MONTREAL—Arnold Brant Silverstone has been named president of Samuelsohn, the better men’s tailored clothing company. Silverstone, who left his position as design director for Nordstrom’s private label program in April, will lead Samuelsohn’s design and marketing.

“Arnold Brant Silverstone is one of the true visionaries in the men’s apparel industry,” said Samuelsohn CEO Stephen Granovsky. “Arnold’s appointment represents an important step in the transformation of Samuelsohn from a suit manufacturer to a leading menswear lifestyle brand.”

“We want to make it cool,” Silverstone told MRketplace.com. “I’m going to be the creative guy, and [CEO Stephen Garanovsky] is the business guy, and together, we’re going to grow the business. We want to make it the better North American menswear brand, true modern luxury.”

The company, which is undergoing a restructuring, was acquired by Grano Retail Investments in March when Stephen Granovsky bought out the Samuelsohn brothers, Michael and Richard, for an undisclosed amount. Granovsky hired former Brioni Retail U.S. COO Paolo Torello-Viera as chief operating officer for Samuelsohn upon the acquisition.

“It was always my intention to come back into the wholesale business,” Silverstone said. “I’ve done it all my life.”

During his tenure at Nordstrom, Silverstone noticed a gap in the market. “There are a lot of brands in the $500 to $700 range in tailored clothing—it’s crowded there. But you really need to jump pretty far to the Italians to get to the next big price grouping,” Silverstone said. He sees far fewer brands vying for the middle price range in the better market, and thus a void that he and Samuelsohn seek to take advantage of.

“Samuelsohn is an 87-year-old company that makes the finest product in North America. There’s pride in every garment—that’s why they sew a little heart into each one. They’re in about 250 specialty stores and partners with big players like Paul Stuart and Harry Rosen. Samuelsohn is already a leader in product, so now, if you tweak it a little bit, it can become a leader in design, marketing and everything else.”

Silverstone, who has been on the job just two days, said he’s going to be opening a New York showroom for the brand, ramp up the marketing, and expand the brand into different categories. Currently Samuelsohn does tailored clothing, sport jackets, pants, and outerwear. Silverstone plans on adding furnishings first, and he wants to keep it in-house. “I’d like to control the overall feel of the brand,” he explained. The sportswear category will be next.

Arnold Brant Silverstone, whose family has a long history in the men’s business, began his career at SFI Apparel. He started the Arnold Brant label in 1997. He sold it to Oxford Industries in 2005 and stayed on as its president until 2007. A year later, he was named design director for Nordstrom’s private label menswear program. He left Nordstrom in April.

Montreal-based Samuelsohn was founded by Lesser Samuelsohn in 1923. It’s been run by the founder’s grandsons, Michael and Richard Samuelsohn, since the 1960s. The brand is carried in better men’s specialty stores throughout Canada and the U.S., including Harry Rosen, The Bay, Garys, Malouf’s, Oak Hall and Hubert White. Samuelsohn also does private label business with Paul Stuart.

Within the next few days we will flip over to our new web site David E. White and our updated blog. So put away your Olympic red mittens and get ready for spring. We are busting out all over with colour, new fabrications and cuts in jeans to the wonderfully fun Robert Graham shirts!

We are also not short on opinions…lots of them.

The suit is dead..the suit is dead. Long live the SUIT!  There is one thing that I have total clarity about and that is the need for a great suit in your wardrobe is as important as ever. The last decade or so have not been kind to the suit business in particular, what with this continual assault by the term”business casual” mumbo jumbo. If you are a young, professional trying to get a job, keep a job or move up the ranks…then do not put your wardrobe at the bottom end of the priority list and specifically your suits.

Great new theme, new content, opinions and interviews with some of the unique people within the men’s fashion and grooming business.

Out with the old in with the new…stay tuned.

I found this article in a men’s wear trade mag and thought it was one of the best cost/benifit analysis I have ever read. It is written by Mr. Chris White (not related) of America’s Best Cleaners. A good drycleaner is an essential element in your wardrobe arsenal. They are too often under appreciated and overly criticized. If you have a great one, keep them close! If on the other hand you are having problems…maybe it is time to seek out the best.

