Style Profile...David Anicich - Luigi Borrelli, New York

Where has all the good sales help gone?
I found one, David Anicich, the store manager at Luigi Borrelli in Manhattan. New customers come to David because they want the "Borrelli Look"; their eye might not pick up the subtle nuances that separate Borrelli from say Brioni but they know it is different somehow.
When the customer steps out of the dressing room and David starts working his magic, you can see the customers face go from puzzled concern to "ahhhh...thats the look I was going for." The pants might be a little shorter than they are use to, the jacket a little more snug, the collar a little more spread, but they love it.
David is like that barber who gently but firmly tells you that a mullet might not be the best haircut for your face shape.

The Sartorialist asked David a few questions about his personal style.


Best Sartorial advice from your Dad?
Always punch your weight and dress your age.

Best Sartorial advice to pass down to your son?
Listen to your tailor, but always remember you have to wear the suit.

Hardest thing for American customer to understand about the “Italian fit”?
That a suit (or shirt) that fits the body is more natural, comfortable and flattering way to dress than the shapeless (relaxed?) fit most men are used to wearing.

You build your daily look around your?
My mood and who I need to be on that day.

The first thing I look at in another Sartorialist’s outfit?
The overall fit. A man who understands how his clothes should fit always looks confident and "put together".

I skimp when buying?
Jeans! classic Levi's on sale!!!

I splurge when buying?
Seven fold ties and bench made shoes.

I never break this fashion rule?
I NEVER wear a watch and ALWAYS wear formal shoes with a tuxedo.

Favorite store?
Casa dello Sport in Firenze and Marinella in Napoli

Favorite item of clothing?
An old pair of suede chukka boots.

Describe personal style?
Classic Dad.

Personal Style quirk?
Re-tying my tie throughout the day until I get it right.

Dress to impress who?
My sons.

Most overrated item in menswear?
Denim.

Most underrated item in menswear?
A good tailor and an honest salesman.

Most stylish city?
New York. The mix of styles and level of self expression is like no other city.

Never caught wearing?
White

Don't Call Me Today, I Just Got The New Bruce Weber Book!

Bruce Weber is the best photographer in the fashion world.
Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch, has any current photographer created more iconic advertising images? At the same time no other fashion photographer shows more heart in photographing both models like Kate Moss or his Montana ranching neighbor with equal dignity and beauty.

I saw Bruce once at the Film Forum waiting for the crowd to exit the premiere of his Letter to True movie. No entourage or assistants, just Bruce standing in the lobby. I introduced myself and told him how much I enjoy his work ( understand, I'm a New Yorker so I never do that) and he could not have been more pleasant and accommodating. Bruce is one of the few photographers that you can learn a little more about acceptance and humanity by looking at the full catalog of his work.

"The New Odd Couple" Abercrombie Moves To Savile Row

In Women's Wear Daily today.

"Abercrombie & Fitch will make its European debut with a bang on Savile Row.

Industry sources here say the American retailer will move into the Jil Sander flagship at 7 Burlington Gardens, on the corner of Savile Row."

Maybe it is my generation but I relate everything to TV. Doesn't this sound like a setup for a TV Sitcom?

Is John Cleese really that busy, couldn't he do a show as the stuff but down-on-his-luck tailor that is forced to rent a room to the slacker American manager of the new Abercrombie played by Skeet Ullrich.

I'd watch.

Maybe Tara Reid is the ditzy daughter of Cleese that can't stop drooling over Skeet. Ok, I'm calling NBC right now, they need to make up for Couples and The Office (American version) and this is their chance.

Window Shopping.......Bergdorf Goodman 11/19

On The Street.... 58th Street, Midtown

On The Street.... Hickey Freeman Executive, Midtown

On The Street....Central Park, Manhattan

Window Shopping.......Bergdorf Goodman 11/19

Flea Market Find.....The Portrait

I love finding these old paintings at flea markets: faded, holes, chipped paint, all the better.

The Sartorialiste

The Sartorialist Visits Julians In Chapel Hill, NC

I stopped by Julians in Chapel Hill, North Carolina while traveling for Thanksgiving. Great old store with a very long and celebrated history.

I was a little underwhelmed by the selection, maybe I was expecting too much. I guess I was looking for Preppy or Trad to out do Ralph but Ralph's Rugby store opened across the street and has more energy, color and variety. It is frustrating when a relative newcomer like Ralph (Julian's has been open 65 years) can out Prep an original.

Of course the sales staff were true Southern Gentlemen.

The Young Tailor

The New Skate Style....Less Formal Than Before

Sunday Morning....Brooklyn, New York

Slim Coat If You Can

Window Shopping.......Bergdorf Goodman

Hint ,my favorite online fashion website, has the best fashion-centric links page on the internet. Designers, magazines, retailers and miscellaneous sites that every Sartorialist should have at their finger tips.

Alone In A Crowd

I hope everyone that makes it home for Thanksgiving realizies just how lucky they are. Have a great day.

On The Street....Farmer's Market, Union Square

Window Shopping.......Luigi Borrelli Shoes

The Coolest Hoodie I've Ever Seen

Window Shopping.......Calvin Klein

Why Are Fashion Designers Afraid Of Their Own Salespeople.

