In times of economic crisis, men bag the khakis and button up. Which may be why the menswear scene in Chicago still is seeing some action.
Kelly Golden, owner of the designer women’s boutique Neapolitan in Winnetka, is opening a sibling store for men next door (at 725 Elm St.) on March 23, carrying a mix of suits, sportswear and business casual clothing from luxury brands such as Kiton, Brioni, Pringle, YSL and Hickey Freeman, as well as Leonard ties.
Meanwhile, luxury retailer Paul Stuart has settled comfortably into its new flagship at 107 E. Oak St.
At one event to celebrate its move from its former John Hancock Center location, some attendees — discriminating dressers even before the recession sank in — presented a study in how to weather the slump in style.
“Our customers don’t do trendy,” Paul Stuart sales associate Rick Parker said. “We get the man who invests in clothes the way some men invest in stereo systems or sports memorabilia. He buys items that he knows will still get compliments five years from now.”
Here’s a glimpse inside their jackets.
Christopher Dovalina of River West
Occupation: Concierge, Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza.
Favorite haunts: Jake, Saks Fifth Avenue and consignment and thrift stores.
His style: “Classic.” Here he combines a tux jacket with jeans, a look he wears “often because it’ll take you from the Four Seasons bar to The Underground with no problem.” Dovalina is a fan of two- and three-piece suits for work. At home, “it’s Polo sweats and a T-shirt.”
Worst fashion moment: “I’m drawing a blank.”
Best fashion moment: “I bought an apple green Ted Baker blazer at a Bloomie’s fashion show that had an orange color under the collar if you flipped it up. I searched and searched and finally found an orange shirt that matched it exactly.”
Advice for the fashion-challenged male: “Going out is a special occasion, and if you dress like a schlump, you’ll feel like a schlump, and your confidence will be shot. A blazer and jeans is not a hard look to pull off.”
Hugh Mathis of Rogers Park
Occupation: Director of development, Resurrection Development Foundation.
Favorite haunts: Brooks Brothers, Paul Stuart, Neiman Marcus.
His style: “I typically wear a bow tie and pocket square every day.” Partial to patterns in ties and socks. At home, it’s jeans and a button-down shirt with a sport coat. “I enjoy dressing for work. It’s not a chore for me.”
Worst fashion moment: “The ’80s. Most of the things we wore then are now caricatures of themselves.”
Best fashion moment: “Any time I wear a tux.”
Advice for the fashion-challenged male: “Pulling off a bow tie is not hard. You just have to learn how to tie one.”
Christopher Hubbard of Lakeview
Occupation: Partner in a distribution company for lighting, furniture, accessories from Europe.
Favorite haunt: Milan. “I shop there about four times per year. A lot of what is there just isn’t here.”
His style: “I like to think of myself as a Dean Martin type.” Here, his suit is Loro Piana, a favorite. At home, he is “a lot more casual” in jeans, T-shirts and sweaters.
Worst fashion moment: “I went through a rayon phase. And parachute pants; I think that was the biggest mistake. That disco era thing.”
Best fashion moment: “A recent formal event in Frankfurt, Germany. I really deliberated over what I was going to wear and ended up in a black wool suit [Calvin Klein] with a black tie [Valentino] and a white shirt [Hugo Boss].”
Advice for the fashion-challenged male: “American men could learn a lot from European men. European men don’t wear jeans or tennis shoes. They’re polished, with a lot of jackets, blazers, oxfords.”
Quenten Schumacher of Edgewater
Occupation: Meeting and event planner.
Favorite haunts: His Stuff, Howard Brown’s Brown Elephant stores.
His style: “Eclectic.” His suit is custom-made Andy Chan out of Hong Kong. “Andy Chan comes to Chicago several times per year and sets up fabrics in a hotel suite. It’s stress-free shopping.” Glasses from Lincoln Park’s See Eyewear. Schumacher says he wears Lululemon to lounge at home. He favors vintage sport coats, Pucci pocket squares and Hugo Boss Red Label.
Worst fashion moment: “An H&M early ’90s ensemble. Gray jeans embroidered down one leg with gardenias or cherry blossoms. I topped it off with a matching embroidered camp shirt.”
Best fashion moment: Being photographed for The London Times at a party wearing a black kilt with motorcycle boots and black velvet jacket over a black T-shirt with a rhinestone skull. Topped it off with an Issey Miyake scarf.
Advice for the fashion-challenged male: “Find a personal shopper at any one of the department stores downtown. [Schumacher was formerly a personal shopper.] It’s complimentary, and many people don’t know that. Establish a relationship with one you like and trust. … It’s their job to make you look good.”
Fred Schlatter of the Gold Coast
Occupation: Owner of several dry cleaning stores.
Favorite haunts: Paul Stuart, Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren.
His style: East Coast conservative prep. “I wear a suit for any function. And I like English-made shoes. If I wear a pocket square, it will be vintage and white — probably one of my father’s.” At home, he’s still very “dressed.” “I will come home from the gym, shower and dress up again, even if I’m not going out. I wear collared shirts usually.” Here, you see him shopping for a jacket for his brother’s wedding weekend in New York City.
Worst fashion moment: “When my dog ate one of my patent leather square-toed shoes. I realized it looked awful even before the dog chewed it up.”
Best fashion moment: “Wearing my new tux for my brother’s wedding at The Carlyle in New York City.”
Advice for the fashion-challenged male: “Show more cuff. I’m a big fan of a good half an inch of cuff showing from under a jacket sleeve. And a dressier coat will improve any jean you own.”
Kevin Boduch of Lincoln Square
Occupation: Visuals designer, Paul Stuart.
His style: Eclectic. “I like to combine newer and older pieces. It gives you a more unique look. I don’t like to wear things I know I’ll see someone else on the street wearing, and thrift stores help me avoid that.” When casual, Boduch favors corduroys and button-downs.
Favorite haunts: Village Discount Outlet thrift shop.
Worst fashion moment: “I attended the School of the Art Institute — black on black on black for four years running.”
Best fashion moment: “I don’t know that I’ve had one yet.”
Advice for the fashion-challenged male: “Layers give you a little more visual interest; more textures and patterns.”
Rick Parker of Naperville
Occupation: Sales associate, Paul Stuart.
Favorite haunts: Paul Stuart, George Greene, Nike.
His style: “I guess I’m pretty buttoned-up.” Off-hours, “I’m usually a jeans-with-zip-neck-sweater-and-argyle-socks kind of person.” Here, he wears a three-piece suit from Paul Stuart.
Worst fashion moment: “High school. I come from a town of about 6,000 people. In 1979 or ’80, I had caught the fashion bug after returning from a trip to New York City. I wore a pair of leather pants I bought there to school. I quickly learned you do not wear leather pants to school in a farm town.”
Best fashion moment: “I put on a tuxedo for a photo shoot for Paul Stuart — a tux with all the trimmings. It was last-minute, but everything came together beautifully.”
Advice for the fashion-challenged male: “As a man with a 16-year-old, I am always conscious not to try to look like my son. We fail when we try to dress like our kids.”
