PLUSThe Webster Miami to open

men’s-only store in Bal Harbour. Page MW2

Just DesertMichael Bastian

looked to the West Coast in the

Seventies for spring inspiration. Page MW2

{Continued on page MW8}

July 24, 2014

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Shades of blue, Japanese workwear references and ultralight tailoring were among the key trends that caught retailers’ eyes on the recently completed trade circuit during New York market week. For an in-depth look at these and other salable items for spring, see pages MW4 to MW7.

Blue Mood by JEAN E. PALMIERI

NEW YORK — Working hard pays off — just ask the specialty stores on the New York City trade show circuit this week.

Buoyed by decent spring business, inde-pendent merchants were in an upbeat mood as they visited the booths at Project, Liberty, MRket, Capsule and Agenda researching the trends and trolling for new vendors and key items for spring. By scouring the aisles and ferreting out unique pieces to tempt their customers, they hope to continue the momentum as the temperatures cool and fall goods hit the floors.

There was also talk at the shows about the growing potential for a unified men’s fashion week.

Among the most saleable items, they said, were soft, tailored clothing, accesso-ries and footwear.

“Our business is pretty good,” said Rush Wilson 3rd of Rush Wilson Ltd. in Greenville, S.C. He pointed to Southern Tide, a local sportswear vendor, as among the store’s top performers. “They’re a hometown line and they’re poised to grow,” Wilson said, noting that he grew up with founder Allen Stephenson’s father and uncle in Greenville. “The line has great demand and has brought in a lot of new young customers. That’s how we attract the next generation.”

Other lines that are working include Peter Millar, he said. “We put in a Peter Millar Crown shop last October and it’s done very well,” he said. “We’ve always car-ried the line, but the business has grown along with the brand.”

Wilson admitted that sales this year are running a “little flatter” than last year, “but it’s still positive.”

At the shows, he was “looking for a mod-erately priced dress shirt line. We have sport shirts coming out of our ears,” he said. He was searching for a brand with “a quality look and a little bit of fashion” that can retail for about $100 or less. “We have to make sure we have opening-tier merchandise that is not mundane,” he said. “And we’re always looking for the next thing — and you don’t know what that is un-less you’re looking.”

Mike Zack of Circa 2000 in Plano, Tex., agreed. “We have to keep trying to be more creative,” he said. “We’re fighting things we didn’t have before.” That includes Web-only competitors as well as upscale retailers with their own outlets, such as Saks Fifth Avenue’s Off 5th and Nordstrom Rack, that “hurt our sale business.

“Our vendors are competing with us on the Internet,” he said. “But they don’t have rent or an electric bill to pay. So we’ve got to come to the shows to find something to re-place these new competitors. We’re looking for things that aren’t footballed around.”

SPRING SELLING

Retailers UpbeatAbout Future BizSpecialty stores expect sales to strengthen this fall.

Dickies x Palmer Trading’s cotton

handkerchief and jacket, Max N Chester’s cotton

jacket, Barney Cools’ cotton shirt and Camo’s

cotton denim pants.

Men’s WeekMW2 WWD THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014

by JEAN E. PALMIERI

NEW YORK — Michael Bastian took a trip out West for his spring collection.

The New York-based designer said his inspiration for the desert-themed line started with the Sonoran Desert and ex-panded to include the Eagles, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and other hall-marks of California in the late-Seventies.

“I saw a video on the history of the Eagles and that led to a whole Southern California, late-Seventies rock moment. Once you fall down the Google rabbit hole, you don’t know where you’re going to come out,” he said during a presenta-tion of the line at his West Side show-room here earlier this week.

“There’s lots of denim and suede; it’s very Southwestern,” he said, pointing to the cotton crewneck sweater with a sunset pattern, red linen tartan Western shirt and cactus green Sedona shorts.

There were denim motocross jeans, bleached denim shirts and even a linen denim suit. “When you do Western, it’s easy to fall into costume territory,” he said. A suede jean jacket, sweaters printed with Navajo patterns and fighting scorpions, and button-down shirts with embroidered ac-cents also set the tone without being hokey.

Even the more tailored pieces showed their casual side, with suits and sport coats in cotton mixed with linen or silk. “We used a lot of interesting blends,” Bastian said. “But everything’s really

laid-back, even the formalwear.” Bastian offered up a midnight blue double-faced tuxedo that he paired with a Western belt and a cotton-linen, cream-colored dinner jacket was shown with a denim shirt and skinny cotton trousers.

Although the line may have its roots in the desert, it remained true to Bastian’s preppie, Americana roots and felt fresh and innovative. “The Southwestern con-nection is very preppie with all the but-ton-downs, boots and jeans,” he said.

