SINGER GARY ALLAN OPENS MEN’S STORE
Ladies, you know the feeling. You’ve swooned at a musician’s confidence and style on stage, then looked over at your beer-wielding, rhythmless man in the same old jeans and felt a little underwhelmed.
Or, maybe your man actually dresses well, but needs some snazzy pieces to keep up with fabulous you.
Let country musician Gary Allan and his longtime stylist, Renee Layher, help. Or, Tony Sartino, who styles the likes of Tom Cruise, Jon Bon Jovi and Prince.
No, really.
Last month, Allan and Layher opened The Label, a high-end men’s clothing store at 2222 12th Ave. S. that promises edge, funk, mystery and elegance.
There are cool T-shirts for $25. Or, $3,500 custom-made suits designed by Sartino exclusively for the store. There’s also jewelry, cuff links and eclectic, funky furniture pieces — each of which you’re promised to never find another alike in the world.
“Men’s clothing shops are a market people are afraid to touch,” said Sartino, who is based in Los Angeles but will host occasional suiting events at the store. “Women are easy. This store is for the man who has everything. The guy who wants something different than the Armani suit.”
Allan, the 43-year-old Hendersonville resident, made the big time on the country charts with hits such as “Man to Man,” “Tough Little Boys” and “Lovin’ You Against My Will.” The tattooed, raspy-voiced artist wore a sleek, black Sartino-designed silk and mohair suit last week at his store’s grand opening soiree, which featured a who’s who from the music and fashion world.
“Everybody in the music industry in Nashville has a stylist, and they’re always flying to New York or L.A. to get clothes,” Allan said. “I feel like there is such a niche in Nashville for a store like this. We’ve been wanting to open a store like this for a long time.”
But the styles are not just for musicians. Allan hopes to see doctors, lawyers, bankers, professional athletes, young skateboarders.
There’s a brown velvet jacket for $1,895. A silk-and-cashmere suit coat for $3,400. A one-of-a-kind, alligator-skin guitar strap. Elephant-skin wallets. Clothing comes in sizes from 36 to 60 in men’s suit jackets. And a stylist is always at the store, which is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and by private appointment.
“These clothes can be for anyone,” Sartino said. “They’re rich and beautiful. Men should not be afraid of fashion. You’re not dead. Have fun.”
