Indochino, the Custom Menswear Traveling Tailor Pop-Up, Visits Walnut Street Until May 27th
Hurry up! You have until May 27th to go get yourself measured and consulted by in-person stylists at Indochino’s pop-up traveling tailors at 1518 Walnut Street, and it’s a rare opportunity go get onto the bandwagon of an exploding company. Hot on the heels of SuitSupply’s opening at 16th and Locust, apparently May is Suit Month in Philadelphia. And slim, tailored, well-fitting suits, too. With suits that start at $379, Indochino may actually be a more affordable option than the high-end European brand’s fifth domestic permanent retail space.
But the thing about Indochino is that it’s not a brick-and-mortar kind of business. In fact, you don’t even really need to visit the pop-up tailor space to get on the slim suiting train, but you do need to create a profile and have a skilled friend versed in taking suit and shirt measurements (if you can’t do it yourself). Once you get yourself a profile set up, then you can start playing and ordering. The customizing options are endless. And with the purchase of a suit, you get a free button-down. You can start high and get a sickening suit with a customized button-down for under $600. You choose the collar, the trim, the button placard, the buttons at the wrist, and you can even opt to embroider some initials on the pocket or cuff.
The Vancouver-born company’s exploded in recent years and gotten some prime press. They’ve figured out a good model, especially with repeat customers, who, once they’ve already ordered and been happy with suiting purchases, keep coming back for more. Bonus: They guarantee the fit in a pretty cool way. Don’t like how the suit feels after it’s shipped? They’ll give you $75 to take to a local tailor of your choosing. And they’ve got way more than suits: solid outerwear, ties and bowties, belts, pocket squares, vests, chinos and, of course, just cool blazers. Even these price points are hella low: Ties hover around $50, chinos under a $100, belts for $80, a trench for $300.
So the pop-up on Walnut isn’t exactly a retail experience in a traditional sense. It’s mostly a way for you to get a profile set up with tailor professionals who’ll help you define the style you’re looking for, and then put your hands on fabrics, check out shirt patterns, eye up ties, collar styles, and peep the way mannequins are styled.
A suit and shirt for $379 is a steal, especially one that’s custom-tailored and comes with a fitted shirt. Why would anyone bother with a boxy, “classic” suit from Macy’s, Jos. A Bank or Men’s Wearhouse that’s probably even pricier, when you can get hooked into a system that’ll clearly be the future? This is a company that figured out how to store every customer’s exact dimensions and manufacture exact fits, all online—and at a reasonable cost. Pretty sweet.
HOURS: Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm; Saturday, 9am to 7pm; Sunday, 11am to 7pm. RSVP at indochino.com/Philadelphia or just walk in.
Excellent New Menswear On South Street: Ps & Qs, Premium Quality
Last weekend, on a stroll on South Street from the Chop Shop to the Broad Street line, I did a double take at 820 South Street. An unassuming all-glass storefront seemed to house sophisticated menswear with a dozen shoppers checking out hats, jackets, shirts, books and other odds and ends. I scanned the storefront for signage – What is this place?! Didn’t matter – I entered and I spent.
Ps & Qs is a well-curated menswear shop carrying some stellar brands (brands you’d previously only find at Barney’s CO-OP or in a small handful of Old City boutiques): Norse Projects, Penfield, Naked & Famous, Herschel Supply Co., Pendelton, Patagonia, Warriors of Radness, Oakley, Richer Poorer, and more. In the back of the store, they’ve pooled together a collection of classy coffee table books, candles, blank notebooks and objects to smarten up your housewares game. To be clear, the store also just looks sharp. There’s not endless product eveywhere (you may have to ask for help with sizes), there’s beautifully finished wood everywhere, and the whole affair feels very minimalist. They’re not trying to recreate the wheel here, they’re just adamant about offering up quality products.
From a CityPaper story in November (photo pulled here by Jessica Kourkounis), we know that the store’s owned by Ky Cao plus his brother, Rick, and a fellow Drexel alum and bud, Joseph Lardizabal. They also have a tiny little adorable pooch wandering around the store, typically wearing something chill and comfortable. Their focus isn’t on being fashion-forward; most of the clothes in-house aren’t wild styles or colors. It’s more that they’re eager to give South Street a slightly classier pop of style while keeping the focus on well-made and resepectable brands. You may want to drop some serious cheddar in here but your wardrobe, and anyone who observes your apparel decisions, will appreciate the move.
I’ll be looking forward to seeing what they come up with this spring and summer. One of my favorite of the previously-mentioned brands, Warriors of Radness, doesn’t extraordinarily smart spring and summer goods and Lardiziabal urged that they’ve got a ton of W.of.R product coming in for the warmer temperatures. Can’t wait to see what kind of shorts, swimsuits, tees and tanks I’ll be creepin’ on in a matter of weeks. C’mon, spring. Give me a reason to spend more money here.
P.S. They don’t have a website finished yet, but it’ll be up soon. And for now, you can go’ head and like a Facebook page.
Street Snaps: Urbanity
God, it makes me sad — this interview was cut short due to my failure to notice my recorder had stopped working. It’s a shame, but fortunately careful study of these two reveals more than words would have done justice anyway.
Frank (L) and Stephan (R).
S: “I’m twenty-one and I’m from Coatsville, PA. I currently live in King of Prussia area.”
F: “I am twenty-one and I’m from Norristown, PA. I currently live in Philadelphia.”
Cool, so what do you think about overall style in Philadelphia and how people dress? What are your thoughts?
F: “On average I see Philadelphia style as pretty lax. As Philadelphians, we just wake up and throw things on that we feel comfortable in. We’re not too style oriented here, but there are stylish people in Philadelphia. So, it’s just like a general… It’s like we go with what we go with — it’s about comfort.”