Bastian, who hails from upstate New York, is focusing most of his energies on his signature collection, which made its debut seven years ago. Since leaving his post as men’s fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman to start his own brand, Bastian collaborated with Gant on a successful lifestyle label for nine seasons, and has worked with George Front on jewelry, Frank Clegg on bags and small leather goods, Eugenia Kim on hats, socks with Soxiety and shoes with Stubbs & Wootton. He’s working with Uniqlo on a line of limited-edition polo shirts, which are sold under the name Uniqlo X Michael Bastian, now in its second season.

Like other American labels, notably Michael Kors and Rag & Bone, Bastian

opted to show his spring collection prior to New York Fashion Week in September.

“September just doesn’t make sense for American men’s wear,” he said. “We finish selling in July so showing then is just a p.r. exercise.” And the men’s de-signers are generally overshadowed by their counterparts in women’s.

“It always feels like you’re a men’s brand dropped into the middle of the wom-en’s week. So that’s why we said, ‘Let’s try this.’ Other big brands have taken that step and others have shown in Europe. So it’s slowly happening on its own. But we’re an American brand so it doesn’t make sense to show in Milan or Paris.”

Bastian said he’d be completely sup-portive of the creation of a separate men’s fashion week in New York. “We’ll be the first one to jump on board if they can figure it out,” he said.

Turning back to his own business, Bastian said he will be opening his first Web store in the October-November time period. The spring collection will be the first one offered and Bastian also plans to sell products from his collaborations including the shoes, jewelry and bags.

“Until we can open our first store, this is a baby step,” he said.

by ARNOLD J. KARR

LONG-SUFFERING New York Jets fans are eager to see what wide receiver Eric Decker can do for the team’s offense in the season ahead. But he’s already gained a following in the fashion world as the second athlete to participate in the Buffalo Pro program undertaken for Buffalo David Bitton by Iconix Brand Group, which acquired a 51 percent stake in the denim brand in early 2013.

Decker, coming off a strong season with the Denver Broncos, will appear — both on his own and alongside model-actress Erin Heatherton — in a series of ads for Buffalo David Bitton to run be-ginning this week.

The Buffalo Pro series kicked off last year with ads featuring Chandler Parsons — then with the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets and now signed with the Dallas Mavericks — and according to Dari Marder, chief marketing officer of Iconix, struck exactly the right chord.

“Buffalo Pro is really targeted to our male demographic and reaching them through sports,” she said. “It’s about what guys wear to sporting events and what athletes wear off the field, but it’s also reaching women, who are just as in-terested in a lot of the sports their hus-bands and boyfriends follow.”

While the program includes out-door, online and in-store components, the bulk is in lifestyle and sports pub-lications including Men’s Fitness, Details and Nylon Guys. The ads with Heatherton will also find their way into women’s fashion magazines including Elle, Cosmopolitan and InStyle. The digital spend is focused on sports and lifestyle networks.

“We actually upped our print spend, the number of titles, frequency and im-pressions,” Marder told WWD, “and along with them, the budget.”

She noted that one of the biggest chal-lenges with Decker was fitting in a shoot before he started training camp and be-came immersed in his full-time profes-sion. Focus wasn’t a problem — she said he was especially taken with the com-pany’s new Flex Jean, which combines a jeanlike look and jogger pant feel.

In the ads, Decker dons a vegan leather motorcycle jacket and, in one piece, noth-ing but Buffalo underwear. Heatherton’s ensembles range from an oxblood vest with coordinated dress to a shot on horse-back wearing only Buffalo jeans.

Buffalo is continuing to build its pro ranks and, while plans aren’t yet set for 2015 campaigns, Kevin Love of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves has been tapped for the roster of brand ambassadors.

Marder said the team will continue to expand. “Like with Eric, we look for ath-letes who have an appeal that goes be-yond the core fan base,” she said. “We’re also looking beyond football and basket-ball into baseball and soccer.”

Looks from the spring collection.

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The ads begin running this

week.Michael Bastian’s Desert Dreams

THE WEBSTER MIAMI, the trendy South Beach retailer, will open a separate men’s store at 9700 Collins Avenue in Bal Harbour this fall. The 1,700-square-foot store in the Bal Harbour Shops will be the company’s third and its first dedicated solely to men’s wear.

In December, the company opened a 2,600-square-foot women’s store in the same tony Bal Harbour Shops on Collins Avenue. Because of its small size, men’s wear was not offered.

