ONES TO WATCH: ELEVENTY

Eleventy. EleVENTi. It’s Italian. It’s artisanal. It’s modern. It’s everything fine clothing should be, except expensive. “Our motto is ‘Enjoy life with Eleventy,’” says U.S. sales director Geoff Schneiderman. “The look is sporty chic which means beautiful clothes with handcrafted details that can be worn in infinite combinations to reflect the personality of the wearer.” Best booked items for fall/winter included a DB coat in down-filled flannel, a laser-cut jacket with raw edge seams, fabulous sweater knits, and suits that fit without constraint ($995 retail; handmade suits range from $1,495 to $1,795). Sportcoats ($595 retail) are cut a touch shorter (73 cm) for a young look, but specs have been tweaked for American bodies so nothing is too tight. And the women’s collection is simply off the charts!

Co-founded in 2008 by Marco Baldassari (pictured, he designs the men’s) and launched in the States this past year, the collection has already been booked in select doors at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and many great specialty stores. For spring ’16, styling is inspired by the London Teddy Boys of the 1950s. Key items are tailored blazers in classic menswear patterns, raw-seam leather jackets, straight-leg pants, vests and waistcoats in a wide range of fabrics (camouflage, perforated leather, denim) to be worn over T-shirts and under cardigan-style jackets. There are also fabulous athleisure styles, cool biker looks and elegant tailored clothing in performance fabrics. All told, it is an extensive collection that competes well with much more expensive luxury labels.