The rigid businessman’s dress code of 50 years ago — dark suits, hats, cuff links, long socks — has faded away. Today business clothing for men and women seeks to convey tasteful, effortless style. The goal still is to look professional, confident and worthy of clients’ trust. Business attire is trending to natural shoulders, flexible collars and comfort, with greater leeway accepted in the creative fields and on Casual Fridays. The border climate adds its own dose of reality in wearable silks and natural fibers. Beyond department stores and national clothing chains, dozens of Valley retail stores and boutiques devote themselves to making businessmen and businesswomen look good.
Contemporary but not trendy, the atmosphere of The Man Shop belies its heritage: founded in 1926 in downtown McAllen by Adolf Westerman. Relocated opposite La Plaza Mall in 2007, the family business radiates style and service, from the suits by Michael Kors and Hart Shaffner and Marx to the top brands of dress shirts and shoes. Not to mention those luscious suede jackets.
The move six years ago was a great success, tapping into a customer preference, according to Neil Westerman, grandson of the founder. “Male customers like to park in front of the store for easy access in and out. But where we separate from other stores is service. We believe we have better tailors than anyone else. We can make an off-the-rack suit look custom tailored.” The South 10th Street shop provides free alterations on suits, shirts, jackets and pants, thanks to four tailors on staff. “People want their alterations very fast. It’s important to get them out in a hurry.”
Professionals today are wearing clothes that are a little dressier, a little sharper, than previously, Westerman said. “To stand out to, be more professional, I think bankers and attorneys are dressing up more than a few years ago when they were going more casual.”
Suits are very important, and the silhouette is getting slimmer, Westerman said. But otherwise, appropriate suit styles include double-breasted and two-and three-button jackets.
Men shop differently than women do, Westerman observed, with fewer men than women viewing clothes shopping as entertainment. Nevertheless, men do care about looking good. “When men find something they like, they buy multiples such as five shirts. We stock a lot because we are aware of that.” Some shop every month, buying up to six suits a year, while others come only once or twice a year. “We’re appreciative of both.”
An important part of service is an experienced sales force, said The Man Shop manager, Pete Lozano clad in a long-sleeved, black shirt and tan slacks. “You need to love what you do and want to grow with the company,” he said. “If you’re successful, you have customers who walk in and ask for you.”
Westerman, who hadn’t planned on going into the family business after graduating from the University of Texas, was talked into it by his father David. “In a small business everything is important, so we have a big store,” he said. That includes guayaberas which constitute a summer uniform for some Valley businessmen.
The feminine professional
“Ninety-nine percent of my customers are businesswomen — lawyers, doctors, managers, supervisors,” said Nancy Algrim, owner of Black Iris boutique. The predominant brand at her Mission shop is Eileen Fisher, known for elegant simplicity. Algrim mentioned a recent “New Yorker” article on Eileen Fisher that profiled brand fans as women “who find that hiding their vanity is a necessity.”
Algrim began carrying the label famous for its easy-to-layer tops, pants and jackets in 1984. “Eileen Fisher is clean and simple and uses only solid colors and natural fibers. It is more important than ever to wear solid colors. They last forever, go everywhere, and all you have to do is accessorize,” she said. “You don’t need a lot of clothes; just put them together well. What you do with the accessories is what makes it unique to you.”
CPA Anne Cragg with Hart Silva and Company gravitated to Eileen Fisher 25 years ago for its classic, un-fussy image and considers Nancy Algrim her personal shopper. “I am well-organized, but I do not like to shop. Nancy knows what looks best on me, coordinates with pieces that I have purchased previously, and alters to fit. She helps make me look good and feel good in my clothes. I always feel appropriately dressed day through evening.”
Uniforms
Professional uniforms go beyond the button-down shirts or polo shirts with embroidered logos seen at banks, insurance agencies and service firms. Letty Torres started Imagin Scrubs Healthcare Apparel with an innovative approach to reach her customers. Her business model has her devoting mornings to setting up temporary, mobile stores by invitation at dental and medical practices and vocational schools. After a short presentation, Torres displays Imagin’s lines of unisex and women’s fitted scrubs: Barco, Maevn, New Balance and Dickies. Some clinics specify different colors for each department. Several medical offices pay for their employees’ uniforms, she said.
Afternoons and Saturdays, Torres opens the Imagin downtown Harlingen store to let customers find styles they like.
Formerly a personal banker, Torres said incorporating what she learned in that career has helped make Imagin a success. “To me, customer satisfaction is key. The customers help me determine what to order next. The scrubs I carry are up with the latest trends, combining comfort and functionality, like good pockets.”
Clothing care
“We have a casual society, much more than it used to be,” said Bill Stocker who operates three Palace Cleaners with his son. He’s noticed that customers are having fewer items cleaned and more laundered.
“If you like the clothes you wear, they benefit from dry cleaning. Well-maintained clothing looks good, no matter its age,” said Stocker, after a customer gave him five sports coats to be cleaned. “Many professionals who wear suits daily, rotate them and let the fibers relax and breathe. Their clothes last longer and look better.” Even rotated suits should be cleaned every few months.
Stocker is preparing to remodel the main plant and create a changing room to accommodate the increasing number of customers who request alterations: hems, waistlines, sleeve length. “The trend is to do that, and I can still find artisans who can do alterations.” The tailors used to be in-house, but now they are on contract. Other changes have occurred: traditional colored garment hang tags disappeared as Palace Cleaners switched to computer generated tags.
Given expert guidance on the purchase of shirts, suits, shoes and skirts, Valley professionals can count on their clothing to reinforce the message and image presented to their clients: You made the right decision in doing business with me.
The Man Shop at 686-1777 or themanshop.com; Palace Cleaners at 686-8325 or palacecleaners; Imagin Scrubs 428-2212 or on Facebook; Black Iris at 519-3190 or iristex.com.
November 2013 cover story by Eileen Mattei