Karen Bizer Fine Jewelry: An Historical Romance

You probably haven't heard of Karen Bizer Fine Jewelry, but reading about the company here automatically puts you a few steps ahead of other treasure seekers. Bizer's pieces all seem to share a sense of history: some look like artifacts from ancient Egypt or Byzantium; others suggest plunder from the Forbidden City or the Taj Mahal. This integrity is something that can't be faked--it's not a matter of simply copying a pretty earring in a museum display, but of learning how that earring was made. And it's her devotion to traditional techniques (still practiced by a small community of artisans), combined with a desire to create jewelry that looks and feels right (regardless of cost), that's made Karen Bizer's name as bold as an "X" that marks the spot.

Although she's a fashion industry veteran, this venture is a surprisingly new development (launched very quietly last August). Bizer started her career as an editor at Women's Wear Daily, then owned a PR firm for many years. Becoming a jewelry designer was an idea that crept up on her slowly and took hold gradually. After a first, false start, which essentially taught her how much she had to learn, Bizer decided to go back to school. She chose Manhattan's Jewelry Arts Institute, a unique academy specializing in ancient and Classical techniques. At the Institute, Bizer honed her design skills, learned how to translate ideas into mechanical drawings her goldsmiths and gem cutters could follow, and delved deep into the multi-layered challenge of using chemistry, physics, architecture, and art history to make beautiful things.

For Bizer, the process usually starts when she encounters the right raw materials. She's often inspired by unusual stones, like a 27.3 carat, pinkish-red star ruby she asked her associates to hand carve and set in a gold ring with prongs as bold as flying buttresses. Jadeite's green glow started her thinking about the Art Deco period's love affair with Asia, and morphed into a pair of white-gold earrings strung with white and black diamonds, rubies and carved jade lozenges that would look equally well on a 19th-century Chinese princess, a '20s movie star or a 21st century New Yorker. And, sometimes, the challenge of marrying two or more materials in one piece provides more inspiration than anticipated, as was the case with a shagreen-and-gold cuff, whose constellation of individually-set, multicolored diamonds kept getting larger and larger (and required eight months to perfect).

Bizer welcomes custom requests, and works tirelessly to satisfy a client's passions. She takes each commission to heart, determined to realize its full potential: even when talking about the relaunch of her own company, she says, philosophically, "It's an investment in myself." Then the sleeves are rolled up (metaphorically speaking, at least) and she goes back to work, apparently finding as much joy in the process as her customers do in the results.

www.karenbizerfinejewelry.com

A New(ish) Designer With a World of Experience

Antonio Azzuolo's New York-based menswear line is very new (Fall '09 is only its 3rd season), but that doesn't mean Azzuolo is a new designer. This Montreal native has worked his way through the great triumvirate of fashion cities, from Milan (his first stop after studying apparel arts and tailoring in Toronto) to Paris (where he designed for Hermès, Kenzo and Galeries Lafayette) and New York (which, most recently, saw him at the helm of Ralph Lauren's Purple Label and Black Label collections). With so much experience under his belt, it's no wonder his own label already seems fully formed--there's none of the dithering that sometimes plagues other "new" designers.

As Azzuolo himself explains, "Inspiration is like a pyramid. The base is broad and fundamental, like one's past. As you move up to the point, there are flashes of things one sees, seasonal influences." For Fall '09, the designer brought together two opposing forces: a sexy, roped-shouldered silhouette reminiscent of mid-'60s Rolling Stones, and a sober, more gentlemanly style suggested by George Bernard Shaw circa 1950. In Azzuolo's competent hands, this sartorial fusion produced a Big Bang collection of "mismatched" suitings, elegant tweeds and handsome classics, sharpened with touches of Continental tailoring and Parisian flair. His deft use of recycled fur adds hints of dandyism: one vest reverses from lustrous mink to simple wool pinstripes, and even something as ostensibly basic as a pea coat looks more polished with its bold fur collar, tight twill cloth and bright metal buttons.

It takes a mature talent to create interesting menswear that's not outlandish, and to recognize that even fashion consumers don't always want a designer to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes, the most satisfying solution is one that feels vaguely familiar. As Azzuolo himself puts it, "the idea is to be both old and new, to go forward while looking to the past." We're already looking ahead to Spring '10, and we can't wait to see what Antonio Azzuolo will show us.

Top: Fur-trimmed wool coat and cotton shirt by Antonio Azzuolo. Silk tie by Band of Outsiders. Bottom: Tweed jacket, reversible mink-and-wool vest and cotton shirt by Antonio Azzuolo. Jeans by Dior Homme. Wool tie by Hermès. Shoes by Acne.

www.antonioazzuolo.com and www.kesner-ny.com

Photograph: Noël Sutherland www.noelsutherland.com

Grooming: Stacy Beneke for Mark Edward, Inc. www.markedwardinc.com
Model: Jake Madden at Ford Models www.fordmodels.com

Styling: Mark Grischke Portfolio 1 and Portfolio 2

Understated Luxury: Birds of Sausalito's Boxers

Boxers or briefs? For some men, there's no question: boxer shorts literally define masculinity. FA2L doesn't follow such hard-and-fast rules--briefs seem right under jeans, for example, but boxers are nice for lounging around the house. Our main concern is with quality, which means comfortable fabrics, strong construction, discrete labels (if any) and no bunchy, scrunchy elastic waistbands. This makes the Birds of Sausalito custom-fit boxer (shown above), with its near-perfect score, such a great find.

