CATCHING UP WITH ALEC BALDWIN

A main attraction at the recent Chicago Men’s show, actor Alec Baldwin has proven (in my two short interviews with him) to be surprisingly humble, exceedingly charming, down-to-earth, unassuming, genuine, and lots of fun! Coming off a high-profile murder trial involving a shooting on the set of Rust, a film he co-wrote and co-produced, Baldwin (with all charges against him now dropped) was at the Chicago Collective to help promote a newly launched British clothing collection called Douglas Hayward. Hayward was a London-based custom clothing maker to famous Hollywood movie stars in the 1950s and ’60s. His studio was a renowned celebrity hang-out; his designs are now being offered to upscale U.S. retailers by the Ellis brothers, British custom tailors who own the Douglas Hayward label, and the license to produce Steve McQueen clothing.

(At top: The Douglas Hayward Team: Laurence Ellis, Jeff Farbstein, Alec Baldwin, Arnold Silverstone and Jeffrey Skurka.)

Not (yet) an investor, Baldwin’s connection to the Douglas Hayward brand derives from his love of fine clothing. On assignment in Belfast a few years back, Baldwin was unprepared for the cold, rainy weather. Walking by a men’s store, he saw a great-looking windbreaker in the window and went inside to try it on. “It was perfect,” he recalls. “Beautiful fabric, perfect cut, nice lining and details—just what I wanted, but no XLs in sight. I asked the store owner how I could get in touch with the maker and was told the company no longer exists. I was determined to track it down, and after a long winding search, I found the sartorially savvy Ellis brothers.”

Now Global Brand Ambassador for the brand, will Baldwin be designing the new Steve McQueen collection? “I’m not a designer, but I’ll help promote the brand in any way I can. Throughout my career, the suits I wore every day were either British or Italian: Zegna, Canali, Brooks Brothers, Savile Row custom, Loro Piana fabrics. (I can’t wear Purple Label: Ralph doesn’t want big guys wearing his clothing, so he makes sure it won’t fit us…”) But as soon as I discovered the Douglas Hayward brand, I knew it was something special. When I lived on the Upper West Side for 20 years, every guy wore a suit and tie. Now that I’m in the Village with my wife of 12 years and our seven kids, I see very few men in suits. When I do see one, I always stop and ask if I can take a closer look… I have a real passion for well-tailored clothing.”

Although he doesn’t say much about the recent trial, it apparently affected him to the point that he is refocusing his life. “I no longer want to travel,” he explains. “I want to spend as much time as possible with my wife and kids.” [Editor’s note: his kids are 11, 9, 7, 6, 3, 3, and a new baby! He has another child from his first marriage; he had a child and a grandchild in the same year! “That’s very cool,” I remark. “I’ll take your word for it!” he responds without missing a beat.]

Asked about the family reality show that’s soon to air, Baldwin admits that it’s not his dream job. “I’m doing it so that I can kind of start over with my family and wash off all the stress and anxiety of the trial. But the filming has been more intrusive than I expected: the crew has been in my house for nine weeks now; they’re supposed to finish by next week.”

Although he’s impersonated Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live to widespread acclaim, Baldwin has no intention of going back to that role. “It kills your weekends,” he explains. “You have to get there in the morning and spend several hours preparing in the afternoon. Maybe you’re free from 8:00 to 10:00 pm but then you go back at 10:30 and don’t go live ‘til 11:30. My kids are up by 7:00 a.m.– it just doesn’t work for me…” Asked if he’d ever met Donald Trump, Alec recalls that the one time they met years ago, Trump very graciously offered him 7,500 square feet of unused luxury real estate for some filming.

The Steve McQueen by Douglas Hayward clothing launch was a big hit in Chicago, according to President and Creative Director Arnie Silverstone.

“Douglas Hayward was designer to the stars, and one of his favorite clients was Steve McQueen, so the McQueen label seemed a good place to start,” says Silverstone. “After all, Steve McQueen epitomizes the cool, retro-chic look that everyone loves today. The reaction to the collection was a wow! Retailers loved the exceptional quality and the pricing: beautiful half-canvas suits at $895 and $995 with healthy margins, jackets at $595, $695, and $795, shirts at $195, everything made in the UK. It’s really tremendous value for this taste level and quality.”

What’s next for the company? “We’ve had many interesting talks with retailers and are looking for the very best partners to work with and support with marketing materials, education, launch parties, made-to-measure concepts, and in-stock programs.”

For more information, email arnoldbrant@arnoldbrant.com.