Mary Brockman and Mark Straiton, the pair behind quirky vintage and knickknack store Kill Devil Hill, have launched a line of old-timey clothing based on patterns from the 1850s. They transformed a small offshoot of the store into their workshop, covering the walls in taxidermy and canvas sheets (they call it the "tent") and equipping it with an industrial sewing machine.
Initially, they're offering just two styles, a pair of tapered cotton pants and a cravat (the chichi seventeenth-century predecessor to the bow tie), but they'll be branching out into a heavy winter trouser and shirts this fall. The made-to-order pants feature wooden buttons for suspenders – conveniently sold in matching fabrics at Kill Devil Hill – and are lined in feed-sack material ($155). The cravat comes in four colors ($25), and Straiton says they sold out of their initial run.
After seeing the parade of Brooklyn men sporting summer scarves this season, bringing back the cravat hardly seems like a stretch. Will newly clad dandies start popping up in Greenpoint bars in cravats and suspenders? "To be honest, we've sold most of them to girls," says Straiton. Which means, like skinny jeans and leggings, it's only a matter of time.
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