Happy Festivus!

Festivus at Felt was so much fun--no lines, no cover, fun people, and free pool sponsored by 9tailors! Thanks to everyone who came out, and a special shout-out to all the new friends we met. Hi!

If you missed the event, you also missed Dashing, Dapper, and Debonair--a.k.a. Victor Wang, our marketing intern; Ernie Chin, NAAAP Boston leader; and Phil Han, Get Prept CEO and Festivus organizer. They're all wearing 9tailors shirts! Extra kudos to Phil, who is single-handedly bringing bowties back to Boston. Click on the photo to zoom in--it's made of a plaid fabric with skull-and-crossbones details. How wonderfully whimsical!

If you haven't heard of this Festivus of which we speak, you're missing out! Here's a photo of the folks who brought it to mainstream America...

9tailors can help you replicate these looks!

...and a short clip to bring you up to speed.


Happy Festivus, and happy holidays from 9tailors!

people with style: man of color

orange. yellow. pink. blue. no, i'm not talking about candy hues for spring. i'm talking about a man who isn't afraid of wearing a little color. i'm talking about my friend, christopher tam.

christopher's wardrobe is partly playful, partly outrageous, but mostly mischievous (and i wanted to triple underline mischievous, but blogger wouldn't let me). no wonder he has a preference for big, bold colors, and unusual accents and trims. while he does make many gutsy choices, chris always manages to look like a stylish, modern american man.

let's toast the man of the hour with 5 glasses of gewurztraminer and 10 shots of washington apples (chris's favorite beverages).

sam: define your personal style.
ctam: i don't have a style per se, as i'm more like a chameleon. i dress depending on a combination of my mood and the occasion. but, if I had to describe it, it would be fun. fun because i like wearing clothes that you won't see on every other guy. sure, i have my favorite pair of jeans, and standard white and black shirts, but my favorite shirts stand-out, e.g., purple and white striped french-cuff shirt with purple cufflinks. since i work so many hours, when i go out, i want to have a blast and part of that is looking like a guy who has fun and is unconventional. my hair is a key piece of the equation. yeah, i'm 27 and its spiked like hell, but who cares?!? ido what i want and wear what i want. that said, everything i own also maximizes comfort, especially since i overheat pretty easily and love gorging myself on food and libation
sam: didn't you also just give yourself a mohawk?!
ctam: err...yes.

sam:what's the coolest thing you own in your closet?
ctam: a grey 3/4 length jacket by marithe francois girbaud made of a rubbery/waterproof substance with 16 pockets and shiny reflective stripes outlining several of the pockets. it's loud, but subtle at the same time as many of the pockets are "hidden" as they blend it cleverly with the jacket.

sam:what/who inspires you? why?
ctam: i don't really have an inspiration in the sense of someone i try to imitate, but in general, i like seeing people who wear things that are out there (although not totally out of left field). i hate
seeing people wear things that are standard, "in" or stereotypical (i.e. asians wearing black shirts with black pants).

sam:what is your worst-ever fashion-faux pas?
ctam: when i was a young lad, i wore white socks with teva sandals. in more recent memory, i once wore a brown belt with black shoes, and also a plaid shirt with pinstripe pants (although the latter was intentional and i didn't think it looked too bad).
sam: wow. tevas and white socks. i totally did that in middle school. i hope i never do that to myself again. that also goes for birkenstocks and socks... i think i need to go bury myself in some prada. omg, what were we thinking??
ctam: we were young and reckless.
sam: isn't that us now? correction, isn't that you now?
ctam:...you gotta enjoy life, right?

sam: what would you never be caught wearing?
ctam: i would never be caught wearing: muscle tees or tight-fitting polos. Oh yeah, no jean shorts either..hahaha.

if you want to read more about your fashion forward friends on this blog, let us know at info@9tailors.com.

people with style

who has more than style than an actual stylist? meet my good friend, allison abrams, co-owner of polished, a wardrobe advising company.

ally has an eagle-eye when it comes to buying designer labels and looks for less, which is why she is so successful at helping others build their own wardrobes. i have seen her rifle through racks of clothes at h&m with the precision of a swiss timepiece. surprisingly, each time, she emerges with a fabulous outfit from outwear to underwear.

she also has an understated, yet elegant style. when i first met ally, she had on a fabulous tailored jacket with a belt that was cinched at the waist, wide-legged trousers, and an over-sized leather bag. this is one girl knows how to do menswear right.

sam: define your personal style.
ally: sophisticated, polished, chic, feminine, detail-oriented.
sam: what's the coolest thing you own in your closet?
ally: probably a black trina turk jacket (similar pictured right)i found at filene's basement (i'm big on designer clothing at bargain prices) – it's double breasted with sparkly crystal cluster buttons and a matching belt that fastens in the most creative way.

sam: what/who inspires you? why?
ally: my mother – she always looks beautifully pulled together, whether she's wearing a suit or sweats. she claims i have shaped her style, but i know it's in fact the reverse.

sam: what is your worst-ever fashion-faux pas?
ally: think middle school – clunky doc martins, big plastic rings on every finger (i like to tell myself these things were in style back in the day…)

sam: who's closet would your raid? why?
ally: too tough to choose just one – it's a toss-up between sarah jessica parker (her personal wardrobe, not her sex and the city character's) and reese witherspoon (pictured left). their styles are both incredibly elegant and vibrant…and they always look impeccable on the red carpet. lately, i'll admit it, i also love everything katie holmes has been wearing!

sam: how would you wear a button-down dress shirt?
ally: i love a fitted shirt worn untucked with a fabulous belt at the natural waist – right now i am into crackled metallics, braided silks, and cognac colored leathers.

know someone with great style? let us know at info@9tailors.com.

suit yourself: people with style

a new year calls for a new person with style entry! this week 9tailors presents: alice lu.

if you had a chance to raid someone else's closet (without getting picked up by the police and charged with theft), who's would it be? my choice would be alice lu's, hands down. it's a treasure trove of chanel handbags, marc jacobs coats, prada heels, and a badgley mischka gown (more on that below). sadly though, i have never taken a peek into alice's closet (she would never reveal the secrets of her wardrobe. she's a lady for goodness sakes!). what a pity because i'm sure i would be dazzled.

from casual stroll in copley square to a special occasion at the top of the hub, alice is always appropriately dressed for every occasion. she is always refined, alluring, and youthful.

one important note: alice cleans out her closet every year and sells them at the store, second time around. so, if you're lucky enough, you might be able to score some of alice's gently worn clothes there.

sam: define your personal style.
alice: i'd like to think my personal style is chic and trendy, but most imporantly, always elegant.

sam: what would you never be caught wearing?
alice: i'm afraid to say never because then if this is posted, whatever i say will be something I can never wear.....ever. having said that, i think it's unlikely that in this lifetime, i'll ever be caught wearing anything resembling camouflage.

sam: what or who inspires you? why?

alice: i don't have a particular source of inspiration, but my favorite style icon is audrey hepburn (pictured left). she always looked so effortlessly elegant and chic, but her beauty was very approachable and not artificial.

sam: what is your worst-ever fashion-faux pas?
alice: hmmm....in middle school i went through a phase where i wore t-shirts in only large or x-large (i'm relatively petite and about 5'3"). i actually had an entire stack of huge shirts in bright colors that i wore with pants, jeans, even mini-skirts. does this count as a fashion faux pas? if not, it's still embarrassing enough when I see old pictures...


sam: what's the coolest thing you own in your closet?
alice: well, clothing circulates through my closet pretty quickly, but i think the coolest thing i have currently is this gorgeous black badgley mischka evening gown (a similar badgley mischka dress pictured right). i haven't even really worn it, but it was one of those dresses that i tried on for fun and couldn't help taking home, even though i have no idea when i'll wear it.
sam:can i borrow that dress if you're not going to wear it?
alice: ummm...

sam: how would you wear a button-down dress shirt?
alice: I've worn dress shirts in various ways, depending on what phase I'm in, but right now, I like a crisp button-down dress shirt tucked in to pants with a thin metallic or brightly-colored belt through the belt loops.

again, if you would like to nominate someone who you think has style, or if you would like to nominate yourself, please contact us at info@9tailors.com.

happy new year!

suit yourself: people with style (sam)

so, i know that i said that we would be coming online at the end of november and i know that many of you are anxiously awaiting to submit your first order. however, we hit a little time line snag. it’s really nothing to cry about (ok, awei cried a little bit. when i caught him, he claimed that his eyes were "sweaty"). rest assured that the 9tailors team is working very hard to make this thing happen so that you can enjoy your custom-made clothes soon!

in other exciting news, we hit a major milestone late last night/early this morning. at 2:00 am on december 5th, 9tailors officially submitted their first order!

the client? confidential.

the product? a strapless, tea-length cocktail dress made with a layer of chiffon and a layer of satin. and, of course, we are making a matching wrap to cover our client's very bare shoulders.

i will keep you all posted on the progress of our first order.

so, i promised a while ago that i would showcase someone i thought who had style. this week i bring to you: abigail barrett.

“no pictures of me unless i approve, or sue time. yup, lawyers. i have a reputation to uphold.” – abbey barrett

and, what a reputation indeed (and not in a dirty, hussy kind of way). i have known abbey since our days at brown. while her address, hair color, and dating/marital status (she just got engaged to jonathan bloom a month ago!) have changed, a few things have remained constant: her wit, her polished appearance, and her impeccable taste in clothes. her look is a mixture of where she currently lives, new york - urban and sophisticated - and where she grew up, rhode island - preppy, clean, and vintage. my favorite thing about abbey? she knows when to save her money and when to splurge so that she can build a one-of-a-kind closet that suits her budget and style.

since abbey threatened to slap me with a lawsuit for publishing pictures of her that would ruin her reputation, i decided to include a few pictures of pieces she has in her closet.

sam: what's the coolest thing you own in your closet?
abbey: coolest thing? it’s easier to think of the coolest thing i don't own. for instance, i must have ysl’s wood-heel, croc pumps (pictured above). i still want a goyard bag (pictured left) even though everyone has one and i am starting to not like them. i love my leopard-print, calf-hair doctor's bag and my white suede and silver-metallic leather cowboy boots that anne [royan] gave me. i also love my pink metallic leather balenciaga stilettos (also from anne). plus, i absolutely love all of my costume jewelry and my mud-brown, floor-length, velvet cape-style coat that i bought at a flea market. and finally, i love my black patent-leather mary-janes (similar style pictured below). how hot are those?! in love.

sam: what/who inspires you? why?
abbey: anne [royan] inspires me.

sam: what is your worst-ever fashion-faux pas?
abbey: my worst ever fashion faux pas would be those hideous boots everyone wore in high school that had heels in "low top" form. i pretty much blocked the brand from memory, so as to never discover them again. also flannel shirts. ew. and, unfortunately, au natural eyebrows.
(sam: i'm sorry, abbey. i don't think what those boots look like. does anyone know which shoes she's referring to?)

sam: what would you never be caught wearing?
abbey: there is a time, place, and style for everything. i wouldn’t want to say i’d never wear anything. who knows?

do you know someone who you think has style or do you think you have style? e-mail us info@9tailors.com so we can feature you or your friend on our blog.