She says “Spending $300 on jeans sounded crazy to me before I arrived here with Jeff Shafer, the owner and designer of the California-based premium-denim label Agave. Agave is one of a dozen high-end brands that use Caitac to finish (or sometimes rough up) jeans that can cost as much as $250. “High-end jeans are like microbrew beers,” Shafer says. “Sometimes a Bud is great, but if you’re someone with discerning taste, then you’ll know why the good stuff is worth it. There’s a passion for what’s behind the finished product.“

For Spring 2010 Tuttle Distinctive Sportswear presents Agave’s Luxe Touch Waterman Jeans in three colors …  by the way, they don’t sell for $300.

First, let’s establish what is a polo shirt? According to ApparelSearch, a clothing and textile industry database, a polo shirt is a T-shaped shirt with a collar, with 2 or 3 buttons and a slit (placket) below the collar, two small side slits on the bottom of either side and an optional pocket, like Tuttle’s Tailored Collar Polo.

Tuttle Tailored Collar Polos

Common fabrics for these shirts include pique, jersey or pima cotton with or without stretch components. Names for this type of shirt may also come from sports with which they are associated , ie golf or tennis,  True polo shirts have a “tennis tail”, which is a bit longer in back than in front in order to stay tucked in during activity.  The original 1929 design by tennis player Rene Lacoste called for a thick pique collar that one would wear turned up in order to block the sun from one’s neck.

How to select the right polo shirt in 4 easy steps?

1 Decide what the use of the polo shirt will be. If the polo shirt is to be worn for a golf game choose  a shirt made from breathable or “technical” fabric such as Dunning’s Pique Performance Polos, or TailorByrd’s 4 button placket with pocket style.  Women can choose from Sport Haley’s cotton polyester spandex polos, Tail, Bette & Court or EP Pro.  For business casual wear in the office or off-site meetings choose a polo with more detailed styling, such as the contrast collars offered by Bobby Jones, the contemporary patters from Bugatchi Uomo or Ben Hogan’s tipped contrast collars.  Women can choose from the Bobby Jones Women’s Collection with tipped placket styling.

2 Decide whether you want a short sleeve or long sleeve shirt. Choose a short sleeved shirt for warmer days or under sweaters. Choose a long sleeve polo shirt for brisk fall days. Remember you can layer polos and still look fashionable with the shirt collar sticking up through.  Tuttle’s tailored collar is unique in that it similar to the collar of a dress shirt or sport shirt and looks alone, layered or with a blazer or sport coat in both short and long sleeved styles.

Bugatchi Uomo

3 Choose a better quality polo shirt. There are cheaper polo shirts at super stores and mass merchants, but the quality will also be less than acceptable. The shirts will lose their shape, size, color and stitching quickly. The cheap polo shirts will fade and they will become less acceptable with each wash., eventually turning into your “change the oil” or “work in the garden” shirt. Choose high quality polo shirts and they will last twice as long.

4 Buy a polo shirt from a reputable reseller that will stand behind its merchandise. Buy from a company who will exchange or do something for you if your shirt gets stretched out or loses its shape within just a few wearings.  Tuttle has been selling high quality polos for over 20 years.

An additional business trend within the ‘designer label’ industry has seen the general accessibility of the brands increase through increased affordability. This creates a paradox for the labels in question: By reducing their prices and increasing their market size, they increase their profit and customer base. However, in doing so, they alienate their extremely affluent customers who appreciate the social status accorded to them by the designer brands. This causes many of the more affluent customers to continually seek out new brands and rely less on those that are excessively commercialized – thus eventually leading to new designer brands. The rise of the internet has provided customers access to a designers and brands that they would have otherwise not known about through online commerce.

Tuttle has consistently offered “designer label” apparel, more by dint of their specialized focus, i.e. golf or resort wear, or by dint of unique style and limited distribution.  This underscores the demographic attributes of the designer label customer – unique, quality oriented, active and focused.  Currently we offer the following designers among others:

Currently we are offering these and other designer label items at a 15% savings off retail.  This is an ideal opportunity to obtain these unique and limited items at substantial savings.

Viscose, or the founding member of the rayon family,is <ital>not a synthetic fiber. </ital>Rayon was the first man-manufactured fiber.  Unlike most man-made fibers, rayon is not synthetic. It is made from wood pulp, a naturally-occurring, cellulose-based raw material. As a result, rayon’s properties are more similar to those of natural cellulosic fibers, such as cotton or linen, than those of thermoplastic, petroleum-based synthetic fibers such as nylon or polyester.  The qualities of rayon are quite different than nylon and explains why it is used in higher end garments.

Adding to the quality of our cotton/viscose cardigans is the fact that the exacting specifications of knit stitch and intricate designs, including beading, coloration and finishing, follow the best traditions of single-piece, hand crafted creations.  Our sweaters are a combination of fine-machine knits assembled and finished by hand, creating a garment of intrinsic beauty and value.  We welcome you to shop and select from our current offerings.

