S
ID Sid Mashburn Men’s Shop is filled with fine fabrics, curiosities and hospitality. I am greeted with an offer of coffee, or 18-year-old scotch, but use my currency as a guest to request Sugar Hill Gang from Sid’s impressive collection of vinyl. Somehow old school rap and shelves of classic menswear co-exist without clashing. The quality of the fabrics is apparent at first glance and that’s before Sid has explained why he prefers cottons from Italy, woolens from England and sweaters from Scotland. Sid warps, wefts and weaves me through the intricacies of choosing a mill. “The English and Scottish lack the sexiness up front, but they have better performance on the back end. Five years from now you won’t be wondering what happened to your sweater.” To shop at Sid Mashburn is to earn a fashion education.
Photography Kevin Byrd
Words Moria Deshpande
Fashion is art and passion is everything. Sid is a clothing designer and he would create clothes even if it didn’t pay. He tells me “If you have passion for what you are doing, you don’t really even know the days of the week.” References to art and music and literature punctuate our conversation. Like any artist, Mashburn seeks a sense of connection. He enjoys creating pieces that may not be big sellers but will find a following with a few likeminded souls who understand what he is trying to do. This is no traditional men’s store. And yet it is. Purple wool sweaters and brass oyster belt buckles take their place next to dress trousers and plaid jackets. The style here is traditional and accessible. A conservative man would feel right at home here. A modern dandy could wear the classics with a touch of irony or look fresh simply because his clothes were impeccably tailored.