suits

New York Rangers hockey star Sean Avery (above left) is one of the rare professional athletes with a real sense of style. His passion for fashion even led him to intern at Vogue while selflessly dating several leggy models.

Now the spiffy sportsman is curating a series of three weekly sales (March 11, 18 and 25) for Gilt MAN, online luxury retailer Gilt Groupe's men's site dedicated to matters sartorial, including a must-read daily guide to men's style.

Avery combed the impressive Gilt MAN inventory with the site's editorial director Tyler Thoreson (above right) to make his sartorial selections. Each "Avery's Rules" sale focuses on a different phase of the life of a style-conscious professional. The first, "At Work," featured A. Testoni shoes, crisp, fitted shirts and razor-sharp suits by Raf Simons, Martin Greenfield, and Calvin Klein Collection.

Taking his style advice may not necessarily get you an NHL contract and a supermodel girlfriend, but it certainly won't hurt your chances.

Alan Flusser, author of 2002's Dressing the Man, is our foremost arbiter elegantiarum in matters sartorial; the book remains the reigning bible of men's style. In 1981 he published his first book Making the Man and opened his first custom tailoring shop in New York City in '86; a year later his Master of the Universe wardrobe created for Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street made him an instant icon. Now on the 25th anniversary of the original's debut, Flusser is re-launching the shop with a new look in the space on E. 48th St. it has inhabited since 2002. In recent years someone else handled the day-to-day operations of the shop for Flusser though he remained available for consultations. Now he's decided to take up the reigns once again and usher in a new era of elegance.

"My original vision for the shop had always been a kind of imaginary Savile Row tailor's shop–meets Park Avenue men's club–meets Gertrude Stein for a bullshot," Flusser tells us. "In other words, an environment suffused with Old World taste and totems." As a younger and more 'downtown' crowd has increasingly taken to the merits of fine tailoring, however, Flusser felt it was time for an update, both decor and clothes-wise. Having introduced a slimmer fitting, more body conscious silhouette – the "Vanderbilt" – to his repertoire in 2008, Flusser "wanted the look of the shop to more closely reflect that sleeker sartorial idiom." Enter silver walls, alligator skin tables, 1940s leather and chrome furniture, black lacquer fittings, and of course a cocktail bar. [cont'd]

Cary Grant, James Dean, Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, Tom Ford and David Beckham have all had an undeniably important influence on the world of men's style – but what about Truman Capote, Che Guevara, the Sex Pistols and Jarvis Cocker? They all deserve credit as well, argues Simone Werle in a cool, lavishly illustrated new book called Fashionisto: A Century of Style Icons from Prestel. Werle names 50 figures from the last 100 years who have had an impact not only on the way men choose to adorn themselves but how they act and as well. She dubs them "fashionistos", the male equivalent of the famous fashionista. What makes a man a fashionisto? "Swagger, elegance, daring, perhaps a really well cut suit," the author notes, but not always – see Oscar Wilde, Johnny Depp and Kurt Cobain.

Each icon is featured in a double page spread with glossy full-color photographs and Werle's acute observations, anecdotes, and historical insight. While you may not have personally felt the sartorial influence of Boy George or Bootsy Collins, Werle makes a compelling case for their inclusion. She divides the book into sections according to the various styles or fashion phylum represented: The Gentlemen, The Rebels, The Dandies, The Rock Stars, The Classics, The Fashion Designers, The Beautiful People, The Bands and The Extraterrestrials.

"Fashionistos like fashionistas choose clothing that accentuates their best parts, not only of their bodies but also their personalities," Werle writes. "Both know when to follow the rules of style and when to break them. And both have the courage to stay who they are. But all the same, there is a huge difference. Men have a much easier time in fashion – and yet a much more difficult one." How so, you ask? "Classic men's fashion has very clear-cut rules; if you follow them, you can't go wrong. The man who doesn't look good in a custom-made suit of fine fabric has yet to be born," she notes. "But to make a mark on the history of style, more is needed – and this is where it gets tricky. Men's fashion does not suffer rebels gladly. If you have the courage to rebel, you need self-confidence – and more than that, a sense of style."

