AliShopsBlog.com - The Twin Cities Shopping Blog

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.

And to think: there are those who see fit to mock the world of fashion. Tuesday's Voltage Spring 2010 Preview was supposed to be a showcase of retail-ready apparel. This...men's onesie seemed more ready for "Saturday Night Live." But then, knitwear designer Kevin Kramp's bio says he designs for a "globally nomadic tribe of gritty, physical and elegant men."  Sold? Well get this: Kamp was just hired as lead knitwear designer for venerable men's brand St. Croix Collections. He moves to Winona tomorrow. Can't wait to see the traditional St. Croix crowd in this!

Calvin Klein model Will Defiel has lived in Minnesota his entire life, but he had never shopped at the Galleria. A Galleria virgin! Until Saturday, when I deflowered him. The Edina shopping center was a bit ritzy for his H&M taste, but he seemed to take right to it as store owners tripped over themselves to give him stuff - discounts, good service, a free shirt and tie. Good to be a model. Read more about Will's escapades with Calvin Klein, and the Galleria in the St. Paul Pioneer Press - soon.

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.

Men are having a moment. I'm in the midst of pulling men's accessories for a Spaces magazine article and the biggest challenge is choosing which men's stores and which amazing pieces to include. A year ago, I might have been hard pressed to come up with a handful of cool, local boutiques even catering to men. Suddenly, it's an explosion: Kuhlman is back in business, martinpatrick3 gets better each season, StyledLife finally has the space to expand on accessories and gifts for men, Heimie's Haberdashery is thriving in St. Paul and the latest, exciting addition: BlackBlue (pictured, and see more of the shop's enviable aesthetic here). Time to step it up a notch, men. There's no excuse not to.

Deja vu! It was just a few years ago that I met Scott and Susan Kuhlman at the off-the-beating-path Warehouse District office/retail space where the Kuhlman brand got its start - then exploded too quickly and crumbled. Most people would move on to another project. Not the Kuhlmans. Despite losing their shirts - literally - they firmly believe in the need for a straightforward, attainable American brand offering European, fashion-forward tailored clothing. I reported a couple of months ago that they quietly relaunched online. Now, they've quietly opened three stores in New York, Boston and as of this week, Minneapolis at 420 N. Fifth St. in the Ford Center. Same style, slightly higher prices, no grandiose plans of going public. And an added initial. This time, it's s. kuhlman. The store is still getting ramped up for business, but the Kuhlmans aren't the type to wait. Men's woven shirts are currently in stock and the first tailored men's collection is due to hit the racks by the end of October.

Here are some of the finalists from tonight's One Man Minneapolis competition - one more charming than the next. The guy front and center, Minneapolis police officer Mark Klukow, took the title of "The Man" and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak was there to present him with $5,000 and another $1,000 for Klukow's favorite charity, the PEACE Foundation.
Organizers tried to keep the focus on community involvement, but clearly there wasn't a dog in the bunch. While they skipped a swimsuit competition (no fair), the final five did don fitted workout wear. Plus, popular KARE 11 weatherman Sven Sundgaard made a cameo in a fitted black polo to show off his buff and bronze biceps (got to give what the crowd demands).
See more of the men in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday, July 21. Photographer Chris Polydoroff (who took this shot) and I had to document this red carpet - it could very well be the first ever gathering of Minnesota men that did not include even one plaid flannel or pair of pleated Dockers. Hallelujah!

I love a man who is comfortable in his figure skates. U.S. champion Evan Lysacek and pairs champ John Zimmerman were in town today to hype their Feb. 22 Xcel Energy Center performance with Stars on Ice. Between TV appearances, we engaged in some retail therapy at Len Druskin Man. No sequins involved, but we did talk a lot about stretchy fabrics and hair product. Divine. Read all about it in the  St. Paul Pioneer Press on Feb. 22, a day that might well find me at the show, drooling over Zimmerman, who is married. To an Italian skater, no less.