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Spring 2011 New York Market Review

The temperature in Manhattan was in the mid 90s, and many of the lines we saw were just as hot as a manhole cover in mid-afternoon. If there is still trepidation on the manufacturing front as to the economic future, it was not evident in their offerings for Spring 2011. The short story overall is about relaxed, washed, traditional, and colorful sportswear and trimmer fitting, classic and sophisticated tailored clothing.

To begin with, for those of you who still like wearing pleated trousers, you better hang on to the ones you have, because pleats are going to be harder and harder to find. And, for those who think flat fronts aren’t as comfortable or as flattering, you could be half right. However, flat fronts cut with the gentleman in mind are very comfortable, and we’re convinced, after seeing them on all body types, that the proper cut is more flattering on most everyone. That’s not to say that a middle aged man wearing a low rise, flat front trouser cut for a skinny hipster doesn’t look he got sent through a shrink-wrap machine. And, we saw plenty of that at market being worn by pot-bellied, pseudo-hip fashionistas who float about on every wind of change that blows their way. But, don’t let those people discourage you from venturing from pleats to a comfortable flat front. You’ll like it.

However, in pants, the big story to which we’re sticking from last fall is still five-pocket (jeans) styles. We saw (and will buy) all kinds of fabric variations from light weight twill to canvas, light weight denim, and cotton/linen blends in traditional khaki and stone shades and citrus colors. Hiltl, Bills Khakis, Peter Millar and the slightly hipper Gardeur all had great offerings. All of our resources are offering new, innovative fabrics in trousers, but the Sanibel Twill (cotton/linen) and the Hamilton Stripe (the non seersucker seersucker), along with new colors of summer red and marine in the Nassau Twill stood out at Bills. Peter Millar’s new Chino Lino will be attractive at a lower price point than its counterparts at Hiltl and Incotex fabrics, and they are going to make it in both a pant and a five pocket style. It should be a big winner. Hiltl, as always had more cool things than a popsicle vendor, and more than we can possibly buy.

The 5 Pocket Style reigns over Hiltl's Spring 2011 collection whereas Peter Millar's Chino Lino, offered in a kaleidescope of colors, will be a big hit

Fantastic colorations abounded in sport shirts, with raspberry and pink, lavender and purple, and orange being the standouts. If you don’t have any gingham shirts, you’ll have a lot of opportunity to buy them next spring in all sizes and colorations. They were in almost everyone’s lines in abundance. Gitman Brothers and Peter Millar had some in interesting textured fabrics, though, giving gingham a fresher look. But, to iterate, the most interesting shirts were washed and relaxed looking, especially in linen. The coolest washed linen we saw was from Gianetto Portofino, a garment washed dobby in incredible spring colors. And the standout new sport shirt line we saw was from the former sportswear designer for Zegna, Kim Herring, who has gone out on his own to create the appropriately named Kim Herring line. Kim has obviously leveraged his relationship with mills and manufacturers in coming up with a truly wearable upscale line for the over 40 accomplished crowd. Totally unique, and we think it will fly off the shelves.

What can we say? Italians just know how to do color the right way. Here's a smattering of styles from Giannetto Portofino we've considered for the upcoming Spring season

Zegna's former sportswear designer Kim Herring strikes out on his own with an impressive collection for Spring 2011

Look for knitwear to continue to be strong next spring, with trimmer fits and washed looks prevailing as the predominant theme here, as well. Peter Millar, Vineyard Vines and Southern Tide continue to add to their offerings. And, though we’re not big on logos, Vineyard Vines’ Collegiate Polo which they introduced this spring is the softest all cotton knit pique we’ve found. And the 6% Lycra in Southern Tide’s pique has drawn quite a following. In the non-logoed arena, Peter Millar’s Sun Washed Pique, with its shirt collar and open sleeve will continue to be a winner. But, our favorite new find is a sophisticated, more evolved pique we are buying from Breuer.