Since opening in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood in 2009, The Webster’s 20,000-square-foot flagship has carved out a strong niche with its sharply edited selection of designer apparel and accessories, luxury

atmosphere and top-notch service for men and women.

The new men’s store will feature a cu-rated assortment of ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories from Saint Laurent, Dior Homme, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Balmain, Maison Martin Margiela, Dsquared2, Neil Barrett, Alexander Wang, Baja East, Calvin Klein Collection, Hood by Air, The Elder Statesman, Off-White, Thom Browne and Bamford. The store will be designed with “contemporary masculinity,” the company said, using wood and bronze display walls by Asher Israelow, limited-edition works by Tom Dixon and Faye Toogood, and a light sculp-ture by Bec Brittain.

“The Bal Harbour Shops is one-of-a-kind,

the most beautiful outdoor retail area in the world, with a very unique level of luxury, dedicated to service, on par with our own standards. It makes perfect sense to bring our strong fashion expertise there,” said Laure Heriard Dubreuil, chief executive of-ficer of The Webster.

The Webster Men’s will be located on the second floor of the center, which is also home to luxury retailers including Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, along with Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Moncler, Thomas Pink and other high-end brands.

Heriard Dubreuil and her partner, Milan Vukmirovic, took over The Webster, a 1939 example of architect Henry Hohauser’s Art Deco style, to open their first store. — J.E.P.

Jets’ Eric Decker Backs Buffalo

The Webster to Open Men’s Store

Men’s WeekWWD THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014MW4

ARMANDO CABRALDesigner: Armando CabralKey styles: The collection is broken into three concepts: the hybrid, a mix of a shoe and sneaker that features classic styl-ing with casual bottoms; contemporary sneakers, designed to replace a regular shoe, and an assortment of leather slip-on espadrilles. All the shoes are made in Italy and are sold in 13

countries around the world. Design/aesthetic: There’s more to Cabral than just a pretty face. Although he’s been a regular on runways around the world for years, it wasn’t until 2009 that he truly followed his passion. It was that year that the Guinean-born fashion model launched his namesake collection of shoes. His line of men’s footwear is sophisticated and versatile — styles can be dressed up or dressed down — and above all, comfortable. Prices: The shoes retail for $375 to $570.

EFM BY DONRAD DUNCANDesigner: Donrad DuncanKey styles: Duncan, who had previously worked for Victorinox, offers a line of sportswear with active influences such as a blouson jacket with a nylon waterproof face; antimicrobial polos in cotton-bamboo; five-pocket trousers in open-weave ox-ford cotton, and a jogging pant that can double as a dress pant.

Design/aesthetic: Short for “Engineered for Motion,” the line is centered around the ideas of travel, lightweight staples, movement and comfort. Technological fabrics, new garment-dyed techniques, advanced seam finishes and other con-struction methods are employed in everything from blazers to swimwear. Prices: T-shirts retail for $100 and outerwear can go up to $995, but most of the collection will sell for $300 to $400.

J. PRESS YORK STREETDesigner: Mikito TakeshimaKey styles: Blazers with patch pockets, pants with updated camouflage prints, button-down shirts, chinos, sweaters and bow ties all work together to appeal to a younger guy with a classic sensibility.Design/aesthetic: Launched two years ago by Ariel and

Shimon Ovadia of Ovadia & Sons, the collection’s design is being handled by Takeshima. Although created in Tokyo, the collection is still authentically American, with updated Ivy League sensibility. Prices: Shirts are $98, jackets range from $375 to $495, sweat-pants are $120, knits are $175 to $195 and outerwear is $450 to $550.

CWSTDesigner: Joe SadlerKey styles: The collection of easy sportswear staples in-cludes high-waisted pleated trousers, linen-paneled blazers, featherweight knitwear and color-blocked wovens.Design/aesthetic: Billed as “a spirited collection of effortless Left Coast cool,” CWST, pronounced “quest,” is inspired by the Pacific man. It’s made in the U.S. from fabrics sourced primarily in Japan, and has a breezy feel that would be per-fect for strolling the beaches of California. Prices: Knits average $120, pants are $215, shirts are $225 and outerwear ranges from $300 to $500.

VERA LARGODesigner: David CockrellKey styles: The brand’s sig-nature floral print in a live-ly red, blue and white pat-tern can be found in a tight, edited collection of shorts, casual pants, tank tops, T-shirts, jersey pullovers, fleeces and bomber jackets. There’s even a cotton-linen blazer for those cool sum-mer evenings.Design/aesthetic: Founded by four friends from Texas who were searching for a modern beachwear col-lection, Vera Largo is for men who “don’t want surf, but want modern coastal,” according to Cockrell. Cofounder Hunter Wilson said the brand sees “a niche for a colorful, youth-ful brand with a modern fit that is inspired by water.” Prices: Blazers are $228, shorts and polos are $68 and shirts are $100.