Enjoy the read.

Coffee, tea or shirt?

Chris White

Q: The price of shirts at my dry cleaners just went up to $2.25. I love my cleaner, but the cost is twice that of the cleaner around the corner. How do I justify paying that much for a laundered shirt?A: I would like to answer this question with another question: What do a laundered shirt and a cup of coffee have in common? Not a whole lot – especially the time and effort it takes to produce each one. The only time these two meet is when you spill coffee on the shirt. A simple café latte at a national coffee chain costs $3.69 (including tax). Being in the dry cleaning business, I considered the amount of effort it takes to produce that cup of coffee versus turning out a laundered shirt – one of the most common items brought to a dry cleaner.
What goes into a latte? Coffee, milk, maybe sugar and a few minutes of time at the counter to produce that caffé latte.
So, what goes into producing a laundered shirt?
In sequential order, these are the steps:
• Invoice the order at the counter.
• Tag the shirt with a unique tag that represents a particular customer.
• Inspect the shirt for unusual stains, broken or missing buttons, tears, etc.
• Pre-spot the shirt if there are unusual stains (lipstick, ink, blood, anything else that doesn’t come out in a typical wash cycle).
• Launder the shirt.
• Press the shirt (either machine press with or without hand finishing or hand iron. Even machine pressing can’t always be done – some shirts don’t always fit on the machines – too large or too small.)
• Inspect the shirt, replacing buttons if necessary.
• Package the shirt.
• Store the shirt until picked up. (Sometimes the shirt isn’t picked up – a total loss of service for the dry cleaner.)
• Cash out the invoice. Typical supplies used in the process:
• Invoices
• Tags
• Soap, starch, softeners, and spotting chemicals
• Hanger • Polyethylene bags
• Shoulder covers Utilities:
• Steam boiler – usually gas or oil
• Electricity
• Water
Also, keep in mind that the dry cleaner is responsible for the shirt until it is retrieved by the customer. This makes the dry cleaner vulnerable to potential liability in the form of damaging or misplacing the shirt, both of which would require covering the cost of the shirt to the customer – a cost anywhere from $25 to $1000, and beyond! The average cost for a laundered shirt ranges from $.99 to $2.50, with the average somewhere around $1.75 for a machine pressed shirt. There are of course extra charges for special handling, hand-finished work and/or hand-ironed work, which are usually necessary on custom-made shirts or shirts made from fine fabrics.
Coffee consists of ground beans and water. How many times do customers complain about the price of gourmet coffee? In summary: the care, resources and responsibility inherent in laundering a fine shirt well eclipse the energy put into a mere beverage, which most people will purchase without a second thought. The knowledge and training that go into maintaining the quality and understanding the value of better made shirts and the more expensive processes incorporate all of the knowledge and use of the best equipment and supplies to ensure the best quality and service on time. Competition among cleaners and launderers do drive the price down, but a Couture Care Specialist will take the proper procedures and exert a level of quality control which far exceed those of your average dry cleaner. The risk of ruining a well-made shirt far outweighs the cost of care. Think about this the next time you spill your favourite beverage on your favourite shirt.

Americas Best Cleaners

The Art of Shaving and Gillette have teamed up to launch the Fusion Chrome Razor.

With an all-star clientèle ranging from Ashton Kutcher to Dave Grohl, and features in Maxim and Esquire, The Art of Shaving has already made its mark as the grooming line of choice for fashion-forward men.

Now, by collaborating with Gillette to make the Fusion Chrome line, The Art of Shaving brings high-fashion grooming to the high street. And predictions from ShavingStuff.com and Haute Concept, and already-emptied store shelves, put it as the “IT” gift this holiday season.

Don’t miss your chance to put some style in your husband’s stocking, get the Fusion Chrome Razor online now, or see the complete program in store at DAVID E. WHITE before their gone.