Southern Tide & Vineyard Vines still compete for top spot amongst young and old alike in the realm of logo'd polos

In tailored clothing, the talk of the market was Hickey Freeman. Almost every retailer we talked with said they thought it was the best looking line they saw at market. One of our friends from Birmingham was asked by another retailer after he saw the line if he was a Hickey account, to which he replied, “No. But I will be when I get back to Birmingham.” Having bought HartMarx out of bankruptcy last year, it is amazing how quickly the new owners have put together new models and a stellar piece goods line with the help of Samuelsohn’s former designer and former Oxxford president, Mike Cohen. The fit of their new A, B and C bodies was spot on and the B body, in our opinion is the perfect combination of a trimmed down silhouette and slightly higher armhole that still has comfort for the mature man. Jim and I both tried it on, and it even fit us.

Castangia, the new Italian line we are bringing in for this fall, and with which we’ve already had good success in made to measure, looked fantastic for spring, as much because of their fit and styling details as their piece goods. We love the light canvas and soft shoulder on both the full hand make and the semi hand make, and the seven inch drop model is modern and trim without being gimmicky and trendy. There was one particular linen and wool blue plaid sport coat which Chris and Paul had mannequinned up that was probably the best looking sport coat we saw for next spring the entire time we were at market.

This blue plaid sport coat from Castangia stopped us in our tracks

Peter Millar had their usual clubby look in some of their sport coats, but Chris Knott has done a great job of adding more accessible and conservative patterns. And their suit fabric offerings were traditional with just the right amount of interesting accent colors. H. Freeman has quietly come out with their new silhouette, the Charleston (which is such an improvement over their older models), and though they don’t have the name recognition that Hickey Freeman does, they are still one of the best values in the clothing industry for a full canvas garment. Oxxford’s still the best made suit in the world, and we expect to have continued success with their updated body styles. We wish they would improve their own piece goods selection and rely less on Holland and Sherry, but so far that hasn’t happened. And Polo Blue Label was very…Poloesque, which in our mind is great. No one does WASPy like Ralph. What stood out in his line were the vibrant navys. Very fresh and summery.

It’s going to be a great spring to buy clothes all the way around. So get ready. All you have to do is weather these dog days of this summer and whatever the winter holds in store.

Buy Your Bills Khakis Before August 25 and Save!

J. Michaels Summer Sale Is On While Supplies Last

For those of you who frequent our store or website often you probably are already aware of our Summer Sale that began a couple of weeks ago.  With brands like Robert Talbott, Martin Dingman, Bills Khakis, Hiltl, Seaward & Stearn all up for grabs at the season’s lowest prices, we haven’t particularly done the best job promoting the sale this year which is both a good and a bad thing for our customers… on the one hand, some of you may have been holding off on ordering the popular Bills Khakis Cotton Gab or the infamous Hiltl Chino Lino pants until they went on sale (which is now the case)… on the other hand, some may have expected one of their old favorites like the Martin Dingman Amory Shoe to stay in Dingman’s stock collection forever (which is also now NOT the case and therefore it, too, is on sale). 

Either way, we hope you will take a bit of time out of your busy day to peruse the new offerings listed under our Summer Sale department or even stop by the store (as there is so much more on sale in the store that we simply don’t have the time to upload to the site).  Quantities are already scarcely low (as in usually 1 or 2 units per size or style remaining), so get it before it’s gone!

Feel free to call the store or email if there is anything you might be on the lookout for, it might very well be in the store and on sale but just not listed online because we have just one left!  Ya never know, you might just be livin’ right and be lucky enough to get some great clothes at even greater prices!

Fall collections will begin arriving soon, keep a lookout over the next few weeks as we will begin uploading new items to the site in early August!

Thanks and happy hunting!

Martin Dingman, Hiltl Jeans & Pants, Robert Talbott, Bills Khakis, Seaward & Stearn & More - Now On Sale!

Building A Great Visual Reputation The New York Life Way

Every blue moon or so we are provided the opportunity to visit with local businesses and organizations in Nashville and enlighten those young and old on the benefits of ‘Building A Great Visual Reputation’ as first impressions really can make or break a business deal in any competitive market. 

Mike Mahaffey divulges on the psychology of visual representation and how to dress moreso for impact rather than attention.  Those on the receiving end leave with a better impression of how their dress can shine a positive or negative light on their business.

When Mike & I  met with the good people of New York Life in Cool Springs last Friday, I must say we were overall quite impressed with the visual reputation a majority of their associates already upheld.  However, there’s always one….

Miranda with Shane of New York Life... somehow we don't think this meets office dress code

Now we must admit that Shane is an awfully good sport taking one for the team as his Centurion getup was for a motivational speech to ‘rally the troops’ at New York Life.  However, we’re only letting him off the hook this one time, lol.

