How do I begin to write about this place? In the old days, men had clubs where they could repair to escape the troubles of the world, brandy sifter in hand, pipe in mouth and the morning's paper under arm. For the most part, these stalwart bastions of masculine bonhomie have fallen to changing times. For this reason, we men need a place like Sean.
Set in Santa Monica's fashionable Montana district, Sean is the men's shop that trumps all men's shops. It is an unwavering sartorial polestar, a bastion of tailored stability in unstable seas. It carries one label exclusively, Emile LaFaurie, and offers an affordably chic but steady stream of classic-yet-au courant pieces that reinforce the Buddha's basic truth: Desire is the root of all suffering. Whenever I think that I couldn't possibly need more clothing, LaFaurie sends another season's wares from Paris, laying waste to my fragile inner calm.
The design's basic thrust is an understated, slow-burning elegance with a generous dollop of European sophistication. With these duds, people will think you're smarter and more worldly than you really are. In recent years, the pieces have become sleeker and more taut. Barack Obama would love to find a Sean gift certificate in his Christmas stocking. You will find everything here from business wear to causal-man-about-town gear. No matter what mode you're in, you'll look great.
The worldview is clearly defined; the shop's curating is concise and on-point. Amazingly, even across seasons it all coordinates fantastically. The quality of the materials is high--fine Italian fabrics and woolens, assembled in Portugal. The detailing of the jacket linings make tough men weep. The urbane painter's coats gives any gent a rakish, artistic air of genius. The shirts....the shirts last forever.
After Sean, other stores will seem like shallow, overblown, fashion school dropouts trying to stiff you with their fleeting mass market dross for an easy buck. Banana What? Surely, you're joking.
Los Angeles:
1107 Montana Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90403
310.260.5616
Mon - Sat 10 - 6
Sun 12 - 6
San Francisco:
575 Hayes Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.431.5551
Mon - Fri 11 - 7
Sat 10 - 7
Sun 12 - 6
1749 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
415.474.7363
Mon - Fri 11 - 7
Sat 10 - 7
Sun 12 - 6
New York:
199 Prince Street
New York, NY 10012
212.598.5980
Mon - Sat 11 - 8
Sun 12 - 7
Posts