ERNEST HEMINGWAYKey styles: Linen/cotton/viscose pants in solids or patterns in regular or slim fits; reversible jersey to nylon bomber jacket; polos with the brand’s stylized marlin logo; a deerskin and cashmere shaker-stitch sweater, and — of course — Panama straw hats.

Design/aesthetic: The collection is inspired by the rug-gedness of the author and his zest for life. Most of the pieces are in cotton, linen and silk, and the col-lection is manufac-tured in Italy.Prices: Suits retail for around $1,500, polos are $79 and up, pants are around $225 and the shaker sweater is $2,500.

DRAKE’S Key styles: For spring, the British brand is offering a capsule collection of washed linen, chambray and denim shirts produced in its Cleeve of London factory in Somerset, England. To comple- CA

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The well-segmented distinction among the various trade shows, coupled with an influx of new brands

across all categories, provided retailers with a variety of highlights and trend-right pieces to punch up their spring assortments. Here, some top looks from Agenda, Capsule,

Liberty, MRket and Project. — Alex Badia, Luis Campuzano, Jean E. Palmieri and David Yi

Divide and Conquer

Armando Cabral

EFM by Donrad Duncan

J. Press York Street

CWST

Vera Largo

Ernest Hemingway

w24b004(5-7);6.indd 4 7/23/14 8:17 PM07232014201959

Men’s Week WWD THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014 MW5

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ment the shirts, the company produced vintage-inspired, hand-rolled brushed silk ties that “sit well with the shirts,” said creative director Michael Hill. Design/aesthetic: The company was founded in 1977 as a men’s scarf maker and expanded into ties and pocket squares. It produces its neckwear in London and thanks to last year’s acquisition of Cleeve, its shirts are now

manufactured in the U.K., as well. All products have an English sensi-bility with a dash of “French chic” and a splash of “Italian style.”Prices: Shirts retail for $295 and ties for $155.

BERWICHKey styles: Colorful washed chinos and printed fancy pants in cotton and silk with a touch of stretch. Two fits are offered — a clas-sic with a 16-inch opening and a slim with a 14 1/2-inch opening. Design/aesthetic: The Italian slacks manufacturer has been in business for

more than 30 years, but is just now bringing its line to the U.S. market. The company is known for its innovative pat-terns as well as its detailing and finishing touches, which include piping and hand-worked edging. Prices: The pants retail for $240 to $350.

MSL Designer: Billy ReidKey styles: The third collection from the Southern designer, MSL — an abbreviation for Muscle Shoals, Ala. — takes its inspiration from workwear. The collection features cotton-linen trousers and shirts, chinos, premium Japanese denim jeans and a suede mustard jacket. Design/aesthetic: The new brand, which joins the designer’s signa-ture Billy Reid collection, focuses on a “worn-in” look. Every piece is meant to give a six- to 12-month head start to any wearer to provide that aged aesthetic. Prices: Denim will retail for $225 and jackets start at $335.

LES BENJAMINSDesigner: Bünyamin AydinKey styles: Printed

shirts and sweaters in the Less is More cut-and-sewn line. The elevated line, Black, includes sweat shorts, ribbed kha-kis, cotton button-ups, a set of black-and-white or gold, black and green camo prints on bomber jackets, shorts, shirts. Design/aesthetic: The Less is More line this season is a play off historical icons superimposed with today’s pop stars. For instance, one T-shirt features Miley Cyrus morphed together with Albert Einstein, another, Cleopatra with Rihanna. The Black label was inspired by the political turmoil of Turkey and the riots in the desert. Prices: Shirts average $101, bomber jackets start at $525 and sweaters are around $269.

MR NIEVES Designer: Sam Velez-NievesKey styles: African-inspired prints in cotton button-ups, knits, trousers, hand-embroidered shirts, swim trunks and hybrid linen-cotton shirts in a guayabera fabric. Design/aesthetic: Velez-Nieves, who launched his women’s contemporary label, Nieves Lavi, 10 years ago, branched out into men’s to respond to customer demand. “It was self-ish and for me because so many people were asking me about it,” he said. The line, which only took him two-and-a-half weeks to put together, was inspired by his grandfather “and the guayabera fabrics he always wore,” he said of the collection that infuses the design-er’s Puerto Rican heritage in African prints that are re-sort-ready. Prices: Tank tops sell for $75 to $98, wovens for $175 to $250 and bottoms for $225 to $298.