$5.00 shipping in Canada*

Some suit companies have hot streaks. Some have the label cache. Now to have a track record of excellence that spans decades, that is an accomplishment. Samuelsohn has, for over 75 years, produced one of the cleanest fitting garments in the business. They can be found in most of the major men’s wear retailers in North America. That is no fluke!!

Here is a profile of the Samuelsohn Fall program from Philip Jackson, the highly respected regional representative for Samuelsohn. 

Samuelsohn Fall 2007

Samuelsohn for fall 2007 continues with its tradition of the highest quality standards for a Canadian made garment, along with of course, using only the best fabrications from elite European mills.

In so doing, the mantra for fall is soft and comfortable with a slimmer silhouette. With flat front pants slowly making a come back in clothing, its only natural that clothing sit closer to the body. If this sounds uncomfortable, don’t be alarmed, with new technologies comes better construction and softer lighter fabrics.

All in all a better fitting suit or jacket, lighter in weight that compliments the man.

With these subtle changes altering the look of a suit or jacket, is it fair to say the days of the single breasted three-button suit with pleated trousers are limited? Not necessarily, although two button garments with side vents are the new mainstay, pleated trousers are still very strong. In fact most European designers have accepted the fact consumers prefer a one-pleat pant, and have therefore introduced a trimmer one-pleat pant to compliment the two button single-breasted jacket.

With that in mind, it’s also important to emphasize one’s personal style. We all have our own likes and dislikes when it comes to purchasing a suit or jacket. This is where custom tailored garments come in. Demand for made-to-measure clothing has been increasing for the past four years, as men have realized their own personal style. Its then fair to say, whatever the customer wants or needs in their clothing, can be sought with a custom suit or jacket.

Having said all that, the other aspect worth noting for fall 2007 is fabrications. Although stripes have predominated suitings for the past three years, checks are making a comeback, but in a very subtle way. Surface textures, stripes and now checks will be the common theme in colours of navy, gray and brown tones. Black is still quite popular but rest assured navy should be the colour to look at, after all it truly is “the” power suit.

For jackets the highlight colours are brown tones, soft olives and of course navy, in bolder patterns where checks predominate. Softer construction has become the mainstay, allowing for comfort and versatility, and is fair to say if you buy the right jacket, it can also be a piece of outerwear for those pre-winter days.

In closing this brief on Samuelsohn fall 2007, I’ll leave this with you to ponder.

First impressions are so very important today, by taking the time to plan a proper wardrobe that befits your personality, the better off you’ll be.

Philip Jackson

When you first meet Christopher Gardner you are immediately impressed by the cut of his suit. A beautifully tailored 3 button worsted tweed, surgeon cuffs, side vented, canvas chest piece. A great touch is the one piece back, it fit him perfectly. Fantastic oxfords and a custom french cuffed shirt round out the package.  This is the “fashion” part of the man. It is when Chris speaks that you find out about his style.

He speaks with a confidence that comes with his 6′ 3″ish frame, but his manner is so very engaging that you feel as if you have know him for ages not the mere minutes we had with him in our shop on Friday. While getting a head shave in the barbershop, he not only indulged our numerous questions about his book and the movie [The Pursuit of Happyness] but he made the effort to find out what we were all about. He shared of himself that is his “Style”,  the threads just allow him to embellish it!

If you have not seen the movie…go. Better yet read the book! “The Pursuit of Happyness” and if you get a chance to meet him ask him why he wears two watches.

Here’s a great article that chronicles the evolution of the art of tailoring:

Tailoring, the cutting and sewing of cloth as we understand it today, developed gradually in Europe between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. The first specific reference to the word “Tailor” in the Oxford English Dictionary provides a date at around the end of the thirteenth century.

At one point the cloth was the important feature of any garment. Following the Renaissance the primary function of clothing to conceal the body shifted to a position whereby clothing was used to accentuate certain physical features. Following this transition the Tailor grew in importance with masters of the craft appearing at hubs of civilization.

The empires of Italy, then Spain and France were all at one point, as a result of their empires, the centre of fashionable dress. Italy reached its peak during and after the Renaissance, Spain and France followed early and late 17th century respectively. France during the reign of Louis XIV was the hub of Tailoring fashion by the time he died in 1715 the balance of fashion power begun to shift across the channel to the UK.