Garments made of cashmere were once only available to royalty because the rarity of the wool increased its value. Napoleon is said to have popularized the use of cashmere as shawls or wraps when he gave his second wife, Empress Eugenie, seventeen of them. Despite the glamour associated with cashmere, its roots are humble. Cashmere is the wool or fur of the Kashmir goat, originally raised and sheparded by mountain nomads. Kashmir goats are primarily raised in Mongolia, but many are bred in Iran, Tibet, India and China. American herders have also joined the international cashmere production market in recent years.

Cashmere is harvested from the goats during their annual molting season through the shedding or the shearing of their down. In the frigid high desert climates where most of the goats are raised, the dense inner coat guards against harsh winter weather, but once seasons change, goats begin to lose the protective layer of down.

The finest cashmere comes from the underbelly and throat of the goats, but a lesser grade is also taken from the goats’ legs and backs. Longer fibers from the belly and throat area make the wool especially soft and cause less “pilling” when the fibers are woven into garments such as sweaters, shawls, capes, dresses, and coats for both men and women. The shorter fibers from the backs and legs are heavier and less expensive, making it easier to afford a luxury garment. Cashmere comes naturally in white, gray and brown, but the wool is easily dyed.

Quality cashmere wool sweaters provide a luxurious feeling and comfortable warmth as well as style. Pure, quality cashmere is unavoidably pricey, but the resulting high quality garments makes it a worthwhile purchase.  Tuttle offers only the finest quality cashmere sweaters, scarves and (even) socks and hats for men and women.

Cashmere Goats in Upshi

Baby Cashmere goats

Goat and Pony Show

An ad for Old Bay Rum

Today – The vision of making St Johns Bay Rum an internationally known product is fulfilled through the internet. The product is currently sold to accounts in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. St. John’s Bay Rum makes a wonderful gift for the Holidays and Tuttle is pleased to offer it this year on our website, http://tuttlecatalog.com/holiday.cfm.

Q: What are the roots of your company and where are your HQ?
A: BUGATCHI UOMO was established in the early 1980’s in Montreal, Canada, and quickly expanded to the US market with points of sale in all the major chain stores across the county . Within a decade, BUGATCHI UOMO moved its operations across the border, relocating first in New York , then in Florida. Our headquarters are located in Boca Raton, Fl with a corporate showroom in New York City.

Q: What Is the fashion philosophy of BUGATCHI UOMO?
A: BUGATCHI UOMO is about cool and classic elegance in any occasion. Our mission is to design clothing that is trendy and affordable using the finest fabrics with special attention to detail and fabrication. In both our Men’s and Women’s collections, detail is strong , yet sophisticated to add the perfect touch of elegance.

Q: What is the relationship between the Men’s Golf Collection and the Men’s Sportwear Collection? How are these different?
A: Unique design and color are the main threads linking both collections. Patterns that allow our customer to stand out in a crowd but is always appropriate in any occasion. Bugatchi Golf can be either “ golf with the boss… or golf with the boys “ while our Sportswear Collection offers a style that is confident by not boastful and reflects a man in control of his own personal style.

Q: What is unique or noteworthy about the fabrics, construction and style of BUGATCHI UOMO’s offerings?
A: We use the finest European fabrics: poplins, yarn dyes, jacquards, prints and embroideries. Cotton sateen and soft cotton blends are the primary fabrics, but we also offer seasonal qualities such as linens, and sandwashed, textured microfibers. The emphasis is always on the quality and softness of the handfeel. Our golf and resort collection also offers 70’s 2 ply triple mercerized cotton which is the ultimate in comfort and performance, as well as intricate European intarsia and jacquard patternwork.

Q: Can you describe the typical Bugatchi Uomo customer?
A: BUGATCHI UOMO style is all about being comfortable in your own skin. The Bugatchi Uomo customer is fashion savvy and wants to be noticed without being obvious.

Q: What can we expect from BUGATCHI UOMO in 2010?
A: Bigger, stronger, broader… a true view of the Bugatchi lifestyle in all classifications plus new product categories – outerwear, swimwear, hosiery, leather goods – while strengthening our consistent style point of view and the best price-value relationship in the fashion industry.

Don Fisher, 1928-2009
Donald Fisher, a retail industry legend and longtime entrepreneur who co-founded Gap in 1969 without any previous retailing experience, has died. He was 81.
Don’s death followed a long and courageous battle with cancer. He died Sunday morning, September 27, 2009, at his San Francisco home. His wife, Doris, and family were at his side.

Don and Doris founded and then transformed a single store in San Francisco stocked with Levi’s, records and tapes into a thriving, nearly $15 billion global business with more than 134,000 employees, more than 3,100 stores and a permanent place in pop cultural history. He’s been credited with inventing the specialty retail category, though Don was equally known for his commitment to philanthropy and civic work.

For the complete story of Don Fisher, click on the image to go to GAP’s tribute.