BAARTMANS AND SIEGEL Designers: Wouter Baartmans and Amber SiegelKey styles: The collection offers breathable, re-laxed items such as shorts with an elastic waistband, formal pleated joggers, ripstop nylon jack-ets, reversible bombers, and perforated suede shorts with matching coats. Design/aesthetic: “We were inspired by Charlie Sheen in ‘Platoon’-meets Dries Van Noten,” said Siegel. “It’s really for the masculine urban male who is assertive and has a real hunger for quiet indulgence.” The colors center around navy and forest green and all of the hardware used is custom-

made by metal factories that produce goods for brands such as Balenciaga. Prices: Jersey sweaters sell for around $145, shorts for $478 and the perforated suede coats retail for $1,484.

DOCUMENTDesigner: Jong Soo LeeKey styles: The eco-friendly line includes unbleached cot-ton fabrics in jackets, shirts and trousers, along with indigo-dyed blazers, bombers and baseball jerseys, as well as one denim jacket. Design/aesthetic: The line is inspired by the architecture in Paris, said Lee. The designer — who worked at South

Korean brand SongZio — launched his first collection this season, and wanted to reduce the waste and pollution pro-duced from the fashion industry. Prices: Jackets will wholesale for $220, shirts for $150, and $28 to $32 for T-shirts.

10.DEEPDesigner: Scott Sasso Key styles: Mesh sweaters, full-body sweatsuits with interna-tional flag badges, hockey jerseys in cotton and velvet-suede, tech fleece jackets and cotton sweaters.Design/aesthetic: The New York-based streetwear line’s spring collection was inspired by an international audi-ence, which it celebrated with flags — everyone’s from

Drake’s

Berwich

MSL

Mr Nieves

Les Benjamins Baartmans and Siegel

Document

w24b004(5-7);6.indd 5 7/23/14 8:17 PM07232014202002

Men’s WeekWWD THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014MW6

South Korea to Brazil — sewn into sweaters in patches. Prices: Hoodies range from $70 to $100, jack-ets from $100 to $150 and crewneck shirts from $100 to $150.

VANGUARDDesigners: Sam and Jono CotteeKey styles: Graphic Ts, jogger-style five-pocket cuffed denim jeans with an elastic waistband, waxed black denim, light khakis, mineral-washed boardshorts, color-blocked “bor-die” walking shorts and button-up shirts. Design/aesthetic: The Austral ian line, sold in Urban O u t f i t t e r s a n d Zumiez, among oth-ers, is an intersec-tion of beach and streetwear. The line launched nine years

ago, but it wasn’t until five years ago that it ventured into a full cut-and-sewn collection. Prices: T-shirts range from $25 to $30, jackets from $75 to $120, hats from $30 and boardshorts from $45 to $75.

ASGARDDesigner: Stefan Miljanic Key styles: Suits, Supima cotton button-ups, sport shirts, blazers, leather jackets, spring trenchcoats, field jackets, denim and boiled wovens. Design/aesthetic: Miljanic, the designer for Gilded Age, said with this line he wanted a more-streamlined aesthetic and worked to create a look that was clean, architectural and modern. “I always loved architecture,” he said. “I wanted to create a line that was simple, clean, sharp.” The name,

Asgard, comes from pagan mythology, he explained. “It’s a place where gods live. This line is for the contemporary gods to wear and live in.”Prices: Denim retails for $200 to $220, suits sell for $1,000 to $1,300, knits for $200 to $400 and T-shirts for $60 to $70.

120% LINOKey styles: Shirts, trou-sers, hoodies and knits, all in 100 percent linen. Design/aesthetic: The luxury label, hailing from the brand’s Bologna headquarters and made entirely in Italy, is about breathable apparel items that are resort-ready year-round. Spring marks its U.S. debut.

Prices: Long-sleeve shirts start at $215, short-sleeve shirts at $186 and polos for $334. ASGER JUEL LARSENDesigner: Asger Juel LarsenKey styles: Oversize hoodies; bubble-wrap prints in tops and bottoms; Neoprene with mesh jerseys; coated denim that re-sembles leather, and tailored double-breasted blazers. Design/aesthetic: The collec-tion is based on punk rock and metal studs. This sea-son Juel Larsen, who just won the European regional International Woolmark Prize, focused on mixing mediums such as Neoprene and mesh or jersey and cotton. Prices: Tops retail for $808 to $1,078, a jacket for $2,020 and $242 for knits.

