Suit yourself
December 2, 2019
Men’s clothing store Tabor launches its own private suiting label.
By Cathy Martin
Four and a half years after opening shop in a 1920s bungalow on Providence Road, the team behind Tabor felt there was something missing among the suit and sport coat options for Charlotte men.
“We have a lot of confidence in the designers that we carry in the store, but it was still a hole,” says Aaron Price, director of product at Tabor, sibling to women’s boutiques Capitol and Poole Shop.
“Often, we see a designer either do a really classic version, which fills the provisionary role [of the suit], but we also want that really special thing too,” Price says. Frequently, too, a designer might offer a particular style for one season, then if a customer wants the same suit in a different fabric, it’s no longer available, adds creative director Scott Newkirk.
So, after searching far and wide for the perfect suit and sport coat for its Queen City customers, Tabor decided to create its own. The fall/winter collection of Tabor Tailored launched in November, with two suit and four sport coat options.
It took some time to get to the point where Tabor was ready to develop its own label. “We wanted to really adapt and understand [our customers] and have Charlotte grow with us,” Price says. “This felt like the right time.”
It was also important that the collection be “created through our vision — not through someone else’s — [as we] start to have our own point of view,” Newkirk says. The garments are made in a factory outside of Boston that’s been in the suit-making business since the early 1900s.
The new private label is meant to complement Tabor’s other designer offerings — labels including Thom Browne, Saint Laurent, Rowing Blazers and Engineered Garments. The light-filled shop in the Myers Park/Eastover area shares space with SOCO Gallery and Not Just Coffee.
“Our focus is really on Charlotte,” Price says, and in incorporating fabrics sensible for the Southern climate. Details include a soft shoulder (i.e. no padding) and a half-lining that makes the jackets as ideal for pairing with a sweater as with a button-down.
The styles are based on three silhouettes. The Darren is a three-button design with traditional notch lapels. “If you’re going to buy one suit, it’s the Darren,” Price says. With its easy, modern fit, “It’s the epitome of the suit you can wear every day — the suit you can wear in separates as a trouser and a great sport coat.”
The Duke is similar to the Darren in overall cut but with details including a peak lapel that allow for a transition into more formal setting.
The Albert is a modern version of the traditional sack jacket with an easier fit, designed to be worn with a trouser or a jean.
Stitched inside each suit or sport coat is a label that simply reads, “Get dressed,” which is a kind of mantra for the store, Price says.
“No matter what you’re doing, you should do it with quality every day. Even if your workplace is super-casual, you should still get dressed — you should still respect the day,” he says.
“This [collection] is a big interpretation of that.” SP
421 Providence Road, taborclt.com
