At men’s store Seize sur Vingt, it’s all made to measure
Not long after James and Gwendolyn Jurney opened their men’s store, Seize sur Vingt, in downtown Manhattan 15 years ago, a town car pulled up and, as they tell the story, a “nice man came in and started getting stuff.”
Only when he was settling up did they realize he was a Hollywood titan.
Now Jeffrey Katzenberg, a client ever since, doesn’t have to go to New York to replenish his wardrobe with the store’s signature slimly cut custom-tailored suits and shirts.
In fact, he was the very first customer to be fitted at their new West Hollywood outpost on a quiet stretch of Melrose before they officially opened last month in suitably industry-related style with a party sponsored by the nascent Esquire Network.
“We had a client base out here for some time,” says Gwendolyn Jurney. (Other high-profile customers include Paramount President Adam Goodman, former Disney Studios Chairman Rich Ross and on-camera stars Ellen DeGeneres, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel.) “And this seemed like the next logical step.”
Now they can offer things like their shoe collection ($340 to $580), previously unseen in Los Angeles, which anchors the far end of the long rectangular space with a wall of smart suede lace-ups in gumdrop shades. There are also takes on classic dress oxfords and sporty chukkas as well as the town’s red-carpet requisite, tux shoes.
In the central “zone” of the shop, sharing the space with quirky accessories such as checkered belts and colorful hand-framed anklet socks, are the limited-edition dress shirts ($185 to $260) produced in up to 50 imported fabrics a season, never to be repeated. Jim Jurney notes that each shirt is individually numbered with an exclusive laser-engraved label during the manufacturing process, so you know you’re wearing, say, No. 4 of 63.
Ready-made suits and sport coats come next, including a new double-breasted jacket model. A sturdy micro-houndstooth cotton suit hangs next to sleek wool suits and tuxedos that will be finished with working sleeve buttonholes tailored to each buyer.
Beyond that is the “sanctum sanctorum,” with its walls cocooned in herringbone wool. Here customers can leisurely indulge in bespoke suits (from $2,850) and custom shirts, assisted by a modern twist: a video of each fitting is forwarded to the master tailors in Italy to supplement all the painstaking old-school measurements.
“The tailors learn so much about each customer, like how they stand,” Jim Jurney says.
And with a nod to Hollywood showmanship, the video camera at the new store is 3-D.
Where: 8618 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood
When: 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Closed Sundays.
Contact: (310) 657-1620