How has your workplace been affected by the corporate casual policy sweeping the nation?  Pros? Cons?  We’d love to hear your thoughts.

- Miranda Priest, J. Michaels Clothiers

J. Michaels Clothiers Flood Victims Clothing Free For All Event

Well the flood came and went and cleanup continues here in Music City USA.   After contacting several of our vendors, we received close to 70 large boxes of pants, shorts, knits, dress and sport shirts, sweaters, coats, socks, and shoes.  We were amazed at the response we received from all of our brands and have had several customers ask us which of those were so generous to those in need here in the Middle TN area.

Jody, Heather, & Stephen helping unload a portion of the boxes of donations we received

So we’ve compiled a list for those of you interested:  Ballin, Bills Khakis, Byford, Corbin, Cole Haan (via their Nike affiliate), Gitman Brothers, Goodhew, Hiltl, Martin Dingman, Psycho Bunny, Robert Talbott, Scott Barber, Southern Tide, Tiger Mountain, Touch Shirts, Trafalgar, Turtleson, & W. Kleinberg.  Whoo!  That’s a mouthful. 

Not to mention the lovely ladies at both Boutique Bella & The French Shoppe off of West End Avenue who provided an incredibly generous donation of ladies clothing and shoes at the last minute.  It is amazing the amount of ladies who were helped by the items both of these great shops were able to donate!

Our crew setting up one of the tents of men's clothing for Nashville flood victims

We ‘set up shop’ on Saturday, May 29th at Bellevue Baptist Church and, although the numbers are a bit rough around the edges, we believe we were able to help at least 400 people replenish their wardrobes to some extent.  We were blessed with good weather and a great turnout and encouraged by the enduring spirit of so many Middle Tennesseeans who had lost so much. 

The line began to form an hour before our event began, thanks to all the media outlets who got the word out for us!

Mike & Jim crossing paths between helping those in need

Thank you to all who helped make the event successful.  We have to give props to Metro Parks & Rec for providing the pop up tents, Kroger, Harris Teeter, and Jet’s Pizza for providing refreshments and Bellevue Baptist Church for opening up their doors to us.  A big thanks also to all of the media outlets who helped us spread the word to flood victims:  News Channel 4 WSMV, News Channel 2 WKRN, News Channel 5, Anna Marie Ritter at Mix 92.9 , Nashville Scene, Joshua Greene at Psi Mysteri Nashville, Her Nashville, and all of our good friends and customers!

Keep a look out, we might have another event for flood victims in the works as well! 

J. Michaels Staff & Family All Volunteered For The Event: Left to Right: Jamie Brandon, Debbie Brandon, Jim Brandon, Miranda Priest, Mike Mahaffey, Kelle Linville, Don Linville, Jody Markle, Lisa Lopp Markle, Nick Birch, Casie Clark, & Blake Lopp. Not pictured: Stephen & Heather Houle as well as Michael Barrett & Dennis Moore, who held down the fort at the store.

J Michaels Flood Victims Free For All Event

We are happy to have had such an enormous response from all of our vendors as we are spending this week organizing all of the new clothing donations we received for victims of the recent flooding here in Nashville.

We have received hundreds of items from Bills Khakis, Southern Tide, Scott Barber, Cole Haan (Nike), Ballin, Corbin, Martin Dingman, Goodhew, and more and we can not wait to hand these items out to those in need this Saturday, May 29th.

Please spread the word as we will have items mostly for men and teen boys from our collections, but the church with whom we are partnering with has several clothing items for women and children as well.

Thank you again for your support of J. Michaels throughout the years, we are so glad that we can give back to Nashville in its time of need.  See you Saturday!

Spread the word or join us as we give away clothing to those in need this Saturday, May 26th, at Bellevue Baptist Church!

An Overwhelming Response To Disaster

Many of you may be aware that our store is based in Nashville, Tennessee which a few weeks ago became rain central for a period of 72 hours or so.  Within that time period, Nashville received a record amount of rainfall, causing the worst flooding in several hundred years.  Nashville’s downtown core was hit hard as the Cumberland river that snakes throughout the city peaked past the 50 foot mark on Monday, May 3rd, causing flooding throughout downtown as well as throughout the beloved Opryland area, engulfing the Opryland Hotel, mall, and infamous Grand Ole Opry with up to 20 feet of water.

