softgrey
flaunt the imperfection
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Taille This on for Size
Paris
Taille, the French word for "size" or "waist" also means "cut with precision;" it is the most accurate name this menswear line could possibly be blessed with.
It's no secret that men have a slightly different method of shopping than women. Fantasy is cast aside to make room for decisions based on structure, form, and engineering; this is where designer Wim Neels excels with Taille. Such is the precision of the cut that a customer can call in and ask, "What's new in size 48?" When the list is reeled off, he can say "I'll take the navy pea coat, one of each shirt, and all the jumpers." In Paris the pieces fly off the racks at such speed — mostly by phone — that Taille never makes it to the sales. So what men may lack in fantasy, they make up for in obsession. Surprisingly reasonable prices mean that the volume of your Taille wardrobe depends less on the depth of your wallet and more on whether you keep the stockists on speed dial.
For those who have the time and prefer to see and touch the fabric before they empty their bank accounts, Wim Neels occasionally makes a few pieces exclusively for l'Éclaireur in Paris, where it is a pleasure to hear the staff wax lyrical as they show off structural details the uneducated eye might miss. They whisper in hushed tones: many of the Taille clients are, in fact, designers themselves.
So under the radar is Wim Neels that even Stephen McIlvenna, one of the store's conseillere en mode who has been with l'Éclaireur as long as Neel's line, has never laid eyes on the mysterious designer — not that he is the first of the Belgians to adopt this tactic. There is no question that this sense of mystery played its part in the cult status acquired by Maison Martin Margiela. Models have been known to spend hours completely unaware that they were undergoing a fitting by Margiela himself (and we can count on our fingers the number of portraits anyone has seen of Ann Demeulemeester and Dries Van Noten.)
Very much in contrast is the approach to fashion by Tom Ford. Just as much the perfectionist as Wim Neels, Tom Ford was chosen (instead of Neels) to take over the reins at Gucci back in 1995 when they both worked for the house. Since then, Wim Neels has launched three lines: Vêtements de Travail, a concise collection of basics; Vêtements Wim Neels, which is available only in northern Europe; and Taille, the label of which is simply the size of the article: 46, 48, 50, 52, or 54.
-Karina Jeffrey
Photos:
Wim Neels
http://www.jcreport.com/mailer/issue75/popups/taille3.html
http://www.jcreport.com/mailer/issue75/popups/taille1.html
http://www.jcreport.com/mailer/issue75/popups/taille2.html
jcreport.com
Paris
Taille, the French word for "size" or "waist" also means "cut with precision;" it is the most accurate name this menswear line could possibly be blessed with.
It's no secret that men have a slightly different method of shopping than women. Fantasy is cast aside to make room for decisions based on structure, form, and engineering; this is where designer Wim Neels excels with Taille. Such is the precision of the cut that a customer can call in and ask, "What's new in size 48?" When the list is reeled off, he can say "I'll take the navy pea coat, one of each shirt, and all the jumpers." In Paris the pieces fly off the racks at such speed — mostly by phone — that Taille never makes it to the sales. So what men may lack in fantasy, they make up for in obsession. Surprisingly reasonable prices mean that the volume of your Taille wardrobe depends less on the depth of your wallet and more on whether you keep the stockists on speed dial.
For those who have the time and prefer to see and touch the fabric before they empty their bank accounts, Wim Neels occasionally makes a few pieces exclusively for l'Éclaireur in Paris, where it is a pleasure to hear the staff wax lyrical as they show off structural details the uneducated eye might miss. They whisper in hushed tones: many of the Taille clients are, in fact, designers themselves.
So under the radar is Wim Neels that even Stephen McIlvenna, one of the store's conseillere en mode who has been with l'Éclaireur as long as Neel's line, has never laid eyes on the mysterious designer — not that he is the first of the Belgians to adopt this tactic. There is no question that this sense of mystery played its part in the cult status acquired by Maison Martin Margiela. Models have been known to spend hours completely unaware that they were undergoing a fitting by Margiela himself (and we can count on our fingers the number of portraits anyone has seen of Ann Demeulemeester and Dries Van Noten.)
Very much in contrast is the approach to fashion by Tom Ford. Just as much the perfectionist as Wim Neels, Tom Ford was chosen (instead of Neels) to take over the reins at Gucci back in 1995 when they both worked for the house. Since then, Wim Neels has launched three lines: Vêtements de Travail, a concise collection of basics; Vêtements Wim Neels, which is available only in northern Europe; and Taille, the label of which is simply the size of the article: 46, 48, 50, 52, or 54.
-Karina Jeffrey
Photos:
Wim Neels
http://www.jcreport.com/mailer/issue75/popups/taille3.html
http://www.jcreport.com/mailer/issue75/popups/taille1.html
http://www.jcreport.com/mailer/issue75/popups/taille2.html
jcreport.com
Last edited by a moderator:
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Such a pity because it really is reasonably priced even over here.