S: “And I find that there’s some people that are real trendy, and then there’s people that like, have the time to style. You know what I mean? I mean, I think that’s like almost any city, cause in New York you find stuff like that as well.”
So have you been shopping today?
S: “Today? No, I haven’t. I mean, we’re actually on our way to go thrifting. But he has been shopping.”
F: “Well that’s only because I shopped at the place that I work at, so it’s just —”
Oh, do you work at American Apparel? [I'll save you from the 'oh I was in there yesterday for my birthday' mini conversation.] Anyway, so jumping back into Philly stuff, I was going to ask what you think about streets, like Walnut Street or what other areas you like going to.
F: “I feel like Walnut Street is the main shopping street in Philadelphia. I mean, South Street is a close second, and I find that Olde City has a lot of nice, cute boutiques and shops around there.”
Do you have any favorites?
S: “I don’t really shop in Olde City, so I wouldn’t know…”
F: “I like Zara. I like Aids Thrift. I also like Wilbur’s, which is on 4th and Bainbridge. And in Olde City… I dunno. I guess it would be like, Sugarcube…”
S: “Retrospect, of course.”
And that’s all she wrote. :/ I didn’t realize the recording stopped, and we talked for a lot longer than this. But I suppose it’s just as well. I’ve been thinking about reworking my interview questions again.
If you have interview questions you think I should be asking people, comment!
(click for full-sized images)
If you’re looking for more Philly street style, visit Broad&Market, or check out the Street Snaps archive by clicking on the “street snaps” tag just below.
Street Snaps: Hazey Weather
There’s nothing I love more than clothes with a sturdy character and an outfit full of fine detail. This week’s Street Snaps is exactly that. Hazey is one good-looking person who has their style down. I imagine Hazey has a well-selected warddrobe, and getting dressed in the morning is just a matter of selecting just which accessories to put on top. Dreamy.
“My name is Hazey. I am thirty and, well, I just came from Austin, Texas, but I grew up in Western PA. Pittsburg area.”
How do you feel in Philly and how people present themselves generally?
“Well I just moved in December, and so far it’s good. And tough, you know, moving in the winter. And I love winter fashion way more than summer fashion. For me, layering is a lot easier. And as far as how people present themselves, anywhere you go, I enjoy seeing how people — the different kinds of fashion, and how city fashion can be, you know, eclectic in different areas.”
Is there anything you’ve seen in Philly so far that you’re like, oh why is this thing so popular here?
“Yeah, it’s not any one thing that I’ve noticed. Not yet. But I haven’t explored too far out of the neighborhood, either. I’ve sort been hiding for the winter, too.”
What kinds of media do you like to consume, or just people even, that may influence how you dress?
“Media-wise or people-wise, is that what you said?”
Yeah, like ‘what are your inspirations?’, but it’s deeper than that, I suppose. Or more thoughtful than that.
“Right, right. Yeah, I dunno. There’s certainly [...] a few blogs that I like to look at. And I like to search for different vintage photographs on like Google Image Search, you know. I mean, that’s more of an aesthetic style choice as far as stuff goes.”
Is there a certain time period that you really get into?
“No. There’s a lot. I think anything rusty, and old and wooden. It’s a little bit, maybe, industrial, but not. A friend of mine that lives in Austin is a little bit of a style icon, and I guess I’ve taken cues from that. I’m like the baby bear of this big guy.”
That’s pretty awesome. So do you buy clothes a lot? Do you buy new clothes ever?
“I’ve gone through phases. I was just working at a store in Austin — it’s a men’s store — so having a discount at a store is really helpful. But no… It’s a good combination of new and old. Cause finding older clothes that fit me can be more of a challenge. Especially because I like to wear men’s clothes.”
Where you’re like, in between all the inseams and shoulder widths and things like that?
“Right. Luckily I have broad-enough shoulders, but that’s not usually the problem. It’s the chest that becomes the issue.”
Mmm, yeah. I had a really awesome shirt that got stolen that I could never button across the chest… And lastly, do you have any current obsessions?
“No… Not really an obsession. There’s a lot of different things that I like, but nothing… I mean, I’m trying to learn how to play the banjo, and I like working with leather. But those have been long-time projects that just have been moving very slowly.”
And just check out Hazey’s handmade cell phone holster!
If you’re looking for more Philly street style, visit Broad&Market, or check out the Street Snaps archive by clicking on the “street snaps” tag just below.
The Field Trip: House of Ra’oof
On May 1, 2011, Rittenhouse Square was treated to a rather unique field trip by Philadelphia designer Taji Nahl and his line House of Ra’oof. The crowd was awe-struck as a group of dapper gentlemen wearing vintage-inspired menswear, with complementing satchels, paraded through the square in an elegant parade.
Onlookers were inquiring about who the troop was and were raving about their clothes. Not only did the meticulous detail of the reconstructed men’s pieces command attention but these men evoked an unwavering confidence, which complimented the overall aesthetic.
The last stop on the field trip was to the doorstep of Barney’s CO-OP, a store whose name alone can bring fear to independent designers and commoners alike. However, these men took a unified, bold, stance in front of the establishment. This was more than a field trip; it was an uncanny resemblance of epic nostalgia and throwback to the civil rights movement a proud display of freedom of artistic expression and fashion.
Check out more pictures from the House of Ra’oof Field Trip.
Pictures by Randy Burton
Find out more about the stylish wares of House of Ra’oof at Studio Christensen in Rittenhouse Square
House of Ra’oof at Studio Christensen
333 south 20th st
Philadelphia, PA 19103