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MEN ALEXANDER'S CUSTOM CLOTHIERS Fine men’s suits, ties, shirts and casual wear fill the clubby store in Northville’s downtown. You can choose from the designer names, or have a custom suit completely designed to fit you perfectly; you pick the material, the style and he does the rest. The one thing that sets Alexander’s apart from other custom clothiers is Alexander himself. In a profession typically occupied by grandfatherly men with thick accents, the young man (under 30) has become one of the finest tailors around. Most of his regulars consider him the very best. Clients drive from great distances to see him work his magic (or he goes to them), creating suits and doing custom alterations. Consider the lady who drives from Trenton to make sure her designer jeans have a custom fit—he does women’s alterations as well—and celebrities who send their suits from Hollywood to Northville, among them, none other than Superman’s alter ego, Dean Cain. Alexander is a zealot about a good fit, and he feels a bad tailoring job can make even the sharpest suit look cheap, while great tailoring can make an inexpensive suit and the person wearing it look high dollar. In addition to tailoring, Alexander does custom wardrobe consulting for individuals and businesses, because if you want to make a million, you have to look like a million. THE BROADWAY Pepper has been running downtown’s renowned men’s apparel center since lapels were as large as elephant ears. It’s a Detroit institution, in fact, many believe it was the Broadway that inspired Steve Harvey to create his own line of clothing (now conveniently carried at the Broadway). Designer labels have always been important here, and they are loaded with big names including Moschino, Coogi and notably Versace. Tailored suits run the price spectrum, they aren’t crazy expensive but you aren’t going to find a fifty-dollar suit either; let’s just say that for what you get, the prices are very friendly. You’ll find more than a little splash of color in the racks, this is not a grey and navy “uniform” store (although there are very nice grey and navy suits). You’ll find a good selection of footwear (for a men’s shop) and they also have custom-made shoes (and City Slickers is right across the street). CHELSEA This is the place for men in the Downriver area, with one of the coolest facades of any retailer. This place may be old; the clothes are anything but. It’s huge, with a great selection of contemporary (Fossil, Kenneth Cole) and classic (Sansabelt) suits, casual wear, shoes and tuxedos. In the back room, you’ll find tons of Tommy Bahama resort-wear and some nice things you can wear on the links. CICCHINI CUSTOM CLOTHIER Considered to be one of the premier custom clothing creators in the world—visit once and you will never be satisfied with off the rack again. You can have a one-of-a-kind wardrobe that's created from scratch and swatch. It works like this—imagine choosing any designer in the world, and telling them exactly what to do. If you ever found that "perfect suit except for the ____" you'll be happy to hear the words "no" or "can't" don't apply to custom clothing. With 10,000 choices of materials, the entire style, including details such as collars, cuffs and pleats is your call; right down to the type and number of buttons, and they will advise you which colors, styles and trends work best with your face, features and body type. Or start out with a custom created shirt, tailored exactly to your dimensions in the material and style of your choosing. Your clothing is put together by a team of master tailors (with over 400 years of expertise), who make up to 49 individual measurements to give you a perfect, pucker free fit. Sounds complicated, but most clients discover it takes less time than shopping in a mall. If you are really busy, they will come to your home or business pretty much around the clock—one of the reasons Cicchini clients include a who's who of the area. While a sky's-the-limit, head-to-toe wardrobe is possible, this is not just the realm of sports stars, industry barons and celebs. Custom wardrobes can be reasonable, and are usually competitive with off-the-rack selections you find at better department stores. THE CITY WAREHOUSE 15405 Gratiot Ave., Detroit Here’s a men’s store with more color than the spin art machine at a county fair. With $99 suits in shades that would give the Brooks Brothers a coronary, the style here is loud and proud. Sure, there are a few more conservative models, but the really fun stuff is the multi-buttoned, stylishly cut suits in tones that don’t exist in nature. There are belts and shoes in every hue from electric faux gator to fake ostrich in a red that would pale Fidel Castro. And yes, they have matching ties. GEBRAN’S Owned and operated by Pete Collias for over 17 years, Gebran’s is located in the heart of downtown Mt. Clemens in the original Anton’s store. Having spent a lifetime in the men’s clothing business, Pete’s great eye for distinctive dress and casual apparel is apparent in both his selection of merchandise as well as the comfortable, contemporary layout of the store. With names like Jack Victor, Zanella, Ike Behar, Jack of Spades and Donald J Pliner in addition to expert onsite tailoring, the focus at Gebran’s is always on customer service and attention to