Chole's Punto Milano Pants unexpectedly infuse the casualness of sweatpants with trousers. While that description sounds pretty unflattering, creative designer Hannah MacGibbon, actually translates this look quite well into a wearable ensemble. Granted, it seems wearable for someone who is tall and pretty slim, but nonetheless, it is wearable.

The Punto Milano Pants ($1495) are made from a cashmere/camel/alpaca mix and features a ribbed high waist, harem style legs with ribbed banded cuffs. They look best with its matching jacket and then paired with a pale colored blouse, preferably something silky, as shown above. I love the contrast between a dressy material like silk against a casually styled suit. The whole outfit has a definite 70's chic vibe to it that celebrates a woman's seductiveness without putting her body on full display.

Ralph Lauren has relaunched his famed flagship in the historic Rhinelander Mansion on Madison Avenue in New York, transforming it into the world's foremost mecca of men's style. Spanning nearly 16,000 square feet, the Mansion, originally converted into an opulent retail palace by Lauren in 1986, now exclusively houses the designer's various men's collections with the company's first Women's and Home flagships due to open across the avenue later this fall. Originally designed in the 1890s by Kimball & Thompson, the the large French Renaissance Revival Mansion is an architectural treasure as well with a classic Beaux Arts façade exemplary of the the Upper East Side's grand architecture.

The new space showcases the Purple Label, Black Label, Polo, RRL and RLX Ralph Lauren collections of men's apparel and accessories, with an emphasis on the most luxurious elements. Service has been stepped up as well, with butlers to serve snacks and drinks on silver trays and a fleet of Mercedes-Benzes to chauffer important clients on shopping trips. The store features a full range of impeccably crafted made-to-measure suits, dress shirts, trousers, topcoats, sport coats and formalwear customized to exacting measurements, and made-to-order accessories and leather goods. Every room in the Mansion has been updated with cinematic decor in keeping with the neoclassical style of the original grand residence, from antiques and fixtures to furniture and art, including 18th- and 19th-century oil portraits and noteworthy photographs from Ralph Lauren's personal collection.

Back in March we reported that London luxury goods firm Dunhill was opening a new custom tailoring floor of its Madison Avenue flagship store in New York, the first of its kind in the U.S. Now we have more details of their custom tailoring program, featuring a selection of over 250 of the finest British and Italian cloths. Clients can create suits, jackets, trousers and shirts solely designed for their individual lifestyle or demands. Overseen by Bruno Cosentino, Dunhill's resident master tailor who personally hand makes every bespoke item, the space is entirely dedicated to the brand's exceptional tailoring service. A Dunhill custom suit undergoes 165 separate, meticulous operations performed by skilled artisans, with some 200 individual pieces going into making a jacket alone. Each jacket is expertly constructed using a floating canvas front allowing it to mold to the body over time. The Custom program offers a choice of two cuts – the House's signature St James' block, inspired by the archetypal Savile Row suit with several distinctive Dunhill touches, or the slimmer Belgravia fit defined by a suppressed waist, built up chest and sharper shoulders.

A suit can further be personalized by straight or slanted pockets, center or side vents and notch or peak lapels. Distinctive Dunhill silhouettes are enhanced by the introduction of a lightly 'roped' shoulder providing a typically English outline. This additional mark of luxury raises the crown of the sleeve slightly, ensuring the purest of lines from shoulder to sleeve. High performance fabrics are available including a 3-ply high twist super 130's wool and silk fabric in a range of blues and greys. The classic Dunhill custom blazer can be created in the finest of Camdeboo mohair (above) which is lightweight, boasts great performance properties and travels beautifully, keeping the wearer warm in the cold but cool in the heat. Each Dunhill custom item will be completed and presented within two months. Once the design of the pattern is complete, it then becomes part of the Alfred Dunhill archives, kept in reserve for returning clients seeking additional bespoke services. Dunhill's custom tailoring tradition includes a tuxedo made for Truman Capote to wear at his infamous Black & White Ball in the 1960s as well as bespoke suits made for Frank Sinatra.

