As any self-respecting local style hound will tell you, when it comes to unique & high-quality men's apparel, Seattle can be a very disappointing place to shop.
This is not to say that Nordstrom, Brooks Brothers and similar mass-market retailers don't offer a wide selection of well-regarded brands. It's probably just a reflection of our laid-back local culture - where khakis, loafers and a button-down shirt can take you from the office to dinner to a night on the town without a second look.
But if you're accustomed to the choices offered on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, or Union Square in San Francisco, you're likely to be disappointed by pretty much everything the mainstream retailers have to offer.
So if you take pleasure in fine materials, thoughtful styling and careful craftsmanship - in anything from t-shirts to suits - there's a short list of local retailers you need to know about, and Butch Blum should be at the top of that list. Instead of buying every item from every major brand, the buyers at Butch Blum act like style curators, hand-picking the best assortment of items from a select group of ateliers. They also back up their selection with amazing service - from honest advice on the sales floor to excellent tailoring and personalized follw-ups when hard-to-find items come in.
I don't shop often, but when I do I typically have a specific item in mind, and more often than not Butch Blum is the only place in town that has it. I learned this lesson the hard way when I bought my last suit. I needed a dark suit for an evening event, but I wanted a 3-button jacket (rather than the usual American-style 2-button), with no center vent, in a charcoal wool that would travel well and be wearable across several seasons. I visited every major men's retailer in town, and none of them - except Butch Blum - even knew what I was talking about, much less had the right item available. Not only did Butch Blum know what I wanted, they had it in stock - a remarkable feat for a store that caries a fraction of the inventory of any of the major retailers. Not only that - their on-site tailoring service made the final adjustments in time for me to fly out later that week.
Don't take my word for it - just walk in and see for yourself (and get your name on the mailing list - they have regular sales that can bring their sometimes-lofty prices into a more reasoable range).
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