Target Pop Up Store In Georgetown

IMG 4207 2 Target Pop Up Store In GeorgetownTarget just opened its cool little pop up store in Georgetown today, at the corner of Wisconsin and M Streets.

Target has squeezed a custom designed mini Swiss chalet into the parking lot right next to Old Glory (great place to stop for lunch by the way).

There are only three of these pop-up stores in the entire country – San Fransisco, New York City and here in Washington, D.C. It runs for only three days and then, it’s gone. So make sure to swing by and check it out. Also, if you follow their Twitter feed, you’ll get clues for the Target Gift Tag Hunt to win gift cards worth $100, and even on worth $500.

Sure, you can pick up a neat little Billy Kirk wallet over at ACL’s occasional pop up flea – but for the next three days you can get your hands on a limited supply of Target’s top holiday 50 gifts. Everything is pre-wrapped and ready to go. When you arrive, you are handed a clipboard printed with images of all the items, organized in nice, orderly fashion. The “store” is basically a huge glass case stocked with numbered examples of all 50 gifts, so you can see them in person. Make you picks, walk over to the bank or registers, pay and you are ready to go.

Products range from the new Star Trek movie DVD to a mini Margarita kit to a quilted bathrobe to a new Wii Fitness Pack. Some of the items are so exclusive to this project that they aren’t even in regular Target stores yet. Whatever price point you have in mind, they can probably cover it.

I stopped by for yesterday’s press event and was really impressed with the whole operation. Staffed by Target employees from both the home office in Minnesota and local stores across our region, the pop-up Target has a fun, seasonally festive feel to it.

It’s cold out right now, so make sure to stop by the pink Curbside Cupcakes truck for a awesome cupcake and hot chocolate.

Tagged with:
 

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National GeographicI headed up M Street feeling a bit like an archaeologist being ushered into a dig site long after the locals had cleared out.

With the White House a few short blocks away, I strode up to the National Geographic Museum and promptly entered the wrong door. After finding the right entrance, I found myself face to face with a warrior and his horse – both almost 2,000 years old.

Along with about 30 bloggers and photographers from across DC, I was invited to a sneak peek of National Geographic’s new exhibit, “Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor.” I’ve been telling you about this for a few months and I really could not wait to get in and take a look.

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

The exhibit finally opened today but yesterday evening I got the chance to be slightly more than an armchair adventurer. I also got to take pictures which you will not, so if you go please leave the camera in your bag.

Featuring the largest number of terra cotta figures ever to travel to the United States for a single exhibition, the collection showcases 15 terra cotta figures from the tomb of China’s first emperor. It also highlights 100 sets of artifacts including weapons, stone armor, coins and jade jewelry among many other items.

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic
Stone armor & detail

Considered by China to be Grade I artifacts, the collection sent to the United States is literally priceless. My notes from the sneak peek contain words like “remarkable”, “astounding” and “beautifully curated exhibit.” The setting is serene and organized as though one where walking through a pavilion or elegant home.

The exhibition will run through March 31, 2010. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with extended hours on Wednesdays until 9:00 p.m.Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children 2-12 and seniors. Kids under 2 are free. For more information, visit www.warriorsdc.org or call (202) 857-7700.

As a special benefit, the PIMCO Foundation, an exhibition sponsor, is partnering with the museum to offer 200 free tickets every Wednesday evening.

I want to thank the National Geographic staff for hosting this special event and for a remarkable show. Here are some of my favorite shots from last evening:

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

 Behind The Scenes: Terra Cotta Warriors at National Geographic

For information about this remarkable and rare show, please visit its site at www.warriorsdc.org.

OTC: Behind DC’s Velvet Rope

 OTC: Behind DCs Velvet RopeOn Monday Fashion Washington, The Washington Post’s luxury lifestyle magazine hosted a private party to celebrate its one year anniversary. It was also FW’s chance to flex a little fashion and eco star power as it also awarded Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau the honor of being DC’s Most Fashionable.

From 7:00-10:00 that evening, the recently opened Masa 14 was ground zero for many of DC’s best dressed and most fashionable. OTC was there to check it out and report back to you.

Celebrity blogger Scott “The Sartorialist” Schuman was there to schmooze and do a special book signing for the attendees. His official book signing began at 10:00 p.m. and by the time I got there a crowd was already gathering outside Masa 14.

I chatted with Scott for a while and asked why is it that Europeans in particular always seem to pull together great, classic looks that are always in style. Without hesitating he replied, “American men have too many choices. We have all these brands and labels that just pile up and encourage American guys to “be” a certain look. Who am I today? Am I a Ralph safari guy or an Abercrombie pretty preppy boy?”

He noted that Europeans – Italians in particular – “tend to have a single, classic silhouette with a few variations in color, fabric and cut. Milan, style-wise, is deep but narrow, so you have this amazing depth of knowledge and style and everyone tends to refine a common look.”

“American men also have an issue with fit. We are so focused on getting something right now that we forget to make sure all the details fit – basically we are pretty lazy about looking good.” That said, Scott was wearing Ralph Lauren Purple Label head to toe – and it fit just fine.

