One of the most unique hidden gems in Chelsea is the men’s boutique clothing store “Conquete” owned and operated by the men’s clothing designer Richard Cohen.

(Iconic Men’s Fashion Designer Richard Cohen)

Richard Cohen started designing women’s wear contour “made to measure” for about three years, than he gave it all up and went into the restaurant industry for 15 years, but his love and passion for designing clothes compelled him to return “with a whole new line of men’s wear custom made for club goers, special parties, carnival, and vacations.

(Model: Samir Arboleda)

When I asked Richard why he chose to do men’s wear he said: “because I wanted to wear my own clothes, I don’t wear the women’s clothes that I made, so I do men’s wear. First I was working on consignment for about five or six boutiques and things were not moving fast enough for me, so I realized I had enough inventory to open my own store; I tried to work with other people, but they turned me down so I opened my own store for my men’s clothing line, it was easier to show all my designs in one space.”

Richard first opened a small store on 8th Ave and 22th street back in 1998, he than closed that store in 2000 and opened at his current location in 2001. “I had a show in between the two stores doing designs for private clientele, special orders, shirts, pants, and bathing suits.”

Richard likes items that are “odd and different” and used to sell exclusively only his designs, now he sells his and a mixture of other choice designers that  he deems unique and not produced by others. He specializes in men’s pants, shirts, and swimwear.

Richard’s designs are inspired by the things that he would wear himself and the”touch and feel of the fabric. I don’t follow trends, I don’t even look at magazines” he added.

(Sale Associate/Model: Samir Arboleda)

What really unique about Conquete is that you will always find “special items” that you can’t find anywhere else especially in department stores. “I offer a lot more choices for my customers”. After my interview with Richard he had a young designer by the name of Daniel Merat come in to see him for help with his FIT portfolio. He had to design a jacket and needed some help, so Richard invited me (to my delight) to his work shop downstairs in the basement to watch and learn a little about men’s fashion designing.

(Richard helping young designer Daniel Merat with his design for FIT)

As I watched this master craftsmen work in his studio I was awestruck at the ease and perfect way he designs as well as the fine fabric that he is ever so selective about, only the finest fabrics and stitching will do for Richard.

Richard is most proud of his loyal and long term clients that he has made happy for so many years, “you get something in return when your clients come back and thank you for great custom garments.”

Conquete  is located at 257 West 23rd Street New York, NY (646) 638-2646.(or log on to Conquete.net). If you’re into men’s fine fashion styles, stop by the store and get that favorite man in your life something great, or treat yourself to a fashionable holiday gift.

According to Euromonitor International, “The global market for men’s designer apparel is projected to reach nearly $33 billion in 2020, up 14 percent from $29 billion in 2015.” There has been a growing paradigm shift in men’s fashion wear as many men are now paying more attention to the way they look and also going for comfort in the way they are dressing.

Men’s fashion brands and major publishing houses are now focusing on this new men’s fashion paradigm, and trying to keep up to fill the need for more versatile and stylish menswear geared towards this new tread.

“Expand the broader menswear market by educating consumers and pushing the boundaries of men’s fashion.” (Will Welch GQ Style editor).

Professional men in the workplace are readily abandoning the classic dress codes and business casual protocol of a button down shirt or knit shirt and khakis, opting instead to wear a nice high end dress shirt with jeans and deck shoes or even sneakers; a look that’s spreading like wild-fire in New York City; and other major urban cities. After the downturn guys started to dress up again, but with an emphasis on style and comfort, wanting to look good without the rank and file uniform feel, such as wearing nice jeans with a blazer and a stylish shirt or T-shirt.

Today’s men are being more creative in the way that they think about what they are wearing, paying more attention to style and a more modern and relaxed fit. The style for men in this present period is more creative in sense of smart stylish looks that are very versatile.

Don’t get me wrong, men’s suits are still integrally vital to menswear, it is just how men choose to wear them is changing, (think high end designer suit with a silk screened T-shirt with stylish casual shoes!) Stylish Creativity and relaxed comfort is the new name of the game in menswear, and men’s fashion brands are scrambling to keep up with the growing demand for more versatile stylish apparel in menswear.

One of the fastest growing areas in menswear now is, believe it or not men’s shoes.  As many men now are looking for well made fashion forward footwear that is more stylish, and moving away from the more boring traditional styles, as well as willing to spend more money in this area to find them.  Many men are spending more time and money on the way they look to project a more confident and stylish image. The global growth of the men’s clothing market according to a January 2016 Barclay’s report is expected to be up to $40 billion by 2019.

There are many different ways that a Metrosexual man is perceived by others of the same and opposite sex. First let us examine the definition of the word Metrosexaual: “an urban, heterosexual male with liberal political views, an interest in fashion, and a refined sense of taste, exhibiting a strong aesthetic sense and inordinate interest in appearance and style.”

Being a metrosexual does not mean that you are predisposed to being gay, but rather you are a heterosexual who is expressing self-love by means of his appearance and sense of style and is very much in touch with his feminine side and is not afraid to show it.

Metrosexual Men are not afraid to bend gender lines in regards to fashion, and can come across as a bit androgynous at times when styling himself an outfit, and are also known to use female beauty products simply because some of them are better or yield desired results.

