Showroom Dummies - Men’s Fashion in Raleigh
Fix Up, Look Sharp
When walking past the storefront of the soon to be Black and White Market in Cameron Village recently, I found myself staring at a sea of mannequins and wondering “Where is all the Men’s Fashion in Raleigh, North Carolina?”
This question is one I ponder often. Trying to find a fashionable piece of clothing in Raleigh that doesn’t cost a fortune is tough. It’s no wonder why so many folks resort to vintage clothing for style. It’s cheap and goes in and out of style almost weekly. I found myself pondering this just last week in Black and White Market in some random mall on the outskirts of town with my fianceé. I said to her “Why don’t they have stores like this for men? A plethora of shirts, pants, shoes, hats, ties, belts in two simple colors, White and Black?” It would be a designer’s dream, or any guy who loves options in single colors (excluding Lacoste).
But what about those shoppers who love to bring out the pantone in their soul? There’s always the pop culture, copy/paste blitz of Urban Outfitters at the malls. In downtown, a couple of boutiques offer a small variety of color for men. There is Wardrobe, but it packs a high price tag and Fab’rik has sadly decided to give up on Men’s clothing. NV seems to do okay in North Hills after closing down for a short amount of time and Catch 22 is another alternative in the downtown market. The prices at Catch are variable but the selection is slim. Adam Peele should be opening his boutique on Capital Boulevard soon. But these few boutiques can’t handle the full load. Maybe, there just isn’t a demand. I asked the owner of Fab’rik why they were depleting their men’s inventory and that was the exact response, lack of “men shopping for nice fashionable clothes”. I guess there are always department stores, but how bleak of a shopping experience are those, unless you are speaking Nordstroms. Ah, once again, the money factor.
That said, is it the city or its citizens. Shouldn’t there be a midpoint between cheap vintage clothing and high dollar boutique wear for men? Where’s the American Apparel? Where’s the H&M? Stores that offer decent quality men’s fashion at a decent quality price. A quick walk down Oxford Street in London will reveal as many men’s clothing options as there are women’s. Raleigh isn’t London of course, but we could learn from this model. Equal opportunity in clothing wear. Next time you are in Cameron Village, count the number of clothing shops aimed at women and then count the number that offer men’s clothing. Do that at any shopping complex in the area, you’ll find a disproportionate balance. Same is the case at Raleigh fashion shows. Few men’s clothing options have graced the stage over the past few years in the area. And don’t get me started on tie options.
Fashion may not matter to most, but it does to some. There is no reason a man should have to ponder the question of authentic fashion in a city like Raleigh. We have the artists, were are the outlets?
We are standing here
Exposing ourselves
We are showroom dummies
We step out
And take a walk through the city
We are showroom dummies
This is the state of Men’s Fashion in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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SMcDonald
04/29 05:30 PM
Taking money out of the equation for a moment: Lile’s in North Hills is my favourite. Putting money back into the equation—I would say that Lile’s is not expensive, they just carry expensive lines.
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RaleighRob
04/29 07:02 PM
Money is the big factor. I dunno about the women, but most southern men are too practical to put down the kinda money most of these small boutiques charge.
For example, last time I was in NV, I saw much I liked, but bought nothing. All I could think was: “Where are all these young trendy guys with six figure salaries coming from? I didn’t think that many lived here!” Cuz I certainly cannot vision anyone making less than six-digits affording that stuff!
You’re right on the mid-priced stuff….H&M;or American Apparel could certainly do good business here. H&M;is generally considered the “Ikea of Fashion” and I think they’d get great business in the Triangle.
Until then it’s mostly department stores or other mall shops for me. *shrug* Unless I win the lottery, I certainly ain’t gonna pay a hundred bucks for a pair of jeans…no way!
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Vince Carmody
04/29 08:20 PM
kraftwerk~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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dbearhug
04/30 02:38 AM
Shopping for menswear is a funny thing in the Triangle. Outside of Macy’s, Nordstrom and Saks there are few boutique experiences. I’ve not been to Liles, but I certainly like their windows. NV is a little young for me, but my favorite clothing home is Chockey’s which sits in an out of the way location off of Old Wake Forest Road. Here are two guys who have a good eye and offer great customer service. It’s no wonder they consistently rank in Esquire magazine’s Top 100 menswear stores.
Peace
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Andy O
05/01 03:37 PM
Hear-hear! I have been groaning for moderate men’s style for years. There were a couple places in Cameron village, back at the turn of the new century, but now all we have is JosBank. Truth is, I’ve been almost exclusively lands-ending it for the last couple years, going back to basics, but even they’ve been letting me down.
Bought my coolest pair of shoes at Firefly on Glenwood, and now Firefly’s gone.
The choices as I see them:
1. Mail order - predictable, negligable style value.
2. The Mall - bargains, generic style, mystery materials
3. Banana Republic - costs too much for the material, looks way better on the rack than on me.This crisis is on par with our radio station selection, and the radio seems to be getting better.
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Jamalski
02/05 04:59 PM
We at Captive Collective feel your pain. That’s why we are trying to offer Raleigh one of a kind shirts that won’t drain your wallet. We know it’s tight out there these days. We are currently trying to get out into the Raleigh retail market, so maybe you’ll see us out there soon. For the time being visit us at http://www.captivecollective.com
Thank you so much for the Kraftwerk reference. That was great.
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Martin
02/09 03:05 PM
Check out Martin & Mary’s in Cary, NC for cool, contemporary clothes for men and women from New York City and Los Angeles. You can check out our website or shop online!
We’re having huge deals right now to get rid of old merchandise. Our in-store deals are better than online (up to 85% off) if we happen to have your size left.
For in-store purchases, anything not on sale is $25 off every $100 spent! For online sales, we are offering free shipping on orders of $125 or more!
Our men’s lines include: Monarchy Tees & Denim, Scotch & Soda, Ted Baker London, Velvet Men, Trunk, Ltd., Heavy Rotation, Splendid Mills, Marc New York by Andrew Marc, Trovata, Calavena, Projek Raw, Kowboys, Splendid Mills, Artificial Flavor, Retro Sport by Reebok, Le Tigre, Shirt by CP Shades, Rex Tees, Chip & Pepper, Fidelity Denim, Avage Denimsmith, 1921 Jeans, Paige Premium Denim, Genetic Denim
Our women’s lines include: BCBG Maxazria, Free People, Velvet, Max and Cleo, Only Hearts, Language Los Angeles, LA Made, Chilli Pepper London, Bobi Tees, Hard Tail, Pure & Simple, MK2K, Badgley Mischka, Trunk, Ltd., Colcci Brazil, American Vintage, So Low, Splendid, Yummie Tummie, Hanky Panky, Kensie Girl, Lilla P, Alvin Valley, Billy Blues, Retro Sport by Reebok, Heavy Rotation, Rex Tees, Jet, Zinc, Brazil Effect, XCVI, Insight, Flirti-Girl Couture, Provence d’Amour, Sao Paulo, Marisa K, Sue Wong, Paige Premium Denim, Fidelity Denim, Serfontaine Denim, 1921 Jeans, Pure Color Jeans, Genetic Denim, Marlow Jeans, Colcci Silver Jeans, Free People Jeans, Vitamina Jeans
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Martin
02/09 03:08 PM
www.martinandmarys.com
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Destiny
10/15 06:54 AM
Thank you for mentioning Nordstrom (no S on the end)... Because of recent economic conditions, buyers are sending more affordable jeans, t-shirts, outerwear and accessories than ever. It’s as fashionable as before, and you can’t beat the service! :D
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