He added that “American guys need to utilize and appreciate tailors – that is a big failing of ours.” Lastly, Scott pointed out that we should not necessarily try and be Europeans; American style, especially the American Preppy/Ivy League look, is our heritage when it comes to fashion. We should be proud of it.

Philippe and I compared our Kobold dive watches. Of course, while I am a huge fan of my New Arctic Diver, Philippe was wearing the watch he designed with Kobold – the Large Soarway Diver – a portion of the purchase price goes to help fund his organization Earth Echo.

He was a very nice guy – look forward to a more in depth discussion with Philippe in the coming weeks.

It was a great event that really did highlight a fashion community on the rise – no complaints about that!

Here are a couple of shots from the FW party:
 OTC: Behind DCs Velvet Rope
With Scott Schuman

 OTC: Behind DCs Velvet Rope
With Philippe Cousteau

General shots from FW’s night out:
 OTC: Behind DCs Velvet Rope

 OTC: Behind DCs Velvet Rope

 OTC: Behind DCs Velvet Rope

 OTC: Behind DCs Velvet Rope

 OTC: Behind DCs Velvet Rope

 OTC: Behind DCs Velvet Rope

 OTC: Behind DCs Velvet Rope

Stay tuned for more red carpet reports, as I’ll be in Las Vegas shortly and covering the opening of John Varvatos’ new store at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Tagged with:
 

OTC Profiled on Washingtonian.com!

2009 Sep OTC Profiled on Washingtonian.com!I am very excited to announce that Washingtonian.com, the online home of Washingtonian Magazine, today profiled Off The Cuff on its Capitol Comment Blog.

That OTC has captured the interest of a blue chip publication like Washingtonian is cool enough, but the photo of me even impressed my wife. Trust me, I’m not nearly as swanky looking in real life.

The interview was a lot of fun and I want to send out a big thanks to the staff over at Washingtonian. It is truly a humbling experience to realize that OTC has grown into such a leading resource for so many people in so many places.

Off The Cuff 8119 OTC Profiled on Washingtonian.com!
Photo by Chris Leaman, Washingtonian Magazine

I also want to point out that the suit I’m wearing in the photo is the same one profiled in my “Going Custom” posts.

There was some back and forth in the final “Custom” installment, and hopefully this picture better captures the excellent fit and styling of the VM Clothiers suit. By the way, he also made the double cuff shirt I’m wearing in the shot.

Tagged with:
 

Going Custom – Part 3

 Going Custom   Part 3It’s been a while since my last installment on the journey of my custom suit from VM Clothiers.

While it took longer than I had planned to wrap up this three-part review, rest assured that the extra time I’ve devoted to putting the suit through its paces has only reinforced my total satisfaction with the endeavor.

It’s a great suit and I will be calling on Vishal again soon. Overall, it is very well constructed and, most importantly, fits me just right. The details are well thought out and in the right places and the design is classic yet modern enough to feel fresh.

I didn’t make too many changes to the silhouette except to shorten the jacket’s skirt an inch and narrow the lapels a touch.

This suit has traveled across the country stuffed into coach, sat through too many meetings to remember and given several presentations. In doing so, I can honestly say that it has passed with flying colors and actually received a fair amount of compliments.

 Going Custom   Part 3
The final product

For the price, I think that’s a darn good deal. To be fair, is it the equivalent of a suit you would get from Henry Poole, Eric Finn or Georges de Paris? Probably not. Some of the interior finishing and detail work is not exact and I did not have several fittings and consultations with the actual tailors constructing the suit.

However, in this case I was not expecting the same level of extravagant detail which I would had this suit cost $2,500. For the amount VM Clothiers charges though (in the general range of $500-$600), you get a damn good suit.

Frankly, the kinds comments I regularly receive lead me to believe that no one thinks otherwise and that is just fine by me.

There are a number of details to this suit that stand out.

1. Here, you can see the unique fold-over collar detail. There is no felt backing the collar and none is needed. It is a very nicely constructed collar and lapel.

 Going Custom   Part 3

2. The trousers are cuffed and the standard addition of an extra piece of fabric helps to reduce wear that is caused by the heels of your shoes is another example of thought and detail.

 Going Custom   Part 3

3. While there is a coin slot in the right, front-hand pocket, I love the addition of the watch pocket. It is built into the top of the waistband, so even when wearing a belt, unfettered access to change, or even a pocket watch, is assured.

 Going Custom   Part 3

4. The trousers also have a standard ridged trim on both the right- and left-hand sides of the waistband to reduce the tendency of one’s shirt to ride up. It is very soft and not even noticeable, but still a welcome and practical addition.

 Going Custom   Part 3

5. Here, you can see the hacking cut of the pockets, something new for me on a suit. I really like this look as it gives a personal twist to a traditional garment. I also elected to add a ticket pocket, an English touch I’ve always liked.

 Going Custom   Part 3

6. I also chose surgeon’s cuffs. While a an added expense, though nominal in this case, I am adamant that for a custom suit, working sleeve buttons is a requirement. It’s one of those thing things that makes custom so very custom.

 Going Custom   Part 3

Tagged with: