Followers of menswear magazines and blogs will be familiar with the name Sid Mashburn.
The Atlanta haberdashery founded in 2007 has found a comfortable spot at in recent years the top of numerous surveys of men's retailers around the U.S. and was ultimately named the best Men's Clothing Store in America by GQ this past September —just in time for the beginning of an aggressive expansion of the store that has added two new locations in as many months with more promised in the years to come. In the past, hopeful customers outside of Atlanta and Houston have had to settle for shopping through the store's website, but as of last October, eager fans have only to go to Washington DC (pictured above) to get the complete Sid Mashburn in-store experience. The Shophound got a chance to visit the new store in Georgetown over the Holidays, and we were not disappointed.
The basic concept of the store is deceptively simple: High quality, exclusive merchandise presented in a welcoming environment matched with top level service. It has been tried before and will be again, but the key is in the execution, and the X-factor that has captured the attention of menswear's leading editors, bloggers and general fanatics is Mashburn's uniquely sophisticated taste. Having honed his skills years at Ralph Lauren, J.Crew and other classics-devoted fashion companies, Mashburn finally poured his knowledge into his own store centered around traditional tailored clothing featuring soft shouldered suits made in Italy with full-canvas construction in silhouettes and materials updated just enough to look fresh without being contrived or exaggerated. Add dress shirts, furnishings and sportswear conceived in a similar fashion, an extensive and enticing array of English made shoes and garnish with a selection of gift items like vinyl records and the equipment to play them on, curated books and all manner of desk and travel accessories. Now you have the store in a nutshell. Like the best boutiques, it has a clear point of view, but to fully understand why Sid Mashburn is so particularly well-suited to its newest home in Washington DC, you should know that it is only a few blocks away from the site of another beloved, local men's retailer from the past, Britches of Georgetowne. Founded in 1967 with a similarly classic focus, it was among the first retailers to carry Ralph Lauren's new Polo label which was started in the same year (fittingly, it is now Lauren whose name graces the very same Wisconsin Avenue storefront). It remained a city favorite in DC and Atlanta, where it expanded, through the late 1980s when it was sold and lost its well-defined merchandising character, ultimately fizzling under its new management. While Mashburn's store is not a replica of Britches, it shares the same point of view which mostly ignores trends and fleeting fashion notions in favor of the kind of wardrobe building that appeals to men who are looking to invest in classic style —and in the general scheme of things, the investments aren't necessarily as steep as one might expect. Washburn's other great talent is the ability to deliver high quality at, well, we wouldn't say low prices, but fairly reasonable ones when compared to other designers and retailers of the same ilk and quality level, with many suits and sport coats falling into the $1,000 to $1,500 range, and most dress shirts priced under $150, an excellent value for the price. Yes, there are also more expensive options for customers less concerned with sticker shock, but unlike at some other celebrated men's stores, you don't have to be the chairman of the board to shop there.
And let's not forget that the new store comes with its women's counterpart, Ann Mashburn, complete with its own entrance on the other side of the block. Yes, Ann is Sid's wife whom he met while working at J.Crew, and her side of the store, started in 2011, features her own exclusive private label designs presented with the same warm level of service. While she has not yet garnered the same cultish level of devotion as her husband, she offers an elegant counterpart to the adjacent men's space reflecting a similarly timeless point of view.
About those plans for more stores we mentioned before, The Mashburns plan to open a few stores every year for a total of 10 by 2018. Where those stores will be remains under wraps, but in a September interview with GQ, Mashburn suggests that any city that can support a professional sports is fair game (except, Green Bay for some reason). Plans for a New York store were, in fact, already in the works until the proposed landlord allegedly "Stiff-armed" Mashburn causing him to walk away from the deal. That missed opportunity hurt to hear about, but at least it means that New York is on his radar. If he can find a space let by someone more upstanding, New Yorkers might still get their own Sid and Ann Mashburn stores to shop in person sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed.
Sid Mashburn 3206 N Street NW connected to...
Ann Mashburn 3251 Prospect Street NW, both in Georgetown, Washington DC
Meet The Man Behind The Best Men's Clothing Store In America (GQ)
Have a look inside the new Sid and Ann Mashburn stores after the jump