WOMEN: Blue Eyed Girl

MEN: Great Lakes

April 10, 2006

designer profile menswear new york

Profiles

Fable of the Reconstruction

By Andi Teran

Aiming to dispel the notion that reworked vintage is a tired trend, designer Roy Caires and self-professed "thrift store fanatic" Tommy Cole debuted their menswear label This Old Thing? two years ago with a simple ethos: to destruct and then reconstruct vintage finds into bespoke conversation pieces. With clever collection titles such as "Hammer and Thread" for mismatched flannel and "Trompe Le Monde" for military jackets and modern Bogart trenches, the emphasis is on quality tailoring—with a dash of whimsy—that allows the garments to speak for themselves with subtle, architectural irony.

Their most recent "White Collar Crime" line features 1940s button-down dress shirts that have been cropped, refitted, and streamlined into more sophisticated one-of-a-kind pieces. For spring, their collection entitled "Re-pleat After Me" pairs meticulous tailoring with comfortable cotton all in the form of, you guessed it, pleats. The two also dabble in styling bands such as NYC's garage-glam Semi-Precious Weapons and offer custom orders by request. With a steady following of fans at Foley + Corinna Men in New York and Scout L.A. in Los Angeles, what's old could be the Next Big Thing.

This Old Thing? is available in New York at Foley + Corrina Men (143 Ludlow Street., 212-529-5043); and in Los Angeles at Scout L.A. (7920 West 3rd Street, 323-658-8684); www.thisoldthing.net.

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