Spoil Your Man with Tasty Attire

A chic woman’s best accessory? A well-dressed man, of course. Whether your man is a style maven, a 9-to-5 suit guy or strictly dresses up for special occasions, all men can benefit from the stylish tailoring of Astor & Black’s custom clothes for men. With expert detail and fine fabrics, your honey can look as smooth as silk in perfect fitting suits, shirts and custom-made ties.

Astor & Black was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 2004 by a then 20-year-old David Schottenstein, whose family retail holdings include Filene’s Basement and DSW Shoes. The premise of the company is simple: provide men with extraordinary custom suits, ties and accessories at a fabulous price that belies its bespoke tailoring. (Insiders lingo: “Bespoke” literally means clothing that is original and unique to each customer).

Amanda Narloch, the Cincinnati-based representative for Astor & Black outlines a typical suiting experience this way: “A client can buy individual items or — buy in our packages. The experience of being fitted for a custom suit includes having a tailor come to your residence or place of business for an initial measurement session. After choosing the fabrics and details for your suit and shirts, your clothing will be delivered in a few weeks and the initial fitting takes place, to ensure perfection. After your sizing has been recorded, reordering new suits and shirts is as simple as selecting the fabrics, either in person or on the new Astor & Black Web site that will be launching in 2009.”

Astor & Black has developed an influential reputation and counts a number of professional athletes among their clients, including Brady Quinn of the Cleveland Browns and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints. In Hollywood, Astor & Black created wardrobe pieces for cast members from the Emmy Award-winning show “Mad Men” on AMC.

Astor & Black scored an enviable high-fashion home run this year with the selection of Cincinnati’s own Kenyatte Nelson as “Best Dressed Real Man in America” in Esquire Magazine. Nelson, a global design brand manager for Proctor & Gamble’s Nice ‘n Easy brand, regularly blogs about men’s style and fashion on his personal blog and is a dedicated Astor & Black client.

“What I love about Astor & Black is that you are able to customize absolutely every aspect of the garments that you order. I like to get a little creative with my suiting and Astor & Black allows me to do so,” Nelson says.

Even though current plans don’t include any upcoming women’s lines, Astor & Black is, “working on perfecting the art of measuring women,” Narloch says.

Astor & Black is the perfect option for the man who sometimes, always or almost never wears suits for an occasion. As the saying goes, “Clothes do make the man,” and with Astor & Blacks’ myriad options, fabrics and packages your man is sure to find the perfect custom combination for him, guaranteeing he’ll look sharp indeed.

Holiday Giving Note

While Astor & Black is a for-profit business, they never forget that there are those all across the world who are less fortunate. In addition to donating huge quantities of clothing to local shelters and charitable organizations, Astor & Black donates at least 10 percent of all profits to various charities around the world. These charities range from those feeding the poor to organizations promoting a better education and future to those in need.

PHOTO CREDITS
Photo: Neysa Ruhl Photography
Location: The McAlpin

Models: Kenyatte Nelson and Amanda Narloch