Big MAC
In a larger new space, San Francisco’s Modern Appealing Clothing balances pragmatic and avant-garde fashion
Philippe ambles through the sparse industrial space, past plants encased in wool and the shiny umbilical pipe that hangs from the ceiling, and curls up on the hardwood floor with a lethargic yawn.
With his calm demeanor, the shaggy Belgian sheep dog is the perfect mascot for Modern Appealing Clothing and the understated Belgian fashions that fill the shop’s new location in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. In May, the 24-year-old boutique and fervent champion of avant-garde European fashion combined its separate men’s and women’s stores for an instant sales boost. “Men and women like to shop together,” said Chris Ospital, who co-owns MAC with brother Ben.
The store’s loyal customers come for a combination of product selection, the Ospitals’ taste and judgment, and an intimate haberdashery experience. “We buy things we love and believe in, and when you’re true to those ideas, people respond favorably,” Chris said.
Solid customer relationships buffered MAC from the Bay Area’s dotcom collapse, and the wide range of “freethinking” customers makes the store almost recession-proof, the siblings said.
With a strong preference for Belgian design, the retailers are extremely excited about Martin Margiela, the shop’s newest line for men and women.
“He pays homage to the materials and craft of making clothes,” Ben said. “They’re simple forms done beautifully.”
Other top women’s lines include A.F. Vandevorst and San Francisco–based Lemon Twist.
For men, MAC carries “dress-up clothes” that are “more James Bond than ’American Gigolo,’” said Ben, who opts for slim dark suits with a short jacket, narrow lapel and flatfront pants by labels such as Windmills, Dries van Noten and Armand Bassi.
“For us to chase a trend is futile,” Ben explained. “That means every season you’re reinventing the wheel. [Our clothes] can be very avant-garde, but they have to be rooted in something pragmatic.
“San Francisco is a city of rule breakers,” he added. “Sometimes you get conservative people who want avant-garde clothes, and sometimes you get avant-garde people who want something they can wear every day as a basic.”
Combining the men’s and women’s stores has allowed MAC to notice a change in shopping modes. There has been a gender switch, noted Ben, with women increasingly opting for problem-solving basics and men going more for total looks. But both want surprises.
“San Francisco is all about discovery,” Ben said, “and that’s what makes it such a great place to shop.”
—C.M.C.