We here at J. Michaels are luckily on the 2nd floor of our building and came out unscathed; however, several thousands of those in the Middle Tennessee area were unfortunately not so lucky and lost literally everything, surviving with only the clothes on their back.

As Nashville continues to rebuild and clean up the mess the flood left, we at J. Michaels decided that we would do what we do best: clothe people.  We called on all of our vendors, asking if they would have any new clothing items they would be willing to donate to the cause.  We were completely surprised, overwhelmed, and very grateful at the response we received as we have now over 50 HUGE boxes of casual pants, dress trousers, sport shirts, jackets, shoes, socks, and more waiting to be donated to those in need.

Over 50 Boxes Have Been Donated By: Bills Khakis, Ballin, Cole Haan, Scott Barber, Martin Dingman, Kleinberg, Southern Tide, Goodhew, Corbin - AND MORE ON ITS WAY!

We have teamed up with Bellevue Baptist Church at 7400 Highway 70 South in Bellevue, TN and Saturday, May 29th, will hold a ‘J. Michaels Clothiers Flood Victims’ Free For All’ giveaway event of all of the new  items we and the church have accumulated from 10am to 2 pm. 

More details will follow soon, we hope that you will spread the word to anyone you may know was severely affected as we want to help as many of those as possible!  Thanks so much!

- The Staff At J. Michaels Clothiers

615.321.0686

It’s Not Always Glamorous

It isn’t always glamorous…  light pink socks aside, this might be the best fitting short we’ve ever experienced, the new Peter Millar Sun Washed Twill Short.  We plan on ordering a load of these in various colors for the upcoming Peter Millar Trunk Show April 22nd, stop by and get cha’ some!

The best fitting shorts we've found so far

Bills Khakis Spring 2010 Trunk Show April 7th!

Dear Friends and Patrons,

Below are the details for our Bills Khakis Trunk Show next Wednesday, April 7^th. As most of you know from past Bills Trunk Shows, not only will we be featuring all the fantastic new items from Bills for this spring, but this is also THE OPPORTUNITY to get a preview of everything Bills will be offering for Fall 2010. And, you will be able to place PERSONAL SPECIAL ORDERS for any item in your size and model preference, even if we are not going to carry that particular item in our inventory for fall.

Bills has expanded its line so much that it is impossible for us, or any other store for that matter, to inventory even just the items we like the most, not to mention the entire line. So being able to see everything available for fall and to cherry pick your own favorite items is not only a benefit for the avid Bills fan, but also a luxury which no other manufacturer offers.

Here are a few of the highlights from the upcoming fall line. The most popular fabric among our clientele, Chamois Cloth will be offered in nine colors. The ever growing in popularity Vintage Twill will be available in 11 colors. Fans of the Dixie Wale Cord will be happy to know that it will be available again this fall, after a year’s absence, in five colors. And, the perfect corduroy for Nashville’s climate, the 11 Wale Cord, will be available in all the classic Bills Models, as well as in a Five Pocket, jeans style model. And the shining star in the fall line, Supima Cotton Cord, will be available in both Classic Bills trouser models AND the Five Pocket model. With 2% Elastane added to this superior cotton, this is the softest, most comfortable corduroy you will have ever put on one leg at a time.

Speaking of Five Pocket models, we see this as the most important addition to a man’s wardrobe for the upcoming fall season. These Five Pocket models go hand in hand with the ever increasing trend toward more tailored coat silhouettes which clothing manufacturers continue to follow. And, Bills Fall 2010 is loaded with a variety of different fabric and color offerings. You’ll have to see it to believe it.

Other items of note are an authentic Bomber Jacket made by the same folks who make them for the U.S. Air Force and Bills entire Sport Shirt Line. There are twice as many offerings in this category as there were in the Fall 2009 line, and for those of you who have already had the chance to wear one of their sport shirts, you know what a great shirt they make. We are looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it by next Wednesday. As usual we will have an ample supply of adult beverages, and as a bonus, The ROYAL HIGHNIES CHICKS will be here to help extol the virtues of the WORLD’S FINEST BOXER SHORT.

All the Best,

Mike & Jim