dramatic fashion to try and salvage what sales it could from a rapidly deteriorating market. The rest of the high-end retail universe soon saw the writing on the wall and slashed their already low holiday sales prices to the bone and prayed for the best. Then they slashed again.For many consumers, the magic was gone; the spell of mass-market exclusivity broken. The value that customers saw in their luxury goods – clothing, accessories, watches and even automobiles – was now being questioned. What is the real worth of my Gucci briefcase?
It was bad enough that mass-luxury retailers like LVMH Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, Gucci, Coach, Prada and even Tiffany & Co., had diluted their luxury status by aggressively courting middle class consumers with mid-priced products to drive their incredible growth. Now, they were no longer luxury brands, they were more like luxury image brands.In a race to capture aspirational money, these companies had targeted average folks who wanted to live slices of the high life by way of expensive accoutrements. In doing so, many left disillusioned the truly wealthy who had helped build up the brand’s cache to begin with.
When the bottom fell out of the retail market, all those teenagers and newly minted MBAs (e.g. those who acted wealthy because they could float a luxurious life on credit) vanished overnight. Just like that, the plastic powered cash cow of mass luxury stopped spending.Then the other hand crafted cordovan slip-on dropped. As the economic tsunami kept on rolling it ultimately pulled under a formerly recession-proof demographic: truly wealthy people. They may not all be broke, but they sure stopped spending. When people who are actually rich stop buying things you know it’s bad.As the dust continues to clear only one brand name luxury label remains relatively unscathed – Hermes. The company, while always appreciating and welcoming their less than moneyed customers, never changed its brand or marketing to exclusively attract them.
A brand that did not compromiseHermes is unabashedly a luxury brand and has never apologized for it. This kind of loyalty to their primary customer base, those with disposable cash money, has helped the company remain relatively secure during this period of upheaval.
In fact, while its peers' profits are firmly in negative territory, Hermes first quarter sales have already grown by 3.2 percent. And the added benefit of Hermes never embracing “logoed” retailing is paying dividends because it is now considered unseemly, should you have the money, to flaunt designer brands. A Hermes bag, though prohibitively expensive, is luxuriously devoid of logos or even a nameplate.
Hermes, therefore, is able to thrive in this downturn because its obsessive focus on quality, honesty and value (at least to those who can afford its offerings) was always true to the brand. It never lost its mystique, the most valuable asset of a luxury firm.For all those other brands that had heretofore defined the lives we all were supposed to want, everything had changed. They suddenly looked jaded and false, pretentious and gaudy. In the blink of an eye everyone realized that they had been living in someone else’s marketing plan.Without those bands and their worlds to define us, how would we now define what brands meant to us?All About “You”It turns out that many smaller and specialized brands had been waiting for their shot at the brass ring. At the same time, people began to turn away from mega brands and finally think about what message they were telegraphing about themselves. As they looked around, they began to see other options in design, craftsmanship, cost, style and quality.Those global brands, while still important, had lost much of their mystique. Luxury prices had been grossly out of whack if only because we kept paying them. No longer did we want the “it bag” or “it shirt” just because a glossy ad said we should. Simplicity as a value was taking hold.
Enduring style and expressing personal taste became cool. As consumers now look for the local and unique, for things with long lived value, craftsmanship is again becoming prized. And that goal of simplicity does not mean cheap or disposable; quite the opposite. At its core, the emerging argument is that if I’m going to buy something expensive and luxurious, I want it to be unique and hand crafted. Instead of five "luxury" off the rack suits, I want one or two custom suits that will last for years.
My things now need meaning and need to fit me, not the other way around.With consumers taking over the job of promoting or dismissing luxury goods via blogs (like this one), twitter, rating sites and simply by communicating with each other and bypassing traditional advertising altogether, the definition of branding is changing as well.
Your personal style is now your logoIn fact, it seems that now we’re the brand. Designers and marketers are looking for ways to get their products associated with people. It’s not just about us wanting to live in their worlds, now they want to be worthy of our personal brands.It’s now about the brand of You.
The second half of this essay will discuss how these changes have turned the concept of branding on its head. So stay tuned for part two.To us here at OTC, this is an evolving analysis on the rapidly changing landscape of branding and retail, and the pendulum swing of influence from marketers to consumers. Please feel free to comment on this essay and add your own thoughts.
DNR announced today that Brooks Brothers and Thom Browne will continue their relationship through spring 2011, if not longer.
The companies will announce today that they have signed an extension of the deal under which Browne will continue to serve as guest designer of the Brooks Brothers Black Fleece collection. When Browne was invited to create an exclusive men's and women's collection for fall 2007, there was much speculation about how he would interpret and refresh the company's classic look. The collaboration, a first for the 190-year-old company, was meant to both highlight the Brooks' quality and tradition and pull it into a modern light.
When it debuted, the collection drew mostly positive press, though there were significant rumblings from those who felt Browne's penchant for cropped jackets and high water pants were costume rather than clothing. There were also some initial glitches, including delivery problems and soft women’s sales, but overall results were strong enough to keep the relationship in place.
Black Fleece provides a window into the bespoke potential of Brooks Brothers; as one sales associate recently told me, "it shows the customer what Brooks can be - the quality and attention to detail."
Brooks Brothers is also expected to announce plans to open the first freestanding Black Fleece store in New york's Greenwich Village.
Vineyard Vines, the purveyor of New England nautical themed ties and clothing, has announced that it will be opening it's seventh freestanding retail store in the tony Georgetown section of D.C.
