Jimmy Au Collection: Not Short on Style
Since the 1970s, Jimmy Au has been one of the secrets of a little-known category of red-carpet fashions. For the past year, Au claimed some of the spotlight for himself with the debut of the Jimmy Au Collection.
For more than 30 years, the veteran Los Angeles designer and retailer has specialized in crafting suits and tuxedos for a clientele that includes actors Mark Wahlberg and Danny DeVito.
At his Beverly Hills–based boutique, Jimmy Au for Men 5’8” and Under, he has worked with high-marquee labels, including Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, to produce designer brands in sizes short and extra short. (The short size is recommended for men who are 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall. Extra short is manufactured for men who are 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 5 inches.) Au said that it is a big market. According to the 2000 census, 6 percent of American men are less than 5 feet 4 inches tall, and 20 percent are under 5 feet 8 inches.
From his own 5-foot-3-inch vantage point, the Hong Kong–born Au felt that he was not only filling a market niche, but he was also righting a wrong. Short men had long been neglected by the makers of ready-to-wear suits, Au said.
According to Au, if a shorter man wanted to buy a ready-to-wear suit, he typically had to buy one too big for him and then alter it to a point where the beautiful suit looked like a hand-me-down. The altered suit often appeared out of proportion to the owner’s body, said Alan Au, vice president of Jimmy Au and the tailor’s son.
After working with some of the United States’ top designer brands, Jimmy Au felt that suit makers were showing less interest in making special sizes for suits. So in 2007, he decided to strike out on his own.
He felt comfortable with the gambit. His store was doing a large enough volume to support a branded suit line. Montreal-based manufacturer Jack Victor signed on to manufacture it.
The first pieces of the debut collection are the bare basics of what a man needs for a formal wardrobe: a suit, a sport jacket and slacks. Retail price points range from $850 to $1,100 for a suit and from $175 to $275 for pants.
The suit model will feature a two-button style with a narrow-notch lapel, a two-button style with a narrow-peak lapel and a three-button style with a narrow-notch lapel. Currently, the line is only available at the Jimmy Au boutique, but Alan Au said he hopes to open up distribution to department and specialty stores. For more information, contact Jimmy Au or Fred Gutierrez at (310) 888-8708.
—Andrew Asch
