T-shirt or polo? Polo or t-shirt? While I envy men their simple, clear cut choices (no man is late for work because he swapped a blouse for a sleeveless dress at the last minute and then realized he hadn’t shaved his underarms for, um, a few days), men’s casual clothes for summer can get fairly boring. And still, men do manage to make mistakes. Like the tattoo-type graphic print t-shirt (no need to name names). I think Tom Julian, author of “Nordstrom Guide to Men’s Everyday Dressing,” is being kind when he says no guy over 35 should wear those shirts.” What men should add to their wardrobe this summer: a cotton slub polo (like this one from Diesel, $60 at Nordstrom). It’s got the polish of a collared shirt, but the ease and comfort of your best worn t-shirt. That’s casual cool.
What else should men buy this summer? Listen to my conversation with Tom on Shop Girls on myTalk 107.1 (click the podcast for Hour 1, June 19). And see what he had to say about Spanx for Men. My favorite line, which, unfortunately, I just couldn’t work into the newspaper article: “Men want to avoid the Simon Cowell problem: Man boobs.”
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Kevin Kramp Voltage 2010
The term “conceptual” gets tossed around a lot in fashion journalism. I tend to use it when writing about a collection that shows promise, raw talent, but little wearability beyond the runway. But then, I’ve never spent a mortgage payment on a piece of art, or a designer handbag. I’m hopelessly practical. So Kevin Kramp’s Voltage 2010 collection has been nagging at me. A designer for St. Croix Knits by day, his eponymous men’s knitwear collection showed enormous skill and flair. But really. Rompers? Parachute style pants in chunky sweater material with a crotch hanging below the knees?
I can hardly imagine Johnny Weir in one of these getups, let alone the average guy. Kramp’s collection was a big hit on the runway – due in no small part to the hot male models chained together with one fabulous knit scarf. It was dramatic. It was showy. It was weird. But I doubt anyone expected the pieces to show up in stores. Did Kramp? I had to know. Excerpts from our recent email conversation:
The Voltage collection. Do you consider it conceptual, or do you imagine a man who would wear these pieces on the street? Would you?
There is a globally nomadic tribe of intelligent, beautiful men who are part of a processional union ceremony of two of their brethren. Traveling alongside this tribe are guardsmen, serving as physical and spiritual protectors. My Voltage capsule collection is my offering to these stoic, elegant guardsmen.
Kevin Kramp Voltage 2010
“Conceptual” is not the opposite of “wearable”‘ The wearability of a garment is determined by the individual, not by the degree of concept. Any good creative work begins with a concept, though most “creative” work we see in this world begins (and ends) with copying. Men do wear my work in their lives, on the streets, after hours in clubs, for Sunday coffee, and other special moments. I do not wear my work because I do not create for myself, I create for those inspiring and courageous individuals that have passed through my life and left me thinking and longing.
Is it difficult to go from designing St, Croix’s classics sweaters to your own edgier work?
I’m a schizophrenic moody freak, and a Gemini to boot. My life has consisted of nothing but extremes, opposites, contradictory coexistence, and brutal transition.
What will become of your Voltage collection?
I am at the moment focused on cultivating the Kevin Kramp brand. I have recently been invited to show collections at fashion weeks in Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna and Lithuania. I had a wonderful time at Voltage, realizing a fun and light-hearted project with many kind and enthusiastic people. I have been approached by a couple of local retailers to carry some of my items, though I am very selective as to where my work appears, it must be the right situation and context.
What fashion risks, improvements, changes would you like to see men make?
This isn’t about fashion; this is about life. I always encourage individuals, men and women, to thoroughly and severely examine their personal history, ignorant preconceptions, and bizarre rules of right, wrong, should and shouldn’t. Discover beauty, understand joy, turn off the hating and turn on the being. If one cannot fathom the smallest feat of wearing a garment of a different color, how can one possibly hope to live life?
Kevin Kramp London 2009
Outside Colorado and retirement communities, the grief guys get for wearing socks with sandals is universal. So I wondered whether people would have such clearly defined thoughts about the opposite: a man in a suit and loafers with no socks. I got to pondering the look last week during “Oprah” – for her “Radio City” show to celebrate the 10th anniversary of “O” magazine, resident designer Nate Berkus and the fashion editor of “O” magazine suited up and went sock-less. They pulled it off, with a just-back-from-St. Barts panache. This image is courtesy of The Sartorialist, who wrote, “A well-cut blue suit, crisp white shirt and some type of loafer (in brown) can create a look that is just dressy enough and just casual enough for almost any occasion.” Any occasion, maybe. But not any guy. I tried to imagine my husband in the same look, but I just don’t think it is possible for a guy to both wear a cell phone case on his belt and skip socks with a suit. I took a poll on Facebook and was surprised to find public opinion divided. Answers ranged from “Love it” (always with the caveat “on a well dressed man”) to “Yuck.” My friend Margot aligned herself squarely in the “Yuck” camp. But she deserves the final word on the matter with this observation: “I do like a man just in socks and no suit.”
You know you've been on the beat a while when covering a store opening for the second time at the same mall. Hugo Boss has announced plans to open at Mall of America in August. But those of us who've been shopping a while know it's not Hugo first trip to the MOA. Back in 2000, local retailer Cedric Kirchner (yes, he of the furs) opened two Hugo Boss franchises – Hugo for men and women and Boss with men's dress clothes – at MOA in one of the mall's early attempts to go after luxury shoppers. Both stores were short lived. But the mall's executive vice president Maureen Bausch said that had more to do with Kirchner being spread too thin at the time with four stores around town. "I do not think the reason they left was about performance," Bausch said. This time, it's the Hugo Boss company itself bringing Boss to MOA. The 3,000-square-foot store will carry several shades of the brand, including BOSS Black, BOSS Orange and BOSS Green menswear collections, which encompass everything from dress to golf apparel along with shoes and accessories. It fills a void left by Brooks Brothers. And of course, it is being hailed, along with the recent arrival of Bestey Johnson, as a swing towards luxury at MOA. But we know: it's more of a swing back.
Continuing their bid for Total Domination of 50th & France, one of the partners behind Bluebird Boutique and Ladyslipper plans to open a store for men in half of the former Pull Out a Plum space at 4946 France Ave. S. in Edina. Sacha Martin tells me she and her boyfriend plan to open BLUEPEG in August.
Can Minneapolis-based men's brand s.kulhman make chickens look cool? Give 'em props for attempting to modernize the dreaded novelty shirt. Their new collection also features a Chuck Taylor print and grasshoppers. More interesting than a Hawaiian floral, anyway – and more fitted. The shirts sell for $95. Check them out online, or at the s.kulhman store in the Warehouse District.
Just got word: local designer Jason Hammerberg will open a custom shirt shop for men at the Galleria in Edina called Hammer Made (I like it – has a stronger ring than the label he's been designing under, Humble Fashion). The store is scheduled to open the first week of December in the old InVision spot. Hammerberg, who got his start with Kuhlman, plans to concentrate on shirts and offer finishing touches like cufflinks and socks. More details to come – I get a sneak peek next week.
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