The history of men's suits, that indispensable item of sartorial armour, is examined in Eric Musgrave's excellent new coffee table book Sharp Suits. Exploring the evolution of the modern suit over the past century, the book is organized thematically in chapters that examine the single-breasted suit, the striped suit, the Dormeuil suit and more, looking at each decade's developments in turn. It features an introduction by Richard James, one of the more recent arrivals on London's famed Savile Row who bridges the gap between traditional tailor and designer. Sharp Suits also highlights the iconic suiting styles of entertainers through the years including the Beatles, John Travolta, James Brown, Warren Beatty, Al Pacino and Franz Ferdinand, in addition to well-known dandies from the Duke of Windsor to David Bowie.

Hardy Amies, the firm named for the British couturier who opened a shop on Savile Row in 1946 and went on to design gowns for the Queen of England, is returning to its men's tailoring roots. The move comes after the company nearly went bankrupt in 2008 following an ill-timed expansion into ready-to-wear women's clothing and accessories, while the original bespoke business was neglected. On Monday the company announced that in a bid to avoid further financial problems it was returning to its founder's original purpose, and wwill now concentrate on being "the quintessential English tailor" providing fine tweeds and bespoke suits to well-heeled gentlemen. A bespoke suit, the company said, would start from about $5,400. The company's new owners are the investment arm of the £8 billion global trading company run by brothers Victor and William Fung. Sir Hardy Amies himself died in 2003 at the robust age of 93.

London luxury goods firm Dunhill has just announced the opening of the new bespoke and custom tailoring floor of its Madison Avenue flagship store in New York (above), the first of its kind in the U.S. Overseen by Bruno Cosentino, Dunhill's resident master tailor who personally hand makes every bespoke item, the space is entirely dedicated to the brand's exceptional tailoring service. Working one-on-one with each client to create the ultimate in tailoring indulgence, Cosentino first guides clients through thousands of luxurious fabrics, from the finest 'super grade' wools to Mongolian cashmeres and lightweight linens. The master tailor then suggests appropriate fits and styling to complement the client's lifestyle and ways to personalize each sartorial investment. Once the design of the pattern is complete, it then becomes part of the Alfred Dunhill archives, kept in reserve for returning clients seeking additional bespoke services. Dunhill's custom tailoring tradition includes a tuxedo made for Truman Capote to wear at his infamous Black & White Ball in the 1960s as well as bespoke suits made for Frank Sinatra.

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.

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.

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.

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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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?



Continued after the jump.

Brilliant British designer Sir Paul Smith (right) is teaming up with Barneys New York to launch an exclusive new limited edition menswear collection. Titled simply "Exclusive", the line of suiting, separates and shirting was designed with the urbane Barneys New York customer in mind and will only be available at Barneys flagships.

Manufactured in Italy using Italian and British cloths, Paul Smith Exclusive has a modern, tailored silhouette, "finished with the design twists and styling details that have become synonymous with the Paul Smith brand," such as colorful linings.

Suits feature subtle stripes and Prince of Wales checks on gray and navy grounds, while shirting is bright with striped and checked designs on white bases. Velvet evening jackets and weekend sport coats complete the exclusive and extremely natty collection. Smith also just opened a new store in San Francisco.

Classic luxury Italian fashion brand Brioni, best known for outfitting Pierce Brosnan during his tenure as James Bond (right), is looking to sell a 25% stake in the business. "This is a family company. We need to think about the future and ways to develop the brand," Brioni CEO Antonella De Simone tells WWD.

The company, founded in Rome in 1945 and named after a resort on the Adriatic Sea, makes ready-to-wear and bespoke men's suits costing from $6,000 - $36,000, and has a women's line as well. Some of its luster may have been lost when James Bond switched to Tom Ford, but the brand is undeniably valuable.