FASHION : AROUND TOWN : What’s in Store for Men? : Jaywolf: Newcomer stocks the offbeat and the traditional.
Why would a 25-year-old man in tune with the times open a men’s clothing shop that looks about as cutting edge as his father’s pin-striped suit?
Well, looks can be deceiving. At Jaywolf, tucked into an alley off Robertson Boulevard near Melrose Avenue, racks of pastel Oxford-cloth shirts and striped repp ties disguise a whimsical sartorial style that is slowly capturing the attention of conservative California males.
A close inspection reveals a few offbeat sportswear items by such British makers as John Smedley, Margaret Howell and Paul Smith. They offer everything from far-out printed silk neckties and “conversational” print shirts to boldly colored slacks and sport shirts.
And although the conservative two-button, center-vented clothing silhouette that dominates such retailers as Carroll & Company and H.G. Harb figures prominently in Jaywolf’s glass-enclosed cabinets, the younger side of the store’s owner, Jay Wolf, also shows.
By pairing a classic soft-shouldered suit with a print sport shirt or a comically inspired necktie by designer Paul Smith, Wolf says he can help his customers update their look without dismissing their personal sense of style.
Like the merchandise, the store itself seems full of contradictions. Designed by celebrated interior designer Waldo Fernandez, who is also a part owner, the 1,800-square-foot shop, with sisal carpeting, rattan furnishings, four-tiered display shelves and brass fixtures, appears contemporary yet conservative.
Wolf’s own style--two-piece suits, with small wire-rimmed glasses and a well-bred manner of speaking--personifies a much older man.
“A man . . . won’t buy a suit from just anyone,” Wolf says, explaining his conservative dress. “Men have to trust you. I’m establishing that trust now.”
The Jaywolf fashion concept reflects the threat of recession as well as the changing menswear tides, he says.
“During a recession men think about dressing more practically,” he says. “They want fashion that will last more than one season.”
That is a point well taken because Jaywolf suits start at $625 and top out at $900; sport coats sell for around $600; pants go as high as $250; and shirts range from $60 (dress models) to $250 (sport styles). Advice about how to dress, however, is free.