People are always attempting to define Metrosexual men, but the truth is, we cannot be defined by either sex because we define ourselves, which is why all efforts to place us in a specific category fails. I for one do not really like labels, but if you must, label me stylish!

The pocket square, or more correctly the “handkerchief” has come a long way from being used to protect from foul smells and fanning oneself, to the manly fashion article that it is now.

Some have linked the handkerchief as far back as ancient Egypt and Greece as being used to display one’s wealth, while others have said that King Richard ll who ruled England from 1377 to 1399 was the first person to wear a handkerchief as a fashion item, but there is no evidence of that on record. However in Europe around the 1400’s the handkerchief had become very popular with the upper classes for more practical uses as a tool. Used once again as a status symbol at this time to denote wealth, made from silk with elaborate designs in various sizes and shapes, scented to combat the foul smells, from lack of bathing in that period.

With the advent of the “two piece suit” in the 19th century, which became the norm with gentleman, they did not want their handkerchiefs getting soiled by other articles that they carried in their pockets, so they started to place it in the breast pockets of their suit jackets.

In the early 20th century it became even more popular with men, along with different “folding techniques” and made in different fabrics and designs for the well dressed gentlemen in America and Europe. During that time it was used more as a “functional” item, and the practice began to wane for a time. In the 1960’s male movie stars revived the practice, and every man started to wear them again, and it regained its place in men’s wardrobes, but now mostly as a fashion accessory. Now days it can be seen worn by elegant classy gentleman as a stylish part of a well dressed men.

There has been a point in every man’s life when he pondered, why do we wear ties? What is the reason for it? How did it become such an integral part of a man’s dress? Let’s now examine the origins of how the man’s tie became what it is today.

Military Origins:
The earliest predecessor of the tie was discovered in Xian, China back in 1974. When the first emperor of China, Qin Shih died in 210 B.C. hundreds of terracotta solider sculptures, was found buried with him to protect him in the afterlife. Around each and every statues neck was found “neck cloth” which is not found anywhere else in Chinese culture at this time. In ancient Rome around 113 A.D. the Emperor Trajan’s column was erected to commemorate his conquest of Dacia which show thousands of soldiers wearing an assortment of neckties, just like the Chinese there is no other record of anybody wearing neck wear in Italy at that time, nor anywhere else. The theory is that they were worn as a special symbol of honor.

Around the middle ages we find this same type of isolated wearing of “neckties” involved with soldiers in the military. The Croatian soldiers during the 30 years war to show their support of France, wore before King Louis Xlll, colorful “knotted neckerchiefs” around their necks which caught on with the French soldiers and began to be used to protect the soldiers ruffled shirts and buttons, and by the time of Louis XlV came to be king, these “neckties” became very popular with men in France wearing them in different fabrics and colors. It is said that the French word “cravat” for “tie” was a variation of the word “Croat” because the style was taken from the Croatians.

Soldiers in traditional military uniforms attend a guard exchanging ceremony at St. Mark’s Square in Zagreb October 16, 2010. Croatia celebrates Cravat Day by staging a ceremony of traditional military units wearing cravats on St. Mark’s Square, in front of parliament and government buildings. The day honours a local belief that Croatian soldiers were the first in Europe to wear cravats, a traditional kind of neck cloth, while performing their military duties. REUTERS/Nikola Solic (CROATIA – Tags: MILITARY SOCIETY FASHION)

Royal History:
The cravat was considered the proper prototype of the modern day tie that we wear today, however a few hundred years later is when it started to turn into the long strip of cloth that we know now. After King Charles reclaimed the throne in England in 1660 the fashionable cravat made its way into English society, as the exiled aristocrats who followed him brought this new fashion craze from England to the English colonies, and became the fashion statement of the well dressed gentleman. Around the 18th century men wearing a cravat around the neck became the standard for all social classes.

Napoleon Bonaparte, who was in the habit of wearing all black, sported a white cravat at the battle of waterloo in honor of the duke of Wellington. This was also the time men started to refer the “cravat” as a “tie” as it is tied around the neck for the very first time.

The industrial revolution during the 18th and 19th century led to the modern tie, as the conservative knot was more practical on the factory floor and also this was around the time people started to wear ties to show their affiliations with different groups. A member of the Oxford university rowing club in 1880 created the very first “school tie” by removing the ribbons from his boaters hat and “four in hand” tied them around his neck and started the trend, and from there the idea caught on and developed into wearing ties to identify with various groups and clubs.

Also in the 1880’s saw the morning formal dress for men in the “ascot tie”, which became the standard as it was made famous by the fashionable King Edward Vll, who loved to wear it at the horse races, and all of Britain followed his lead. Thus it got its name from the famous horse racing event in England “The Royal Ascot” or “Bow Tie” usually worn with a pin in the middle.

A tie maker from New York “Jesse Langsdorf” started cutting the fabric of ties at a forty five degree angle, while utilizing a three piece construction, which allowed when tied in standard knots to drape evenly without twisting and giving us the modern look that we all wear today. No matter what size the knot, skinny or short, nor what fabric or color, the modern tie is still made in the basic “Langsdorf” design. Interestingly enough, Psychology relates the men’s tie as a “phallic symbol”.