Megan and Michael Papay, Birds of Sausalito's founders, offer a textbook example of matching product to demand. Megan studied costume design at the University of Virginia; worked in New York as a fashion publicist; and ran a made-to-measure company dressing the quietly rich women of Wilmington, Delaware. Michael specialized in entrepreneurship at Babson College. When a job for Michael moved the couple to Sausalito, just north of San Francisco, Megan started thinking about a new venture that would take advantage of her fashion experience and Michael's business savvy. She knew the women's clothing market was over-saturated, so she focused on menswear; and she chose to concentrate on the luxury end of the spectrum, where a good idea could allow her to dominate a niche. Underwear had already seen several decades of remarkable growth, but most new businesses were pushing briefs. Megan and Michael set their sights on luxurious boxer shorts, and launched Birds of Sausalito in 2006.

The casual consumer may ask, what can possibly make one boxer more luxurious than another? For aficionados, the answer is simple: superior fabric, sturdy-yet-elegant construction, and no elastic, anywhere. Custom shirt makers, like Charvet, are one source for perfectly-sized, finely-finished boxers, but only if money is truly no object. At the other end of the scale, Brooks Bros. still makes its tie-back version (with, as the name implies, a string that ties in back, adjusting the waist) and its Frenchback boxer (with a fabric tab and buttons performing the same function). The fabric and details are basic--not bad, not luxurious--but the fit is traditional in every sense of the word, with front pleats and a very generous cut. Comfortable? Yes. Flattering? Not always.

Birds of Sausalito's boxers are more expensive than the Brooks Bros. shorts, but the Papays have upped the luxury quotient considerably, resulting in a product that's similar to a custom-made item (using 448-count Pima cotton, single-needle construction, and mother-of-pearl buttons) at less-than-custom prices. They manage this by working with a Peruvian company that's vertically integrated, meaning it grows, processes, and weaves the cotton, then cuts, sews and finishes the boxers (as well as a new line of pajamas). There are two styles: the classic fit, which combines a smooth front with an elastic back and a generous seat gusset; and, our favorite, the custom fit. This boxer is slim and trim, with a tailored yoke and charmingly large buttons. Its only flaw (we may be in the minority here) is a small section of elastic in the center back for "ease." Boxer enthusiasts will appreciate it as underwear; guys who wear briefs will like it as lounge wear. As Megan says, "Birds of Sausalito boxers are for someone who appreciates quality. He's willing to pay a little more (when something is worth it) because he knows it will last longer." Our feelings exactly.

www.birdsboxers.com

Photograph: Noël Sutherland www.noelsutherland.com
Grooming: Stacy Beneke for Mark Edward, Inc. www.markedwardinc.com
Model: Jake Madden at Ford Models www.fordmodels.com

The House, and Wardrobe, That Luxury Built

Hermès is justly famous for its leather bags, its silk scarves and ties, and its fragrances. Most men, however, are surprised to learn that every six months, Hermès also offers up a new line of clothing, shoes and accessories. That's because these collections, presented during the twice-yearly Paris men's runway shows, are relatively subdued: they don't offer the headline-grabbing theatrics, gimmicks, or flights of fancy the fashion press loves (and the popular press loves to hate). This doesn't mean the clothes lack drama, but it's cloaked, hidden in the fabrics, details and special care lavished on their construction. This is stealth luxury at its finest, made all the more desirable because these items won't end up in every mall around the world. They're only sold in Hermès shops (or shops-within-a-shop), and few Hermès boutiques carry the full line.

Véronique Nichanian is head menswear designer for Hermès, and the creative force behind its collections. She's loved fabric ever since she was a little girl, when she drove her mother to distraction buying bolts of cloth and lugging them back to the family's Paris apartment. It was a natural choice for her to study women's fashion design at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, but, after graduating, she took a position as Nino Cerruti's assistant and plunged into the world of men's tailoring. Cerrutti introduced her to every facet of the menswear market, and was as passionate about fine fabrics as she was--perhaps even more so. One challenge led to another, and before she realized it, she'd been with Cerrutti 11 years. Then a certain man named Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermès came calling, and her fate was sealed.

Nichanian has been at Hermès some 20 years now, but she seems as enthusiastic as a novice fresh out of school (which may account for her looking a fraction of her age, as well). She obviously loves designing for the Hermès man--a discerning customer who, in her mind, ranges from age 18 to 80. She's not interested in flashy, disposable fashion: her clothes are meant to be kept for years, acquiring a certain patina and the "set" of the man who wears them. Because Hermès is a true luxury house (one of the last), cost is no object, and Nichanian is given free rein to shop the world for the best silks, leathers, woolens or whatever material obsession has inspired a collection. Of course, the final results, from perfect cashmere-and-silk scarves to buttery reindeer-skin jackets, are often very expensive (another reason the clothing isn't widely available), but any man who loves beautiful things should make a point of familiarizing himself with Nichanian's wardrobe suggestions. They're sure to offer great satisfaction for many years to come.

www.hermes.com