New R.I. options for high-end men's clothingSuit up, gentlemen. Men’s fashion is having something of a moment.

Globally, the luxury menswear market is growing at 14 percent a year, nearly double the pace of womenswear, according to a study by consulting firm Bain & Co.

Nationally, The Council of Fashion Designers of America recently announced the creation of New York Fashion Week: Men’s, a standalone showcase for menswear launching in July with lines such as Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors and Rhode Island School of Design grad Robert Geller.

And locally, new options for high-end men's clothing, including custom and made-to-measure suits and shirts, have entered the shopping scene.

Custom clothing can benefit hard-to-fit men

If you think custom clothing is only for the top 1 percent, you haven’t heard of J. Hulburn.

The company offers made-to-measure garments personalized with the buyer’s choice of details including fabric and thread color, buttons and pocket design starting at $99 for shirts and $745 for a suit.

Mike Tullie, of DownCity Style Studio, is a J. Hilburn dealer — or what the Dallas-based company calls a personal stylist — operating out of Nude boutique in Providence’s Arcade.

By appointment at the shop or in a home or office, he assists customers with design decisions and takes multiple measurements (13 for a single shirt) to ensure proper fit.

“Men are used to buying shirts by the collar size and the sleeve length and the rest is sort of a crapshoot,” Tullie said. "These are made exactly to your specifications."

Orders, made with Italian fabrics in Asia, typically arrive in about a month.

The service is especially beneficial for especially tall or short men and those with other hard-to-buy-for body types.

“Regardless of your size, a nice-fitting shirt makes everybody look better,” Tullie said.

Go to jhilburn.com to find other locally based dealers. Downcitystyle.com, (508) 254-3667, located at Nude, 65 Weybosset St., Providence.

Luxury menswear store expands to Newport

For the last 10 years, Marc Allen Fine Clothiers has been making suits the old-fashioned way in Providence.

“We measure you, pick out the fabric, draw the patterns and then my tailors cut and build it,” said owner Marc Streisand.

Now Streisand has brought his luxury menswear to Newport. His new Bellevue Avenue store is similar to the Providence location, but has a slightly more casual feel to fit the city’s seaside vibe.

Image:romantic wedding dresses
Streisand, who got his start in the business as a personal shopper in New York City, favors high-end Italian fabrics and lines, mixing patterns and unexpected pops of color.

He became interested in clothing as a teenager. Streisand was short and had trouble meeting girls. “My mother said to me, ‘you need to dress bigger,’ ” he said. “So I started wearing things that made me feel more confident.”

In addition to bespoke and made-to-measure suits and tuxedos, the Newport store offers ready-to-wear Italian lines including Loro Piana and Baldassari, plus Marc Allen branded shirts, pants and jackets.

He describes his pricing as 30 percent more than what you’d pay at a better retail store such as Saks Fifth Avenue or Brooks Brothers. Made-to-measure suits start at about $1,500 and bespoke suits start at $3,000.

“Yes, we’re in business and we have to make money, but I love that fact that I can work with somebody and help them feel so much more powerful when they go out in the real world,” he said.

Marc Allen Fine Clothiers, 142 Bellevue Ave., Newport, marcalleninc.com.

Striking out on his own

Jim Fortier has worked in men's fashion for decades, always for other people. His new East Greenwich store, Blueprint 5, is the first time he's been able to bring his own vision to a shop.

The boutique features a carefully selected mix of luxury European and local lines. Lotuff Leather bags and Kingsley 1945 watches, both handmade in Providence, sit alongside Italian Luciano Barbera vests and Di Binaco shoes.

Some items are ultra luxurious, including made-to-measure button-downs by Individualized Shirts and suits by Samuelsohn, while others such as colorful hula girl socks and squirt gun bathing suits, are playful.

The space, filled with fine art and unusual finds from the Brimfield Antique Show, has a gallery-like feel, emphasizing Fortier's love of fine design in all of its forms.

5 tips on how to look your best

Our experts’ best dressing advice.

1. Every man should own at least one suit, says Mike Tullie of DownCity Style Studio. Start with a basic solid color such as charcoal or navy.

2. Get a tailor, suggests Jim Fortier of Blueprint 5. “A man should have a great tailor in his life that he goes to regularly and trusts,” he said.

3. Buy the best quality clothing you can afford, recommends Marc Streisand of Marc Allen Fine Clothiers. “That doesn’t necessarily mean expensive, but don’t buy cheap because it doesn’t last,” he said.


4. It’s best to buy clothing by the outfit, not the piece, Streisand says. “Men are notorious for this and you run the risk of buying a shirt and having nothing else in your closet that goes with it,” he says.

5. Dress well to boost your confidence, Streisand adds. “The right clothing will make you feel good and empower you,” he says.
Read also:blue bridesmaid dresses