detail. H & H APPAREL They obviously got the name from Hughes & Hatcher (they’re in the old building), Detroit’s grand old brand that went under before parachute pants came in style the first time. H & H has upscale clothing for men and women with brand names found nowhere else (not in the world, just around here). Select designer clothing exclusive to this store is D’Orna, Johanna York and Cat Stevens (who is not to be confused with the singer). HOT SAM’S QUALITY CLOTHES We were almost going to write that Hot Sam’s was looking a little worn around the edges—until they moved into the super-swanky Compuware front on Monroe. Now they look like a Gap or something, except for the clothing, which is hotter than anything at the Gap. Because what could be hotter than top-of-the-line suits, leather coats, casual sportswear and shoes? A chunk of uranium perhaps? Well, maybe, but could a chunk of uranium give you custom alterations and same-day service? So when it comes to hot, both the style and convenience of this fine clothing boutique can beat any mere element—besides uranium has far too long a shelf-life. J.L. STONE CO. J.L. Stone has been stylin’ Motown since 1929. And we do mean Motown. Smokey Robinson and the rest of the Miracles were loyal customers. You’ll find contemporary men’s wear from sporty to casual to very classy. Offering very reasonable prices for name brands; they also offer alterations. You’ll look like a million sporting Stacy Adams suits, Hugo Boss and Sportswear. JOE PORTER’S INTL. A forty-year veteran of the Detroit fashion scene, Joe’s specializes in neo-classical Detroit styles. Their specialty is providing the consumer with premier Italian fashion—from shoes to suits to topcoats. Porter’s goods were in the limelight back in the day when they outfitted the Temptations. Lines to look for—Karl Kani, Enzo and Cartel suits. L’UOMO VOGUE Detroit’s premier men’s shop, they’ve been setting the bar for sophisticated metro Detroiters for 25 years with Armani, Canali, Etro and just about every classic or cutting edge designer whose name ends in a vowel. Au courant to stone cold classic, impeccable suits to the couture denim; it’s an elegant mini-department store just for men (not to say it’s small, you’d need a seven iron to chip across it). L’uomo isn’t a place where men shop when they need clothes, it is where they go to buy the finer things in life. It’s the best of the best from socks to suits, casual to formal, and all the accessories a man on the move might need (Tumi luggage anyone?). They even have their own signature cologne: it smells of success. Service is as good as it gets, and taste and expertise exude from the staff. That’s why the who’s who of fashionable Detroit shop here. MANNO You’ll still find Leonardo Manno at work, although his son Pat does most of the crowd control. Leonardo Manno started a long time ago, at Hudson’s downtown, where he did the personal fitting for Mr. H. himself. Eventually, he grew weary and started his own business, which blossomed into the place Dearborn shops for white collars. Today, it is that area’s only remaining men’s store, a testament to the service and satisfaction these guys have been providing to their clients for years. Manno caters to the man who does not have the time or patience for the mall and carries both business and casual, all quality lines at reasonable prices. But most important of all is the fitting. There are five Italian tailors on staff, including Leonardo Manno himself. MILANO Featuring suits imported from...how did you guess? These are some seriously sharp Italian suits. The proper name is Milano Gentleman’s Fine Apparel and it is. It’s top of the threads food chain, both casual and biz, in styles that range from conservative to a little on the trendy side. The gentlemen who work at Milano will make sure every purchase will fit you perfectly. PEASANT Not many Birmingham boutiques cater to men—probably because most are happy to wear ill-fitting clothes from giant boxes that also sell guns and groceries. Welcome Peasant, who devote about 70% of the inventory to the X chromos. This is not the button-down world, but soft comfy stuff you want to wear rather than have to. Like Bono’s line of clothing, for example, which is made in developing countries, but in a good way rather than a sweaty, underpaid Kathie Lee way. SERMAN’S CLOTHES SHOP If it’s at Serman’s, you know it’s good. It’s been called the ultimate ghetto-fab designer haven. They have it all, from boys to men, and they supply the fairer sex as well. Most importantly, Serman’s vast selection exceeds the maximum consumer serviceable goals (you have to visit to find out what that is all about and then tell us, ’cause our heads are spinning). Also offering a quality selection of mink coats. Lines to look for—Coogi, Sean John, Guess, Pelle Pelle and Girbaud. VAN DYKE The big question is, do you want a suit with eight buttons or seventeen? The trendiest men’s suits can be had at Van Dyke, where suits zoot and color is not an option, but a given. Sure, they have some fine imported suits the funeral director wouldn’t mind, but the tricked-out suits are so absurdly stylish, we wonder if they even share the same DNA with the obviously unfresh suits of yesterday. They carry a wide inventory, from college-kid-going-to-a-wedding to some high-end imports. © 2008 Guide to Detroit, LLC |