With an eye to solidifying their business and concentrating their energies, Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos are dialing back the womenswear and focusing on the men s. (Women s will still be a part of their line, but in a smaller, more capsule-oriented offering.) Their men s customer, they explained at a showroom presentation just before the official kickoff of fashion week, is a convert to their cause once he buys. "We re relied upon; if we change our silhouettes, we hear it," Shipley explained. So for these devotees, the designers are obliging in more ways than one: They re steadying their aesthetic, making it less trend-oriented, and they re broadening their range. "For Fall, we re going to be dressing our guy from head to toe," Halmos said, and he meant it literally: He and Shipley are launching the first S&H shoes, in three styles (an oxford, a lace-up military boot, and a Chelsea boot). Formalwear will be next: What s beginning as a custom service for their celebrity clientele—and odds are good that you ll see a S&H tux on a prominent red carpet in days to come—will eventually hit the racks, too.
S&H s affordable suiting—under $1,000—remains a label draw, but shirting and outerwear (like a technical-cotton anorak with lobster-claw clasps) are strong contenders in their contemporary category, too. They re the kind of no-fuss, well-priced items that get guys onto the Shipley Halmos team. And once they re on? There s an S&H varsity jacket—in fully reversible burgundy cord—of course.
