The Frye Company’s Private Preview and Grand Opening – Atlanta, GA.

On Thursday, August 6, 2015, The Frye Company hosted a private preview of their new Atlanta flagship store in the stunning Jamestown-style Ponce City Market. Several guests in the media in collaboration with the Caren West Public Relations Team, gathered to get an inside peek of the majestic 4,000 square foot store and The Frye Company’s latest collection pieces. Dress Like A Gent™ participated in this preview to the store’s grand opening that evening and was instantly amazed at how detailed and classy the store’s set up was. The layout of this store was simply breath taking. My first observation upon walking through the doors was the smell of fresh leather that created a sort of instant appreciation for the brand itself. I mean it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that there is a difference between something called “leather” that is only partially made of leather and something that is 100% authentic genuine leather.

In fact, one of the leather messenger bags that caught my attention in the men’s section was a distressed indigo-blue stained leather. Upon speaking to one of the store rep’s, she informed me that the cool thing about this bag is that it was made of pull-up leather which if scratched, can simply be rubbed out using their signature leather oil and conditioner. This store has it all - From handbags to leather accessories, to camo-style leather sneakers and boots. This is the company’s 5th location to ever open in the U.S. and the level of detail that they put into building this store goes to show that they take no short cuts in making sure that their new home fits the brand’s long-standing reputation and trademark. Even some of the stools that were in the store were made of a thick roll of 100% heather grey felt embodying the brand’s history of fabricating their products in line with pure American artisanship.

My favorite structure in the store was the grand “chandelier” made of 7,000 leather straps holding Frye's signature harness rings. It was an attention grabber that kept engaging my eye while walking throughout the store. Along with a walkthrough of the store, the guests were graced with bites and beverages sponsored by Wild Haven and Farm to Ladie who will soon be featured in Ponce City’s Market’s Central Food Hall. In short, this housewarming preview to the Frye Company’s new location was one that I am glad to have been a part of as we Atlantans gladly celebrate the company’s successful future and growth.

The Frye Company’s Grand Opening commenced this morning and will be opened today from 10AM to 9PM. They are located at The Ponce City Market at 75 Ponce de Leon Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30308, Ste. #E178. For more information, call 404.685.FRYE (3793) or visit www.thefryecompany.com. 

DRESS LIKE A GENT

The 8th Annual Doggies on the Catwalk 2015: A Recap

photo credit: TKO Photographic

On June 13, 2015, the highly anticipated Doggies on the Catwalk Fundraiser was hosted at one of the most ideal venues in the city, Buckhead Atlanta. Now 8 years strong, this event has managed to gain more and more support by big name celebrities, top designers and many other very influential sponsors. The brains behind this amazing vision, Mr. Vincent Martinez aka Fashionado along with a team of witty sponsors successfully raised over 35K for the Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption. The evening was extremely engaging from start to finish. Monica Pearson emceed the show and ushered in models who sported brands such as: 

Christian Louboutin

Helmut Lang 

Alice & Olivia

Bella Bag, Bonobos

Brunello Cucinelli

Theory

Jimmy Choo

Let us not forget the doggies strutting down the catwalk who stole the show accompanied by these celebrity models!

Among some of these amazing pooches were Thaddeus, a 2-year old corgi blend, Maximilian, a cockapoo, Jolene, a terrier blend, Gabbana, a Jack Russell Terrier and many others. These K9s had been recovered, rehabilitated and cared for by Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption. The purpose of the event was to showcase pets that need to be adopted, many of which have been since their debut. Additionally, Doggies on the Catwalk sponsored a silent auction to raise funds for Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption to assist in furthering their efforts to rescue and restore these abandoned animals.

Buckhead Atlanta supplied the guests with various selections of beverages served from an outdoor bar along with hors d'oeuvres from their on-site restaurants. Some of the foods included scrumptious goat cheese balls sprinkles in almonds, tuna bruschetta, gourmet olives, a plethora of fresh fruit and more. Needless to say, there was not a dull moment at Doggies on the Catwalk! The weather was exceptional and the venue and its players were very accommodating throughout the entire night. This social event was the perfect fundraiser; very entertaining and well-thought-out. A Big thanks goes to Vincent Martinez and his team who have not only exposed us to the needs of the Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption but given us greater expectations for Doggies on the Catwalk in 2016! 

DRESS LIKE A GENT

My Style and The Way I Wear It, Matters

My style and the way that I wear it, matters! We all individually have a certain style about ourselves. The fail, is when we are not in touch with that style and it remains dulled by our lack of knowing how to develop it. Most people when you ask them how they would describe their personal style in words would say, "Whatever is comfortable" or "Trendy" or "What I can afford and fits well". The key is getting in touch with your style by being in touch with who you are and your ambitions. As far as how to develop your personal style, this will be a topic that we will discuss on a future post. Whether we are dressed casual or dressed up for business, we should keep in mind that our style is a form of communication without words.

As we mentioned in the previous blog, people judge us by what they see us wear before they ever hear us speak. In fact, in an article entitled Dress Code or Note, What You Wear Matters by Organizational Psychologist; Eva Rykrsmith, she speaks of how what we wear has an effect on our performance, ourselves and on others. She describes how what we wear has an affect on the way people perceive us, but even more so, the way we dress can affect how we behave. This, to me is a very powerful fact about why we should step it up in the way we dress. Eva mentions a case study where behavior was observed at a roller rink.

On the nights where there was a strict dress code enforced, there were fewer accidents and less noise. She states: "In an old article in the Academy of Management Review, scientists theorized that exhibiting actions not in line with the expectations of how one would behave when wearing that clothing creates a psychological conflict called cognitive dissonance. And to relieve the conflict, people will change their behavior to match their dress." Of course, in order to enhance one's style to fit the bill, there oftentimes has to be a learning as to how to do so. But, I find that a large number of people tend to shy away from the challenge because they feel it requires too much energy and thought and they would much rather just keep it quick and simple.

I can remember once interviewing for a notable, high-end department store for a personal stylist position. When I walked with one of the hiring managers throughout the department store, he did an entire survey of what I was wearing and even asked me if the shoes I had on were Allen Edmonds; of which I am proud to say, were! Although, I ended up not getting the position there, it stuck with me how he was impressed by the attention I put into my attire more than my experiences and how this helped our interview flow smoothly. Shortly afterwards, I ended up landing another position that even paid more where my style became an asset to the type of work that I would be involved in. That is a valuable lesson I will never forget. I think it's more than just having a knowledge of name brands and fashion sense, but our style and the way we wear what we wear gains us people's ears and even their favor.

In short, we should not shun the saying "dress to impress" because it has been proven since the Renaissance until now to open up great doors of opportunity because the people wearing it have the confidence necessary to possess these new opportunities.

DRESS LIKE A GENT