FDMTLDesigner: Gaku TsuyoshiKey styles: Now in its second season in the States, FDMTL offers raw, distressed and dry denim jeans in four fits: classic, regular, slim and skinny. Its most popular style is the distressed denim, according to Tsuyoshi, and its most expensive is a patchwork style jean.Design/aesthetic: FDMTL is shorthand for Fundamental Agreement Luxury, the full name of the Japanese denim brand. Its products are all manufactured in Okayama, Japan, the denim capital of the world, where the fabric is sourced and washed.

Prices: Jeans re-tail from $200 to $700.

MATEO BIJOUXDesigner: Mateo BijouxKey styles: For spring, the ster-ling-silver jew-elry collection is themed around “anything you can find in a tool-box,” according to Bijoux. Bracelets that open with a Phillips screw-driver necklace, pendants in the shape of a saw and a nail hook leather wrap bracelet are among the inno-vative offerings. There are also low-er-priced pieces made from brass. Design/aesthet-ic: The son of a seamstress, the Montego Bay, Jamaica-based designer moved to the U.S. when he

was 16 and soon discovered his flair for jewelry. He launched his line in 2009 and the collection is carried in Nordstrom as well as other retailers. Prices: Most pieces retail for around $95 to $170.

C.P. COMPANYDesigner: Paul Harvey and Alessandro PungettiKey styles: The spring collection moves beyond the com-pany’s trademark goggle-hooded coat into a full dress

casual collection, in-cluding sport coats in classic fabrics such as overdyed plaids or ox-ford cloth, along with crewneck sweaters and polos with geo-metric patterns. Design/aesthetic: The Italian sportswear company was founded in 1975 with the idea of reinventing urban city-wear. Since that time, the brand has become known for its technical outerwear, including its signature goggle-hooded coat. In more recent years, it has ex-panded into a full life-style collection, much of it centering around technological fabric and construction.Prices: Most of the sportswear collection

retails from $195 to $295, while the sport coats and outer-wear sell for $495 to $795.

MARCHAND DRAPIERDesigner: Benoit CarpentierKey styles: For spring, the Paris-based brand takes its inspi-ration from Southern Italy with its color palette that “mixes the colors of the earth and sea.” Those hues are found in the company’s swimsuits, reversible jackets, shirts with gros-grain taping on the placket and jackets printed with fish or green and black olives. Other key pieces include a cotton-Lycra chino and a formal tuxedo jacket that Carpentier likes to pair with jeans.Design/aesthetic: Carpentier was born into the apparel business. His fam-ily has been in the tailoring and textile trade in France for five generations, so it made sense that he would fol-low in his family’s footsteps by launch-ing the Marchard Drapier brand in 2006. Originally known as more of a tailored clothing brand, the company has since branched out into a full col-lection that has become known for its high-quality con-struction and cool, elegant style.Prices: Shirts retail for $230 to $290, pants are around $300 and jackets are $800.

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Men’s Week WWD THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014 MW7

Trend-Right

CHIC PAJAMAS

Sleepy Jones

GRAPHIC PRINTS Hancock

PATCHWORK Soulive

CHOCOLATE BROWN AND SILVER Tateossian

CHUNKY SANDALS Suicoke

BEADED BELTS Camp Hero

MIX MEDIA DUFFLE

Will Leather Goods

BLACK AND WHITE Civil Regime

BUCKET HATS Original Chuck

RETRO CHIC Gents

ROUNDED EYEWEAR Dom Vetro

HYBRID SNEAKER Filling Pieces

STRAW HATS Christys’

CHIC GARMENT

BAG Ghurka

INDIGO BLUE W.R.K

SLOGANS Cuisse de Grenouille

SUEDEPerfecto Brand by Schott NYC

DRESS-UP SWIM

Parke & Ronen

TECHNICAL OUTERWEAR Olaf Hussein

FASHION BLANKETS Surf Pendleton

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Some top fashion looks from the shows.

Men’s WeekWWD THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014MW8

by DAVID YI

NEW YORK — There’s no place like New York. Which is exactly why Louis Leeman and his partner in life and business, Erica Pelosini, will be setting up shop on Madison Avenue this December.

The two, who co-own and codesign their Paris-based lux-ury footwear brand, will unveil their first store on the northeast corner of 67th Street.

“New York is an international city and a lot of clientele come here to discover new trends and research up-and-coming designers,” said Pelosini. “Yes, Paris is very romantic and Milan is a city of fashion, but they’re places of old es-tablished brands. New York is always moving and we thought there was no other place in the world to open our first store than here.”

The store will be 525 square feet and will be designed by David Collins Studio, the same firm that created storefronts for Alexander McQueen and Jimmy Choo. The general aes-thetic will be intimate, and feature a re-cre-ation of Leeman and Pelosini’s Parisian apart-ment, complete with a fireplace in the center.

