Inside Ledbury and Read Wall DC Christmas Pop-Up Stores

Several online retailers set up shop in Georgetown this holiday season, offering DC residents an opportunity to touch fabrics, try on clothes and get to know their brands offline.  Modern Fellows toured pop ups put on by Richmond-based Ledbury and Washington, DC’s Read Wall this week and captured some photos of what’s on offer.

Read Wall

Read Wall grew up in Washington, DC and stuck around to found an evolving and extraordinarily interesting line of menswear staples.  While he began with a focus on casual and textured button down shirts, his namesake company is now looking to provide a complete line of essentials for men, including made-to-measure suits and dressier ready-to-wear and custom shirts and accessories.

To do so, he is stitching together partnerships with high-quality American manufacturers to provide modern takes on classic pieces.  Poised to grab the mantle from Brooks Brothers to help dress a new generation of men with an updated fit and style, Read has caught the attention of outlets like Esquire, Garden and Gun (a favorite around here), and GQ, who accurately characterizes his effort as “producing clean prep essentials guys will wear on and off the clock,” though the preppiness is mostly, thankfully, understated.

The quality is loud and clear, however, and is evident up on the second floor of 3330 Cady’s Alley, across the street from Bonobos’ Guide Shop.  Read is sharing the space — which is not well-marked from the outside — with several other companies for a temporary collaborative shop for the holidays, including Tuckernuck  and Zestt, a great home decor and indie art shop. It will be interesting to follow Read as he looks to develop a permanent physical retail spot in Georgetown in the new year. (Full disclosure: Read provided this red check cutaway collar shirt to Modern Fellows at no cost.)

Ledbury

Heading north on Wisconsin Ave., Richmond-based Ledbury just celebrated its fourth year in business, and has started to branch out from its initial focus on shirting to offer other items including unlined blazers, ties, and Charlottesville, Va-made belts.

They moved a selection of clothing, including a nice shawl-collar sweater pictured below, up from Richmond to a small, temporary outpost, which ends its run on Sunday.

Gilt City DC is offering a $200 credit for $100, which is valid for use only at the pop up. While the focus may have expanded, their shirts are still the star, and the shop is full of attractive patterns in a variety of styles.