Last Saturday marked the fifteenth anniversary of Hong Kong’s premier denim outfitter, Take5. In between diminishing rations at the open bar, I wasn’t able to capture much. Nevertheless, the evening did teach me Benny Seki’s impact on the Asian denim scene.
Where Uniqlo undershirts and high-twists are a godsend for my suiting options, I’ve yet to crack the code on surviving May-September in jeans. But this is a denim party, dammit!
The Parks of B&Tailor and Mr. Ha of The Finery Company have a new trick up their sleeves, and I was lucky enough to check it for myself.
The sharp-dressed team hopped into another Hong Kong trunk show the last two days, before making their first trip to Mainland China in Shanghai. As usual, they set up shop at Admiralty’s JW Marriott, suits, ties, and other accessories in tow. But this time, the valet rack had a welcome addition: eight blocks of MTM suits for a new program. After a bit of catching up, Joe asked if I’d like to take the measuring process for a spin. Now, how can you say no to that?
Good denim is alive and well in southern California, and its southernmost outfitter looks over the Del Mar racetrack.
On my recent trip back home to San Diego, I made a point to revisit my city’s thread culture, which I would describe as Ready-to-Beach. Between surfing historic breaks and digging toes in warm October sand, we San Diegoans are spoiled blessed with miles and months of beachfront paradise. This endless summer of life is something we preach, breathe, and undeniably wear.
By most local standards, anything past a tired pair of jeans, a hoodie, and merch booth band tee might prove as superfluous as a second layer between lunch and dinner. Lone Flag, however, proves that I was either presumptuous or misinformed in my assessment.
“When I was a kid, there’d be my dad’s and my grandpa’s sombreros everywhere, and I didn’t really understand what was going on, or pay much attention to it.”
Watching Rubin cut and pull a square of pristine felt into an elegantly battered hat, it seems he’s come a long way from that confused kid in his father’s workspace.
Alberto Hernandez, as Rubin is formally known, takes a quick break from endless orders at Nick Fouquet Hat Maker. He greets us with a mood befitting the Venice home, where the kitchen sits adjacent to the showroom.
Rubin, in his handmade apron of repurposed denim and Hawaiian shirt, leads me to the backroom. Dirt, sawdust, and steam hang in the afternoon air. He’s in the middle of a multitask.
*DISCLAIMER: I do not mean to disparage the company with the above title. I’m just a really big fan of Sisqó.
I can sum up my first and only experience with subscription goods with the following: “Fool me once . . .”
San Diegoahns in search of red & white delights head north to Temecula, a stretch of road lined with award-winning vineyards. I once underestimated a multi-stop tasting tour, which ended with me in my friend’s wedge heels “to feel taller,” and a wine club.
“Clubs are fun, and free!” I hiccuped to myself.
Two weeks later, I learned that wine clubs are, in fact, not free, and that I really only need a glass of Sutter Home every six months. I thank the customer service rep on the other line for understanding my mistake and cancelling my membership.
In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed subscription services make their way into the menswear community. Of these, two stand out: Bespoke Post, and Trunk Club. On a chance encounter, I visited the Los Angeles branch of the latter.
Since it was acquired by Nordstrom last August, Trunk Club has expanded real estate in major cities, adding a face to a name, as well as inviting potential and regular clients to take suit measurements. Entering their LA warehouse of sorts, stylist Tim O’Neill welcomed me for a brief tour.
For being next door neighbors, Hong Kong and Shenzhen share little on the subject of suiting style. Where the average Hong Kong twenty-something prefers a typically western palette of banker’s blues and notched grays, their mainland counterparts stretch towards hyper fashions and over-the-topitude. Silk chests under suede lapels. Übertight black stretch trousers. Square-padded shoulders. Designer names in boldface.
However preferences lie, Hong Kong boasts an international port of call for revered trunk shows and the haberdasheries that host them. However, the People’s Republic has waited sorely without either. That is, until now.