During King Louis XIV’s 72 year reign a paradigm shift in male attire was becoming apparent. Around 1650 men had stopped wearing the doublet, hose, and cloak, fundamentals of a mans wardrobe since early in the sixteenth century. During Louis XIV reign men started to wear coats, vests, and breeches which we can recognize as three components of modern male attire.

As noted the balance of fashion power was shifting, following the civil war the English moved away from the decorative court style popularised in France and took up a more practical form. Both the clothing of the gentry and the merchant classes became progressively more sober throughout the eighteenth century. By the start of the 1800′s kings, consorts, and princes were dressing in a restrained manner identical to their subjects, this would evolve into the classic attire associated with the ninteenth century such as stovepipe hats, umbrellas, and frock coats.

At this point in the evolution of clothing English Tailors, particularly those in London, dominated the male fashion scene. The male style was a clever combination of the sporting attire preferred by the gentry and the business clothing of the newly rich industrialists. The fit now rather than decoration became the fundamental rule for male clothing. English Tailors experts at their craft and trained to use woolen cloth over time developed the art of “molding” cloth close to the body without duplicating the exact body form of the wearer. The keywords for the gentlemen of the nineteenth century were discretion, simplicity, and the perfection of cut. It was at this point that modern Tailoring as we know it had it arrived.

Innovations such as sewing machines and more comfortable cloths have had their impact but do not detract from the essential consideration that Tailoring is an art form.

via:: Toffsworld

Preparation
The key to the perfect shave is preparation. If possible, shave after a shower or apply hot water to the face prior to shaving to soften the beard and open the pores. Although shaving cream may be applied with the fingers, a richer lather is achieved with the use of a good quality shaving brush. The more thorough the lathering process, the better the shave. Use a small amount of glycerin-based shaving cream and rub onto the wet skin by moving the brush in a circular motion and back and forth over the skin, against the grain of the beard to produce good lather. Spend time on the lathering process, up to 2 or 3 minutes.
 

Shaving
Always shave with the lie of the beard, never against. Failure to do this is the major cause of razor burn. Glide the razor gently over the skin, holding the skin taut with the free hand whilst shaving. Keep the razor well rinsed to avoid clogging the blade and apply more water if necessary, not more shaving cream. Repeat the process a second time if necessary.

After the shave, apply cold water to the face to close the pores and pat the skin dry. In the event of nicks or cuts, apply a moistened Block of Alum or Styptic pencil to stop the bleeding. Apply a skin food or moisturizing balm to restore moisture and nourish the skin.

Care of the Brush & Razor
Rinse and flick dry the shaving brush and razor. Shaving brushes should always be allowed to dry naturally, with the hair pointing downward in a suitable stand, to prevent moisture seeping into the base of the brush. Never store a shaving brush in a closed cupboard where mildew may form.

Why You Should Use a Shaving Brush
Many brushes are still manufactured entirely by hand using techniques that have not changed in over 100 years. The best shaving brushes are still filled with badger hair because of its unique properties. It retains water and is soft to the skin, whilst being tough and durable. A good quality brush will last for many years if properly looked after. The three main features that determine the price of a shaving brush are the size of the handle, the quality of hair used and the density of the fill.

Of course not, but a great suit can make a huge difference in a man!
The focus of this blog is just that, how great clothing and proper grooming can and does have a terrific impact on your life.
If you are already a convert to the sartorial way, then I am sure you will enjoy our musings. If you are one who is unsure and or just curious about the world of mens clothing, stick around, as we intend to bring you all sorts of ideas and insights from a “Clothiers” perspective.My name is David E. White and I have been involved with the mens wear business for 36 years.
Now whether “time served” is sufficient justification for me to pontificate, who knows. What I do know, is that as an upscale menswear retailer I have bought, worn, sold, felt, tailored, viewed, critiqued most of the finer mens wear products that the world has to offer, and I would like to pass some of this knowledge on.