Behind Every Stylish Woman, There Will be a Stylish Man in Rye
Having captured the fashionable women’s clientele in town with her eponymous Purchase Street store, Angela Guitard was ready for a new challenge.
By Robin Jovanovich
Having captured the fashionable women’s clientele in town with her eponymous Purchase Street store, Angela Guitard was ready for a new challenge. Her customers encouraged her, as did their husbands. So, later this month she’s opening a new men’s clothing store.
Coming up with the name was the easy part. Her husband’s name is Fred, as was her late father’s. “My son asked when there would be a store named after him!” said Guitard.
Fred’s will be a mirror image of Angela’s according to Guitard, who was busily overseeing the final touches on the new shop at 22 Purchase Street this week, next-door to her four-and-a half-year-old women’s emporium at 24 Purchase. Black-and-white photographs of well-dressed actors, like Cary Grant, Paul Newman, and Sean Connery will line the walls.
Managed by Sam Anderson, who worked with Guitard many moons ago at Richards in Greenwich and until recently ran the Ralph Lauren store on Greenwich Avenue, the shop will feature haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing you’d usually find only in Europe. Among the highlights are a number of well-known and stylish lines: Etro from Milan, Maison Margiela from Paris, Rag & Bone, Ralph Lauren, Herno, which started in Lake Maggiore, and Incotex from Venice. Ferragamo shoes, too.
Anderson, who looks like he stepped out of a men’s fashion ad, says they’ll offer a mix of fashions from jeans to dress pants. They won’t stock suits but they’ll have made-to-measure events.
“I am excited to dress both man and wife,” said Guitard. “It’s rewarding to run into my clients at a restaurant or an event and see them well put together.”
Anderson added, “There has been a resurgence of interest in men’s fashion. Men are back buying suits and sport coats. If your wife looks good, so should you was our thinking.”
At Angela’s, it’s a little like a social club, which is just the way Guitard hoped it would be. “People have less time to shop, so when they do it should be a fun and great experience from start to finish.” She added, “It’s easy to attract a one-time customer. The key is getting them back, knowing their needs and tailoring their wardrobes to their lifestyles. I care about my clients and I think they know it.”
When Weezie D. went out of business this spring, the landlord called Guitard. At the same time she recalled a conversation with Anderson in which he’d said, “If you ever open a men’s store…”
The fact that his name was Sam probably sealed the deal. Guitard’s daughter Sam (Samantha) manages Angela’s.
As far as the personal touch, Guitard said that having watched both her parents die at young ages changed her outlook. “It’s important to follow your dream.”
That latest dream should open next week.