“In Paris, we noticed that every apartment has a fireplace, no matter if the space is super-tiny,” said Pelosini, adding that more than any-

thing, the two want the space to maintain an air of intimacy. “When you enter, we want it to be a quiet place where men can try on shoes, have whis-key, champagne or a coffee,” she said.

Furniture will be sourced from Versailles, France, vintage pieces with a mix of marble, onyx, and velvet. “It will be rus-

tic but luxurious,” said Leeman.It will house the company’s entire collec-

tion, which ranges from statement-making shoes to more understated classic styles. The price points will range from $495 to $1,395.

The store will have four employees, includ-ing a manager and an on-site cobbler who will create custom shoes from specific leathers — in-cluding exotic materials like python — for a 20 percent upcharge. Custom shoes will take five to six weeks for delivery.

“I want our customer to be anyone from a 16-year-old to a 55-year-old gentleman,” Pelosini said. “It’s anyone from Justin Bieber to the Upper East Side man in his Thirties who appreciates handmade shoes.”

Leeman and Pelosini launched their foot-wear business in 2012. Since, they have collabo-rated with Roberto Cavalli and are working with Cesare Casadei’s first men’s collection, Maestro.

When he does find those special pieces, Zack said, shoppers respond. “Our custom-ers are receptive. They’re not just looking for replacement clothing,” he said.

He said men today are “sportswear-driven,” and are looking for items such as soft sport coats that they can wear with jeans. “They’re almost disposable coats,” he said, “something around $495 that they can beat up. Then next season, I can sell them another.”

As a result, he was looking for soft tai-loring pieces in that price range, along with socks and other accessories — strong sellers this year — which provide a nice uptick to business.

Zack said he was expecting a good fall, noting: “I think it’ll be OK if we can give them something comfortable and ca-sual — we’ve been zip-mocked to death. There’s a lot of good stuff out there. We’ve found a lot of nice textures and fabrics. I’m spending my energy on finding new and different things.”

Craig DeLongy of John Craig in Winter Park, Fla., said business has been so good in his area that he’ll add two more stores to his stable this fall. A unit in Jupiter, Fla., will open in October and a Bonita Springs, Fla., outpost will open before Thanksgiving, bringing his total number of units to eight.

“Business has been very good,” he said. “We had a great spring. Our inventories are in line and we’re real clean.” Standouts in-clude made-to-measure, sport coats, knit-wear and bottoms. Wovens, a category that had been “great for years,” is now flat. At the shows, DeLongy was looking for footwear and a woven shirt line that could reverse the downward trend. He especially liked Sebastian James’ lightweight cotton shirts, which he said were “unique.”

Tim Ryan of Harleys in Shorewood, Wis., also said business has been strong “despite the questionable weather in Milwaukee.” The “home run” of the season has been tailored clothing, which posted double-digit sales.

“That’s good, because it’s my biggest invest-ment,” he said, noting

that with suit sales on the uptick, dress shirts and furnishings have also improved.

“We’re getting a younger guy shopping with us,” Ryan said. “The Millennial shop-per is looking for trimmer fits from Hugo Boss, Luigi Bianchi, Zegna and others.”

At the shows, Ryan said he was searching for “something with some spark — the frost-ing. We need to have items that put a differ-ent twist on our presentation.” Specifically, his shopping list included woven shirts, sport coats, Peter Millar’s Pick Stitch collection and Riviera Red knit blazers.

“We think fall is going to be great,” said Ryan. “Ever since we moved our business in 2009, we’ve seen growth, and I don’t see that stopping.”

Elliot Rabin of Peter Elliot in New York City was also scouring the shows for “fun” items — “things that’ll grab people and are stimulat-ing.” He bought knit bottle covers with wild pat-terns and sayings from North Carolina-based Freaker as well as grooming products from Das Boom Industries of Los Angeles.

Dan Farrington, general merchandise manager of men’s wear for Mitchells Family of Stores, admitted that current business is

“tough. We’re finding it harder to get traffic in. There are no more sweeping chang-es in men’s wear, so we need to invent something new and find that great item. We’re at the end of the slim-fit cycle,

which propelled us for a while. It’s all about the details now and we’re working harder for growth.”

Nevertheless, Farrington said he was still “bullish on bottoms,” particularly slim-fits, flat-fronts, five-pockets, trim cargos and slim dress pants. And soft jackets from the market leader, Boglioli, and others, are “also working, so we’re looking for more of that.

“Suits are trending better than jackets,” he continued, and he is “ready for a boom in knitwear.”

