DuncanQuinn

EXCLUSIVE: Dashing Designer Duncan Quinn's Ten Essential Luxuries

Filed under: Apparel, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wine, Men's Style, 10 Luxuries

Click above to see Duncan Quinn's 10 Essential Luxuries

Dashing designer Duncan Quinn has always loved finely tailored English suits and grew up wearing some of the pieces his father had had made on Savile Row in the 1960's. Following several years practicing law both in the City in London and in Manhattan buying and selling companies he became obsessed with bringing to New York his own vision of a Savile Row tailoring establishment for gentlemen and rogues alike. The first Duncan Quinn store opened in NoLIta in 2003 and was an immediate hit. GQ praised his "Savile Row meets Rock 'n Roll" sensibility and things grew exponentially from there. In 2006 he was honored with the Fashion Group International Rising Star award for Menswear and opened a second establishment in Hollywood, followed by another in Dallas in 2008 and most recently a limited edition pop-up shop in Miami.

Past and present DQ devotees include alt rockers Green Day, LeBron James, Sean Combs, Christian Louboutin, Adrian Grenier and other notables and celebrities. Quinn continues to be driven by a delight in making unique collections of pieces with a viewpoint that are made to the highest standards possible with the finest materials known to man. His clothes are constructed to "celebrate days of glory and nights of excess." In addition he just completed filming and shooting for Bombay Sapphire's global advertising campaign for 2010 and will feature in advertisements running in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Quinn's love for the finer things in life and beautiful machines in particular - motorcycles, cars and sailboats - is well documented. In the gallery, he reveals his 10 essential luxuries and explains what makes them a must.

Gallery: Dashing Designer Duncan Quinn's 10 Luxuries

My vintage 1960s Breitling '808' Chronomat

Tags: Bombay Sapphire, BombaySapphire, designer, Duncan Quinn, DuncanQuinn, Savile Row, SavileRow, suits

Duncan Quinn Opens Ltd. Edition Pop-Up in Miami

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Spirits, Luxury Cars & Autos, Events, Men's Style

Art Basel isn't the only thing taking Miami by storm - dashing designer Duncan Quinn has opened a limited edition pop-up shop in the city's design district that's a shrine to gentlemanly pursuits and fine tailoring. In addition to his full range of Savile Row-inspired menswear the British-born bon vivant's 6,000-sq.-ft. space features a full-sized indoor croquet pitch; a 1962 Maserati 3500GT, one of only 359 made, specially ordered and owned by famed Formula One driver Peter Revson; and a killer collection of vintage Ducati motorbikes, including a 450 Desmo from the 70's, a 350 Desmo, built in 1969 and a 1985 F1 prototype.

There are also limited edition croquet shirts and t-shirts exclusive to the venue; a bespoke lounge with Dormeuil fabrics; an installation of Ruby couture motorcycle helmets from France; Hendrick's Gin cocktails; and more. Famed shoe designer Christian Louboutin, who has his own op-up shop down the block, was their first customer, coming in to buy an outfit for his own opening, while Birmingham band The Twang, who opened the Glastonbury Festival in front of 500,000 people, played a one-off show for the DQ faithful there on Friday night. The shop will be open until Dec. 12th, then once a month for dinners and tastings and otherwise by appointment.

Tags: Art Basel, ArtBasel, Christian Louboutin, ChristianLouboutin, croquet, Ducati, Duncan Quinn, DuncanQuinn, Maserati, Miami, motorcycle, Savile Row, SavileRow, The Twang, TheTwang

Gangster Chic Ties from Duncan Quinn

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style

Duncan Quinn, the London-born, New York-based menswear designer whose Savile Row-with-a-twist togs are favored by the likes of Sean Combs, Entourage star Adrien Grenier, LeBron James and alt-rockers Green Day among others, has come out with a new line of silk ties sporting gangster chic motifs to complement his killer new fall collection we previewed here. The designs (above) are partially inspired by Russian prison tattoos - think Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises - and are made of 100% silk handwoven in England, cut, stitched and finished by hand in New York City. A lot of Quinn's inspiration comes from the "long and well-recorded history of members of the criminal fraternity frequenting Savile Row for their sharp suits and other attire," the designer notes - the ones played by Michael Caine at least.

