Aspiring to look like a mod urban equestrian? (Who isn’t?) You’re in luck, as this month, Newbury Street welcomed the United States’ fifth outpost of British outfitter Ben Sherman, following shops in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. Smart move: few metros are as rife with plaid-loving, slim-cut-wearing, completely-unironic-cardigan-slinging Anglophiles as the Bean.
Once considered the “Mod God,” the man behind the label, born Arthur Bernard Sugarman, started sewing his fitted shirts and trousers in a tiny factory in Brighton. (No, not that Brighton, you dolt — the original in the UK.) During the ’60s, Sugarman earned his reputation by outfitting the twiggy types of both sexes on famous, trend-tastic Carnaby Street (i.e., the stomping grounds of the Beatles, the Who, and the Stones). The line has changed little since: there are bespoke-inspired blazers for men, mod shift dresses for women, and fitted plaids and skinny trousers for everyone. Smacking of Swingin' London and the British military — the RAF’s target-like roundel is featured on much of the apparel — Ben Sherman has always appealed to the sartorial Anglosphere.
Now hipsters like ourselves won’t have to trek to Manhattan to indulge in our whimsies. The Newbury Street shop is almost 3,000 square feet of English-flavored (or is that flavoured?) heaven.
Stocking both men’s and women’s lines, Ben Sherman Boston is awash with the understated neutrals, stripes, and plaids for which the label is famous. Punctuating the fashionable if staid palette are splashes of royal blue and chartreuse, mostly additions from women’s dresses. A swoon-worthy double-breasted winter-white pea coat ($289) adds a touch of business class to the argyle and jailer stripes, but not to worry: everything is structured — and tailored — to a T. A long, slender pencil skirt ($119) features oversized buttons, begging to be paired with a slouchy V-neck and sky-high pumps. Which I did. Happily.
For the Brit-obsessed fella in your life, a striped blazer seems simple but surprises with a butter-soft orange buffalo plaid lining ($199). Checkered grandpa sweaters in the same color pleasantly accost the eyeballs with their decidedly autumnal hues ($119), and a white-on-white paisley dress shirt with French cuffs is both tasteful and, well, mod as all hell ($69.50). The walls are lined with accessories, including leather messenger bags, belts, caps, and a charcoal lion-rampant-embroidered silk tie ($49.50), which this writer’s companion conspicuously fondled within 12 seconds of entrance and continually referred to for the remainder of the trip, along with the precise date and time of his birthday.
The space itself is nothing to sneer at. Two floors include a library crammed with false books, a pair of worn leather recliners (each bedecked with a Union Jack, natch), and a quirky wall of gray plaster teapots. Oh, and a vintage punching bag and boxing gloves, just in case you want to get your stiff upper lip all sweaty. We took a few swings before saying cheerio, but we’ll definitely be making return trips for this cross-the-pond style import.
