More Space for Formal
Tradition is not a dirty word at menswear store Scott & Co. The 6-year-old boutique, located in West Hollywood, Calif.’s exclusive Sunset Plaza retail area, specializes in tailored clothing. In 2006, owner Scott Hill gambled that men were willing to pay more attention to finely hand-crafted suits.
He scaled back the floor space of his casual and jeans department 30 percent and devoted that space to his tailored-suit business. His gamble paid off and has helped the store earn $2,000 per square foot, he said. The growth in handcrafted looks is fueled by a more-formal style that has been recently favored by the Hollywood agents, the investment bankers and the other professionals who visit his establishment.
Hill said that his best-selling suits are custom made by Naples, Italy–based Isaia. According to the suit maker’s Web site, Isaia makes suits with modern design sensibilities, but it constructs the suits using intricate, traditional tailoring techniques. Price points range from $2,495 to $3,100 for a suit.
The custom-made department at Scott & Co. belongs to Naples. The department’s other bestselling brands are Naplesbased brands Belvest and Sartoria Partenopea.
Designer suits make up another section of the store. Price points range from $1,295 for Paul Smith to $3,400 for Ralph Lauren Purple Label suits.
The rest of the 1,800- square-foot selling space of Scott & Co. is devoted to jeans and casualwear, and Hill has plans to add 500 square feet of selling space to the store by January 2008. —Andrew Asch