Tags: bespoke, Duncan Quinn, DuncanQuinn, Savile Row, SavileRow, suits, tattoo, ties, UK, Viggo Mortensen, ViggoMortensen

Duncan Quinn's Killer Looks for Fall

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style

Duncan Quinn, the London-born, New York-based menswear designer whose Savile Row-with-a-twist togs are favored by the likes of Sean Combs, Entourage star Adrien Grenier, LeBron James and alt-rockers Green Day, has come out with a new collection of killer looks for fall. Quinn's inspiration for the season "comes from a misspent youth and perennial love for the gentleman, the rogue and the gentleman rogue," the designer notes, citing as influences Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair and Peter O'Toole in How to Steal a Million. Suits are made from the finest fabrics, in chalkstripes, sharkskin, mohair and cashmere, woven in England to Quinn's specifications in understated colors like black, charcoal and gunmetal. Above is a bespoke gunmetal wool and mohair suit with a ticket pocket ($5,000), worn with a pink cotton herringbone french cuff shirt, "gangster chic" motif silk tie, fleur-de-lys enamel and sterling silver cufflinks and a bespoke wool and cashmere overcoat, photographed outside Robert de Niro's Greenwich Hotel.

Tags: bespoke, Duncan Quinn, DuncanQuinn, Greenwich Hotel, GreenwichHotel, menswear, Peter OToole, PeterOtoole, Savile Row, SavileRow, Steve McQueen, SteveMcqueen, suits

The Croquet Shirt by Duncan Quinn

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Shopping, Sports, Men's Style

London-born, New York-based menswear designer Duncan Quinn has come out with a shirt designed specifically for the ultimate gentleman's sport, croquet. Quinn, whose rakish take on Savile Row-style tailoring has won fans like Sean Combs, Entourage star Adrien Grenier, LeBron James and alt-rockers Green Day, was recently featured in The Classicist's Best of Men's Style special. The croquet shirts are made of beautiful 100% piqué cotton and come in a variety of arresting colors with contrasting details and Quinn's signature fleur-de-lys emblem embroidered on the chest. Priced at $105, they are now available at Quinn's stores in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles, as well as via his website; special versions will also be on offer at his forthcoming Limited Editions pop-up shop in Miami's design district, featuring its own indoor croquet pitch.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Adrien Grenier, AdrienGrenier, croquet, Duncan Quinn, DuncanQuinn, Savile Row, SavileRow, Sean Combs, SeanCombs, shirt

The Classicist: The Best of Men's Style

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Shoes, Men's Style, The Classicist

For your reading and viewing pleasure we present the first in a series looking back at highlights from the first year of The Classicist, the weekly column devoted to timeless style, enduring elegance, and true, built-to-last luxury as opposed to mere extravagance. For our first installment we present the best of Men's Style, from Savile Row to Italy and New York and back again, with suits, jackets, cashmere, shoes, accessories and everything in between. These are not the sort of things that ever really go out of fashion, so if you haven't already added to your wardrobe with some of these staples it's not too late.

Gallery: Best of the Best: Men's Style 2009

1. Anderson & Sheppard of Savile Row

Savile Row stalwart Anderson & Sheppard, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, is steeped in tradition, to say the least. Yet while other old-fashioned bastions of upper-class masculine British taste have been sold off or hideously modernized, A&S has managed to adapt and survive. The firm not only outfitted the great Fred Astaire - perhaps the best dressed man the modern world has ever known - but also Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, authors Evelyn Waugh and Somerset Maugham, Gary Cooper, Noel Coward, Sir Laurence Olivier, Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Duke Ellington.

Gallery: Anderson & Sheppard: Savile Row Style

2. David Chu Bespoke

In New York City, David Chu, founder of the Nautica brand, operates an ultra-chic Bespoke shop at his gorgeous Townhouse in Gramercy Park. "The bespoke experience is about understated elegance," Chu told The Classicist. David Chu Bespoke "blends the best of Savile Row and Neapolitan tailoring, marrying craftsmanship with modernity." Garments are hand-cut and stitched by a master tailor based in Naples. A gentleman can order anything he requires to be custom made, from suits, overcoats, tuxedos, and sport jackets to trousers, shoes, scarves, and 12-fold ties.

