Around DC
Believe it or not, Washington, DC has become a destination for professional men’s clothing in recent years, from high-profile retailers Bonobos and Dutch-based Suit Supply (and the HMX Group’s regrettably short-lived Streets of Georgetown) to custom tailors Michael Andrews Bespoke and Alton Lane. Add to that home-grown talent from the likes of Hugh & Crye, VM Clothiers and Lost Boys, and you have an emerging community catering to modern professional men. This new energy builds on a rich history of style in the District, including tailors and retail professionals such as Geoffrey Lewis who have been in the business for decades and who are also well-worth getting to know better, as Modern Fellows intends to do over time.
How Pakistan, the Peace Corps and USTR spawned Georgetown’s New Stealth Tailors
While entrepreneurs often jump from business school or the corporate world to start a new business, others take a different path. This is the improbable story of two development professionals trying to change the world through men’s clothing: Introducing J&C Suiting, Georgetown’s new stealth tailors of affordable custom menswear. Last fall, roundabout the same time that Modern Fellows launched, I stumbled across J&C Suiting’s twitter account...
read moreReview: VM Clothiers’ Custom Dress Shirts
Down the street from the White House, Vishal Mirpuri is building a solid reputation in the District of Colombia for affordable custom suits and shirts. Over the past several months, Modern Fellows tried out and tested two of VM Clothiers’ custom dress shirts and, in the process, got a feel for Vishal’s approach to men’s clothing and customer service. Why VM Clothiers? Inspired by family members already in the business, Vishal — the VM in VM...
read moreInside the Indochino Traveling Tailor’s Visit to Washington DC
The gang from Indochino, including CEO Kyle Vucko and President Heikal Gani, has arrived in Washington. From March 2nd through the 10th, the company’s tailors and stylists will show customers around their product line of suits, shirts and accessories and take measurements out of Living Social’s 918 F Street NW location. Here’s a look inside the experience based on a visit during their March 1 media preview. Upon entering, customers are met by a...
read moreIndochino CEO Kyle Vucko Previews the Company’s March Traveling Tailor Visit to DC
Vancouver and Shanghai-based e-commerce pioneer Indochino is bringing its traveling tailor to Washington, DC March 2-10. Modern Fellows spoke with co-founder and CEO Kyle Vucko in advance of the trip about quality control, scaling up, and what Washingtonians should expect when Indochino occupies Living Social’s experimental live event space at 918 F Street NW next month.(Kyle is pictured above, right, with co-founder and Indochino President Heikal Gani.) What...
read moreCan Bonobos’ Alternative Retail Concept Gain Traction? A preview of the E-Tailer’s Georgetown Guide Shop
After arriving in the DC market via a temporary presence on Bethesda Row over the holidays, innovative menswear e-commerce retailer Bonobos is set to open a permanent Guide Shop in Georgetown on January 29. Here’s a look at their new digs, tucked away in Cady’s Alley across from Kafe Leopold, and more on the alternative experience they offer to traditional retail. (Also read on for a special offer for Modern Fellows readers — 20% off $150 at the...
read moreInside: Charles Tyrwhitt DC at Farragut Square — updated
Discovering custom shirting and high-quality craft retail from around the country is wonderful, but everyone needs a couple of solid go-to local stores to turn to for some of the basics. For me, Charles Tyrwhitt fits the bill, which is why it was nice to see the company choose DC as its second U.S. location following New York. Here’s a look inside and some impressions, updated to reflect feedback received from Charles Tyrwhitt following Modern Fellows’...
read moreInside: Michael Andrews Bespoke for the Holidays
With Christmas rapidly approaching, Modern Fellows stopped in Michael Andrews Bespoke’s showroom off of Dupont Circle to follow up on our earlier conversation and see how they were getting along since launching their DC operations in October. We spoke with Michael and Carly about how their DC clientele compares with New York, and found the place all decked out for the holidays. Spotlighting their well-appointed studio trimmed for Christmas seems as good a way as...
read moreInside: Bonobos’ Holiday Guide Shop on Bethesda Row
Rapidly-growing online retailer Bonobos is bringing its contribution to alternative brick-and-mortar retail to the Washington, DC area. On November 7, the company opened the doors of a temporary Guide Shop on Bethesda Row, joining others in New York, Boston, Chicago and Palo Alto. The Bethesda location is only around for the holidays, and will be succeeded in the new year by a permanent installation in Cady’s Alley in Georgetown. The guide shop is an effort to...
read moreGQ is Way Off-Base: DC Men Have Already Stepped Up their Style
GQ’s writers must not spend much time in the nation’s capital. The city has changed dramatically since however many years ago it was when the author of this month’s “Project Upgrade: Capitol Hill Edition” formed an opinion that professional men in the District favor “blousy shirts and ill-fitting suits.” It is easy to take pot-shots at Washington, but walk down K Street or around the halls of Congress, and you generally see men who dress confidently and...
read moreVM Clothiers on the Evolution of Custom Tailoring and Building an Affordable Wardrobe in the District
Around the corner from the White House, VM Clothier’s headquarters offers an approachable environment to begin or continue an adventure in custom tailoring. Modern Fellows sat down with founder Vishal Mirpuri for a conversation that touched upon the evolution of custom tailoring, growing a business organically, and shattering the stereotype of DC style. We’ll have more on VM Clothiers, which is on deck for a review as part of Modern Fellows’ Custom...
read moreDressing Sharp in the Digital Age
MF focuses on the entrepreneurs who are driving affordable custom tailoring, emphasizing American manufacturing, and making properly fitting clothing more accessible and interesting in the digital age. It is written by a DC-based professional who believes that the best way to face an increasingly overloaded and uncertain world is to dress sharp.