While there are challenges, Farrington said he believes fall will be strong. “The mer-chandise looks beautiful, but it will take hard work and educating the customer,” he said.

Kevin Harter, vice president for men’s fashion direction at Bloomingdale’s, said walking the shows in New York served as “a reinforcement of what we saw in Europe.” He pointed to the “indigo prints that were so relevant” and predicted that the “next big thing” will be sportswear that also works as

tailoring. “That’s the big story,” he said.The other big story for retailers was the

relocation of several of the trade shows to one, more-convenient location. Agenda, MRket and Project all opted for the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center this time while Liberty showed at Pier 94, a short trip up-town. Capsule was the only holdout, remain-ing on the Lower East Side at Basketball City.

The cooperation among the shows also brought up the eternal question of a men’s fashion week in New York. For the past sever-al years, the designers within the men’s wear industry who hold runway shows are becom-ing more vocal about the timing of the spring shows. The September time frame, they say, is right for women’s brands, but not men’s. As a result, top men’s designers including Michael Kors, Rag & Bone and Michael Bastian have opted to eschew New York Fashion Week to show their lines during men’s market in July when the retailers are in town and prepared to place orders. Ralph Lauren will show his spring collection in early August.

Tommy Fazio, president of Project, is at the forefront of the movement to create a stand-alone men’s fashion week. “We’re trying to unite the marketplace,” he said of Project’s decision to relocate to the Javits Center this time. Project also included the popular and more-upscale Tents @ Project platform in New York for the first time.

He said he was working with the city and the Council of Fashion Designers of America to create a separate men’s market week and hopes it can become a reality by next sum-mer. “We’re working on how to market and banner it now,” he said.

“This is where the buying power is,” he said, “so why not see the collections here? I believe by next July we will finally see a unified men’s fashion week.”

Louis Leeman to Open N.Y. Store

I BELIEVE BY NEXT JULY WE WILL FINALLY SEE A UNIFIED MEN’S FASHION WEEK.” — TOMMY FAZIO, PROJECT

“

Man of THE WEEK

PHOT

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ELLAR COLTRANE: C-

The star of “Boyhood,” who grows up on-screen, is still in an awkward phase when it comes to his style choices. And this ill-fitting ensemble does not alleviate his scrawny proportions.

The uneven bangs work well with his youthful, unkempt look and help disguise his large forehead.

The thin, gold chain with the small pendant adds a touch of much-needed chicness.

The concept is good, but it’s poorly executed. One should always stay away from Lycra-blended T-shirts under any blazer. And the hint of a bare midriff is OK if you’re a woman. Tuck it in and embrace cotton.

He obviously loves his double-ring belt. He’s making sure the world sees it.

Piercings are cool when you’re 19

(are you listening, Harrison Ford?) or

a hip-hop artist, but it doesn’t work well

with the width of his nostrils.

The wrinkled cotton chinos clash with the

two other fabrics in his outfit. He

should stick with the suit pants

that match the jacket. And a bit of ironing never

killed anyone.

There’s nothing wrong with a beat-up shoe,

it adds character. However, in this look,

it does nothing to soften the blow.

The blazer doesn’t fit him terribly in

the shoulders, it’s just the sleeves

are too long and exaggerate

his strangely elongated arms.

Retailers Seek Unique Pieces for Spring{Continued from page MW1}

Louis Leeman and Erica Pelosini

VINEYARD VINES is finally taking the plunge into Manhattan.

This fall, the Stamford, Conn.-based sports-wear brand will open its first unit in New York City, a 2,500-square-foot store at 1151 Third Avenue, at 67th Street. The store is expected to be opened in early November.

“We’ve had our sights set on a store in New York for quite some time,” said Ian Murray, chief executive officer and cofounder with his brother Shep. “Having quit our jobs in Manhattan 16 years ago to start Vineyard Vines, returning to New York is truly a cel-ebration of our hard work and success.”

The store will carry men’s, women’s and

children’s apparel and accessories. As with many of its stores, the focal point of the Upper East Side unit will be a transom and aft por-tion of a Jarrett Bay boat, which Vineyard Vines will use as a check-out counter. The lo-cation will also feature a custom-painted out-door mural, which will face 67th Street.

Since January, Vineyard Vines has opened four stores and plans to open 11 additional units by yearend, including locations in Austin and Houston, Tex.; Alpharetta, Ga., and Charleston, S.C. This year will mark the company’s most am-bitious year of retail expansion to date. There are currently 45 stores around the country.

— JEAN E. PALMIERI

Vineyard Vines Unveiling NYC Unit

Retailers sought footwear at

the shows.