Gallery: David Chu Bespoke

3. Dunhill's Timeless Classics

In times of economic uncertainty luxury consumers looks to timeless classics they know will hold their value and last for years as opposed to flash-in-the-pan trends and glitzy impulse buys. We think that London-based men's clothier and luxury goods firm Dunhill, which dates back to the 1890s, is well situated to weather the storm in similar style thanks to their espousal of these same values. That's a very good thing as the company recently opened two new flagship stores, in New York City and London. The 7,000-sq.-ft. NYC store (above), on the corner of Madison and 55th, replaces the old shop at 711 Fifth Avenue.

Gallery: Dunhill Store & More

4. Duncan Quinn - The Coolest

Quinn , who makes some of the world's coolest suits, isn't exactly a tailor, though "designer" doesn't really capture it either. So how would he put it? "I simply have a strong view and an aesthetic to go with that view," he told The Classicist, "which encompasses the cars, wine, sailboats, cocktails and croquet." Sounds good to us. The dashing London-born former lawyer makes Savile Row-style clothes "constructed to celebrate days of glory and nights of excess." He opened his first shop in New York in 2003, and along the way he's attracted quite a following of well-dressed fellows, "gentleman rogues" who ascribe to the Quinn aesthetic.

Gallery: Duncan Quinn Designs

5. Loro Piana Luxe

Italian luxury label Loro Piana makes the most comfortable, classic, stylish and subtly luxurious clothes we've ever had the pleasure of putting on. World-famous for their cashmere, the 200-year-old company, which began as a textile merchant, has also branched out into other areas (including accessories and women's clothing) in more recent years with equal success. Loro Piana's motto has it that true luxury is "knowing, not showing," i.e. dressing for yourself, not to impress others. It's "an inner satisfaction that comes from an aesthetic, intellectual, tactile pleasure, stemming from tradition, research and genuine quality." What could be better than that?

Gallery: Loro Piana Luxe

Maine cashmere cardigan and Baby Cashmere turtleneck.

Double face baby cashmere Vassar cape from Women's Fall/Winter '08.

Continued after the jump.

Tags: Anderson Sheppard, AndersonSheppard, bespoke, cashmere, Churchs, David Chu, DavidChu, Duncan Quinn, DuncanQuinn, Dunhill, Gary Cooper, GaryCooper, Haspel, Italy, London, Loro Piana, LoroPiana, New York, NewYork, Savile Row, SavileRow, suits, The Classicist, TheClassicist

Continue reading “The Classicist: The Best of Men's Style”

The Classicist: Duncan Quinn's Cool Classics

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes, Men's Style, The Classicist

Duncan Quinn , who makes some of the world's coolest suits, isn't exactly a tailor, though "designer" doesn't really capture it either. So how would he put it? "I simply have a strong view and an aesthetic to go with that view," he tells The Classicist, "which encompasses the cars, wine, sailboats, cocktails and croquet." Sounds good to us. The dashing London-born former lawyer makes Savile Row-style clothes "constructed to celebrate days of glory and nights of excess." He opened his first shop in New York in 2003, followed by another in Hollywood and recently a new outpost in Dallas. Along the way he's attracted quite a following of well-dressed fellows, "gentleman rogues" who ascribe to the Quinn aesthetic.

Quinn's suits for spring / summer 2009 are slim, fitted and "slightly rakish", many with a particularly fine blue herringbone pattern. Above (and in the gallery), in a shot modeled on a classic photo of Michael Caine, is a stunning midnight blue three piece herringbone super 130's wool and cashmere number. It's worn here with a white cotton french cuff shirt, a red silk tie bearing Quinn's signature fleur-de-lys motif, black and silver 12-star cufflinks, and a vintage Breitling Chronomat watch, a nod to the stylish traditions Quinn holds dear.

Gallery: Duncan Quinn Designs

Tags: Bespoke, Daniel Day-Lewis, DanielDay-lewis, Duncan Quinn, DuncanQuinn, G.J. Cleverley, G.j.Cleverley, Michael Caine, MichaelCaine, Savile Row, SavileRow