Thursday, October 22, 2009

6 hours in Cary, NC - Peter Millar Spring/Summer 2010 Preview






When the kind folks at Peter Millar were generous enough to extend the invitation to their office/showroom/warehouse in Cary, NC to hang out and preview the new 2010 stuff, I happily obliged. First of all, I hadn't been to the Carolinas since a brief stint living in Charleston and secondly, PM happens to be one of my favorite lines out there - I love the philosophy that Chris Knott has about clothing and I like being around a team that has a real passion for what they do. 

At PM they toss around phrases like "easygoing affluence," "attainable luxury" and "prestigious without being pretentious" - but they mean it.  These guys are all about their customer living the good life and creating the best quality clothing made of the finest materials that can be had - all with a carefree and very Southern mentality that consistently reminds us all to slow down; that life is to be enjoyed. 

PM clothing has that Italian sensibility for form and function and those same blasts of color that inspired Knott in 2001 when he sought out to create a cashmere sweater collection that stood apart. Add that to the mantra that beautiful clothing can be indicative of your success and station without being obnoxious and you have the winning philosophy that PM has ridden for the past 8 years, as their collection has grown to a truly lifestyle brand - encompassing the entire men's wardrobe from tailored suiting to boxer shorts. 

But now that the pleasantries are out of the way...a few things I did while in Cary. 

-Learned about the naming process for PM's outerwear styles and shirt colors...Hint: it's not that technical. Your favorite jacket for fall 2010 may be the namesake of a popular grilled sandwich. 

-Got shat on by a bird while eating pulled pork nachos in downtown Raleigh. ("It's good luck!" - says Millie, PM's Marketing Director.)

-Heard from Scott that PM has recently inked a deal with NBC to provide clothing to their announcing teams for golf and a few other special programs, which means Johnny, Dan and the boys will be looking a lot better next season. Maybe we'll see something besides a navy blazer or sport coat - For JM, let's bring back those glen-plaids and houndstooths of his youth. 

-Found out that tracking down a size Small in the giant PM warehouse is like looking for Tiger Woods at a Target. 

-Got excited when Chris got into his pitch about PM's new "tailored" distinction as an additional option in sizing and styling on selected polos and trousers, which will trim the silhouette down significantly. Look for that in Fall 2010. 

As far as the spring 2010 offerings, I'm loving the sun-washed collection of polos and pants, a few of the new shoe offerings (bit drivers in very Milanese colors and great looking boat shoes) and the genuine crocodile belts. (All pictured above.) As always, you can expect fantastic sweaters in various styles and the softest cotton golf shirts in the game.

Peter Millar knows and loves its' customer. The company's ability to keep making quality clothing that reflects current market demand while sticking to what has made them what they are is one of their greatest strengths. 

Thanks to Chris, Scott, Millie, Mike, Marcus and the rest of the team for a great day in NC.

-KC 


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Interesting. Not my favorite brand, but I'm intrigued by the tailored look. My main criticism would be that their shirts seem to still fit like tents. Some nice prepy options, but prefer bolder colors verses all those pastels. Still sound like they have something going for them, and I would rather see golfers in their stuff than what you usually see on the course.
Didn't know they were based in Cary, nice place. Born in Raleigh, so that's kinda cool.