Why is every salesperson in Jil Sander, Gucci, Prada, Fendi, and Louis Vuitton dressed almost exactly alike? Black suit, white shirt, black or somber tie.

While I was shopping in these stores on Fifth Avenue today, I could not tell the difference between the salespeople and the security guards.

When you consider that these designer brands represent the heights of fashion self-expression, why don't they let their sales staff join in on the fun ?

I base my choice of which salesperson's I work with on their personal style (which is difficult to say the least when they are all dress in a uniform). David Anicich from Borrelli is a perfect example, on first seeing him I immediately knew he could help make me look better.

If you ask management, they would say the "uniform" allows the salespeople to wear the clothes without spending a ton of money on designer clothing.

Nice try.

Most of the salespeople work because they love the clothes.
Basically management is afraid their own salespeople just don't get it.

Granted ,in alot of cases they are right; it is very tough to find great salespeople with equally great personal style to work retail, but some stores have learned how to successfully exploit their staff as walking, talking mannequins and they are reaping the rewards.

Who gets it?

Ralph Lauren

Abercrombie & Fitch

Bergdorf Goodman

Not only do these companies have great ads and store displays, but by dressing the staff in a variety of the clothes, customers can better imagine how real people might look in the clothes. Not that the hotties at Abercrombie are real people but you get the idea.

Window Shopping.......Santoni

Truth Is Stranger,No..More Fantastic, Than Fiction

The First Official Nominee for Sartorialist Of The Year.

The Mannequins Time Forgot...Orchard Street, New York

Window Shopping.......Etro

Window Shopping.......Burberry

A Sartorialist At Heart

On The Street....Flea Market, Sixth Ave,

Window Shopping.......Barneys New York

Berluti Shoes at Barneys New York.

The New Skate Style....Tompkins Square Park, LES

A little slim, A little color, a little nerdy, a lot of attitude.

Window Shopping.......Polo Ralph Lauren

What's Mory Wearing Today?

On The Street.... Chinatown, New York

Straw hat, Playboy belt buckle, Dior women's sunglasses, gold teeth -Priceless

A Favorite Store...Gallagher's

When I was younger and actually had "me time" ( called BC, before chidren) I spent hours on cold winter afternoons at Gallagher’s. Any magazine or book that could remotely be used to inspire designers, artists, and photographers can be found here. For me it is the thrill of the hunt. Fashion magazines ,especially foreign fashion magazines, have never been cataloged so every turn of the page is a potenailly discovery,

It Is A Black, Black Day For American Menswear.....Robert Burke To Exit Bergdorf Goodman

Some things are just too good to last. On January 15th Robert Burke will leave Bergdorf Goodman to start his own luxury consulting company. Good for Robert! BAD FOR ME! Jim Gold was quoted in WWD saying that "Robert's primary focus was helping to position the store from a fashion standpoint, in terms of vendor assortment, fashion in the windows, the advertising, the Bergdorf Goodman Magazine and on the mannequins." THAT WAS ALL THE BEST STUFF!!!
I hope I'm wrong but it will be tough enough to replace Michael Bastian ,the recently departed BG Mens Fashion Director, but to also replace both Michael and Robert will be nearly impossible. I know it seems like I'm over exaggerating but I've lived in New York for 16 years and Bergdorf has only been truly relevant since Robert overhauled the fashion direction of the store.
Even The BG Magazine often had better editorial than most "true" fashion magazines.
Bergdorf will be Roberts first client but isn't that like Michael Jordan playing for the Wizards, it is close but not the same.

What do you think?

Will this make a difference at Bergdorf?

Coffee with Gabor Halmos of Vass Shoes

Telling me that Vass shoes are exquisitely well made is like telling me that Natalie Portman went to Harvard because she is really smart. That's great, and I'm sure that helps in some way, but I just can't get past how beautiful they both are.
The great thing about meeting with Gabor Halmos to preview the Vass collection is that he doesn't have an office in the city. Instead we have to meet at incredibly chic places like Pastis to discuss toe boxes, hidden welts, and the complicated matter of harvesting cordovan from a horse's ass. Almost every waitress at Pastis came over to our table to advise us on which styles they thought would be good for me. Is it true that the way to a woman's heart is through your feet?
All kidding aside, it is very interesting to listen to Gabor discuss the challenges of growing a luxury shoe business (on the level of Lobb or a Lattanzi) in the US. I was surprised Gabor said that the perception of a luxury product "Made in Hungary" was the biggest obstacles for some retailers. When you hold the shoe it is so easy to feel and see the quality. Unfortunately I'm shallow, so what makes the Vass shoes on par, if not surpass, Lobb and especially Berluti is the design.
Of course my favorite store, Bergdorf Goodman spotted the potential of Vass and secured exclusive rights for New York City. Vass can also be ordered through another favorite store of mine, Louis Boston
Luckily, as Gabor spreads the gospel of Vass to stores around the U.S., one of the best tools available to him is the incredible book written by Laszlo Vass called Handmade Shoes For Men. It reminds me of the Borrelli booklet on how their shirts are made. Each page of the Vass book makes you appreciate the craft of shoe making, but it also make you want the SHOES more.

Window Shopping.......Luigi Borrelli