I happened to be in the East Village on Monday so I dropped by Sweetu Patel's shop CHCM. As some of you might recall, Sweetu hosted the Drake's sale last year (see here) - while that was a great introduction to the shop, there's really much more to CHCM.
Sweetu curates an eclectic collection of menswear pieces made by some great artisans from around the world. His English sensibilities are on display via products from Crombie, Drake's, and Sunspel. What really caught my eye, though, were some of the pieces made by Niuhans, a Tokyo-based fashion label. There were a pair of grey, flat-front cashmere trousers that really put my Purple Label slacks to shame. The workmanship looked absolutely amazing, and the feel of the fabric was exquisite.
I tend to overlook my casual wardrobe at the expense of my workwear (suits, blazers, slacks, etc.), and, more often than not, my weekend wear is really just what most people would consider business casual. But CHCM is a good place to start revamping the casual wardrobe with well-made clothing in sensible designs that are firmly rooted in a basic color palette (grey, navy, white, etc.)
While I was in the shop, Sweetu was getting ready to put some interesting items on clearance in order to make room for new inventory - including what appeared to be some pretty cool striped blazers from Crombie. It sounded like prices would be reduced 70-80% on certain items, so if you're in the city this weekend, it might be worth checking out. Call the store for more details at 212-673-8601.
