For those of you who know me it may come as a shock that I read the Bible daily...Oh not that dusty old book...GQ of course. When one reads the "Bible" (again GQ) they get a glimpse into the mind of the machine, the inner workings of culture, sub-cultures and micro-cultures. The Bible creates a guide for its readers to become gentlemen, if that is what they truly want. As with the dusty old book those who take it too seriously look ridiculous. There are also competitors like Men's Vogue (Judaism) or Esquire (Islam). Once again as with the dusty old book, one does not need to read all the "holy books", because underneath them all lies a Perennial Philosophy, similar to the one espoused by Aldous Huxley in his anthology. To those truly in tune, like the Tom Fords of the world, one can get a glimpse of the Perennial Philosophy in action.
Alright, enough with the metaphors already...what the hell am I talking about?
The Perennial Philosophy of which I am referring is a timeless fashion that never goes out of style, yet are only grasped by the very select few. When worn, this timeless fashion can be manipulated to compliment any shape, and compliment it does. This not only involves the correct fabrics and styles, but precise tailoring.
Have any of you looked around Buffalo lately. I LOVE this City, but fashionistas we are not. Not yet at least.
Maybe the problem is there are a lack of Mens ware shops in Buffalo. There is Napoli's, O'Connell's and Hugo Boss at the Galleria. There is always the Outlet Mall, but I only get a hit about a 1/4 of the time over there. Furthermore, the places I just mentioned only provide off the rack clothing. Where is the timeless fashion? Where is the bespoke Saville Row tweed jacket that my great grandson, Sir Winthrop Neville Leta, III, Duke of Amherst will wear with pride?
This is where we introduce Bureau Made brought to you by Joseph Stocker and Jon Eisenberg: a dynamic duo of dapper dandies dolling-out dynamite duds...or...a few foppish fashionistas fitting fashionable folds on fellas...or...two totally transcendent...sorry!
Joe and Jon created Bureau Made to fit the niche I was just describing, and I do not think there are two gentlemen in Buffalo better qualified for the job. See Joe and Jon are in with the high holy saints of the perennial philosophy and vocal evangelists of timeless fashion. These gentlemen do not leave the house in anything but the most appropriate timeless fashion. In our Arctic tundra Buffalo Chic is a tough nut to crack, yet Joe and Jon do it seamlessly.
Let us move on to their atelier, shall we, a hobbit looking house in the Elmwood Village. The place exudes manly coolness and musk. Vinyl records playing, motley axes hanging on the walls, a comfortable couch, espresso at the ready, palettes of swatches, Billy Ripken, cuff links, ties, socks that make a skittles bag look dull. I remember the first time I walked in "After the Gold Rush" was playing on vinyl and the whole world made sense for one small second.
So I recently got my first bespoke suit. The options were overwhelming, yet Jon and Joe expertly guided me through their wares. We probably spent a good 20 minutes going through cloth swatches, picking out buttons, linings and colored accent stitching to really hit home that custom made suit feel. I am a bit ashamed to admit it, but I was most enamored with the ability to have a small phrase embroidered under the collar. I know it may come across as gimmicky, but if anyone ever asks me which suit coat is mine, like Samuel L. in Pulp Fiction, I just have to tell them to flip the collar and look for the one that says:
After about a month, and some tweaking on the tailoring I picked up my suit. I love it. I absolutely love it. It is a timeless suit with a perfect fit. Pick sticking on the lapel, a third, ticket pocket on the outside, purple satin lining, oxblood buttons...a beautiful thing. Right now I'm in the process of having a pink shirt custom made with my initials in the collar and I could not be more excited.
Thanks to Joe and Jon at Bureau Made we are rounding out Buffalo's Cultural Infrastructure. While I have raved wildly in the past about how amazing our local food scene is, one needs more than just craft cocktails to create a unique Buffalo culture. Bespoke fashion suits are a unique art, practiced only by a select few. One need only to look at Joe and Jon to see that they are uniquely qualified to do the job. We as the citizens of WNY are lucky to have these gentlemen living with us, to guide us in the way of timeless fashion, and open our minds to our innate possibilities in the process.
Households, cities, countries and nations have enjoyed great happiness, when a single individual has taken heed of the Good and Beautiful...such men not only liberate themselves; they fill those they meet with a free mind. --Philo around the turn of the Century.
Thus the Lord Spaketh, Amen! read more