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Those in the know define a "civilianaire" as a dude who appears to be pretty blue collar - holding down a regular Joe job - but then has wads of cash to spare on the finer things in life, likely supported by shady extracurriculars such as gambling. The (former) Lucky Jeans duo of Gene Montesano and Barry Perlman thought that sounded just like the kind of guy who would buy their new denim line, and so the brand and its eponymous West 3rd Street boutique were thusly named.
In addition to having a supplemental under-the-table income, the Civilianaire shopper is a guy who cares about fashion but is willing to pay the price to look like he probably doesn't. The line is comprised of classic Americana industrial and military inspired basics manufactured in the good old US of A - but with high-end Japanese cotton and long-lasting fabrication. The jeans, offered in various shades of raw denim and canvas, come in two cuts - skinny and regular - and are priced around $220. There is a selection of chinos in a few colors, excluding the traditional khaki (because basic doesn't have to mean boring), and a competent array of button-downs (from work shirts to corduroy - coming in at about $150), jersey slub cotton tees (for $50), and jackets (hovering around $300 - of which we can't wait to see more like the suede sample in the store). The devil is definitely in the details here, with each item's specialness coming in the form of elaborate gold stitching, slight variations in pocket shape or sleeve banding, and exterior labels that read "Enjoy" on the flip-side (which is appreciably less presumptuous than finding "Lucky You" inside an unzipped fly).
The women's collection is less fleshed out at this point, but not so much so to feel like an afterthought. The ladies get three cuts of jeans - slim, regular boyfriend, and low boyfriend - to choose from, plus tees, tanks, an officer epaulet shirt, and some drawstring cargos for $68 that we can see living in on the weekends. And, for once, there is parity in pricing, as the same items from the women's line cost about as much as those from the men's (although we wouldn't mind snagging some of the latter line for our own closets).
Although they have a soft shop at Ron Herman, we recommend hitting up the namesake outpost. There's something about the classic rock soundtrack and wingback leather chairs that impart just the right level of machismo to make a man's man feel at home... especially when he's dropping a couple hundo on jeans.
· Civilianaire [Official Site]
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