Men of Miami, women feel your pain of wearing the same shit, day in and day out. We witness your struggle, and it hurts equally, because we know you guys deserve better. You deserve more than the repetitive "Bro" uniform of acid-wash jeans and V-neck tees from Abercrombie and H&M. You deserve more than to feel publicly scorned among your peers, upon the realization that Brian, Jimmy, and "Big Mike" all showed up to the same "gettie" as you, wearing identical pleather loafers purchased at the huge blowout sale.
Places like Forever 21 are great to stock up on screened Star Wars tees, but realistically, how many of those can you hoard before it becomes a problem?
Your clothes are holding you back. Perhaps it's the lack of inspiration to express your yearning creative soul? Let chain stores die, my friends, and the artistic expression of menswear reign. Menswearis just as important as women's wear, if not more. It's more than mass-produced chinos. There are local heroines to help prove my case; specialty stores that truly care about you and offer the best in the league. Prices can be high, but so is quality, because they think you deserve more, too.
See also: The Phobia Shop Turns Your Weirdest Fears into Cute, Laughable Shirt Designs
It's an iterating choice, but there's a reason it's the Summa cum laude of Miami's retail realm. Why else would "Ursher" and David Guetta stop by on their beachy romps? Atrium lures a spectrum of different fellas to its Collins quarters, integrating contemporary designers from John Varvatos to edge-masters like 3.1 Phillip Lim or Long Journey. Truly, the medley of options is bountiful. Save for the crappy parking situation only SoBe can guarantee, the coed boutique also serves as a sneaker-head wonderland with hordes of Giuseppe Zanotti kicks that would make a grown man cry. "We've got beachy; we've got casual; we've got dressy - it's one stop for them," brags Janet Wong, Fashion Director and Buyer of the beach hotspot.
For the underground junkie at heart, this Design District boutique lends a minimalistic metropolitan concept to a land replete with palm trees and Rainbow flip-flops (make it stop). Apt 606 aims to bring the dark side of fashion to light by way of visionary greats like Alexander Wang, Kris Van Assche, Raf Simons, and 2013 CFDA winners Public School. Owners Lee Hylton and Dune Ivan wanted to give an alternative option to the fashion-forward Miami male populous, "We kind of curated the clothes to look like our own personal closet," says Ivan. Leather backpacks and monochromatic color ways share the spaced-out boutique with top of the line, organic skin-care and grooming products such as Baxter of California and Cleanser 27. Come next month, the two will transport their underground layer to 40th St., warming a spot between top dogs, Dior and Hermes.
Say what? $150 for pre-distressed denim? Please. You'll find no such nonsense here at Supply and Advise. Instead, the boutique dedicated to The Land of the Free urges you to tear up your own blue jean boot-cuts - like a real man. This Wynwood pop-up, instilling the idea of quality craftsmanship over label-lusting - and shooting to educate its customers on the heritage of each individual piece - prides themselves on being the 305's denim experts, emphasizing the importance of fit. Calling the shots in this "Menswear anti-boutique" are consciously coupled owners, Jonathan Eyal and Rebecca Esparza. Paying heed to symbolic styles of our country's past, they focuse on militant, nautical, and Ivy League-inspired merchandise. "We embrace the greatness of America," Eyal states firmly. You'll find time-traveling brands including Gitman Vintage, Alden of New England, and "the original aviators" (no Luxottica bull), and Randolph Engineering. The real history-making lies in their sale section where you'll score staples for up to 50% off. Penny-pinchers: the party's in the back.
When you've got a floating canoe hanging from your ceiling, suddenly, life doesn't seem so bad. That's only one reason you should make your way to the Sunset Harbor man-cave of boutiques, Cottage. Did we mention they have an über cool, HGTV-looking garage door? Aside from its inviting décor, Founder Ariel Burman says he likes to keep his resident brands "prep-surf with an edgy twist." He supplies customers with feel-good names like Michael Bastian, Band of Outsiders, and Todd Snyder - all lines promoting day-to-day functionality for the no-fuss-no-muss kind of dude. P.S. the Yacht-Club-meets-Endless-Summer boutique is hosting a meet and greet trunk show for Michael Bastian Thursday, April 10th.
In a land where brand-name stores smother the tourist-driven Lincoln Rd., there emerges a quirky touchstone and local legend- Base. Its doors, now creviced alongside Books & Books, have welcomed fashion-forward kids for 18 years now. The brick-and-mortar thrives off the joys of life-style retailing with men's apparel at the heart and designer toys, accessories, and Beat Factory as its limbs. The new store design, since its six week-move, themes an illustrated forest and gives the luxury of space. Co-Owner Steven Giles says the store looks to shelter brands with credible stories behind them like Zanerobe, Berlin-based Dude Factory, and Knomadik - an Australian line of crazy jersey-knit proportions. Local brands like Miansai are also incubated within the walls of the humorous store "with some serious thought."
"Base is nothing you need, but everything you want," confesses Steven. Peep the store soon, because the uninhabited world of Base will be installing a "cold café" bar to add to the six-sensory aura of the retail playground.
--Nycole Sariol
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