When Greg Utterback went shopping in May, he left with a sizable dent in his clothing budget.
“I bought two custom dinner jackets, two [pairs of] dress pants and five suits,” says the 41-year-old sales executive, who sheepishly admits to dropping upward of $60,000 on clothes during that visit.
Greg Utterback spent $60,000 on clothes during his last trip to Trunk Club.“It was a horrible number,” he says of the tab. “When you are sitting on the couch with a drink in your hand, and they are bringing clothes in your size, you tend to not realize how much you are spending. In New York, you can go to Saks and Bergdorf and, yes, they have private shoppers, but it’s not their sole business.”
Welcome to the Trunk Club, the ultimate personalized shopping experience for men. The sprawling 14-room space at the Palace hotel opened in November (there are other locations in Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas) and is an extension of the Chicago-based company’s online platform, where users are matched up with stylists who select clothing specifically for them.
Clients, who are seen by appointment only, are greeted by their stylist in a room with a marble-topped bar, top-shelf liquor and a rotating roster of tap beers.
With decadent rooms, each created by a different designer (above by John Varvatos), guys can kick back with a cocktail and enjoy the view while their personal stylist picks out dapper duds (below) just for them.Stefano Giovannini
Stefano GiovanniniThere are some 80 trained stylists at the New York office alone — mostly women from a mix of sales and fashion backgrounds — and customers are matched with stylists online before they arrive.
Once they have their booze of choice, customers are whisked away to one of the handsomely appointed rooms (each decorated by a different clothing designer) and given a selection of clothing in their size to try on. There is on-site tailoring, and stylists are often on call after the visit for fashion emergencies.
The one-on-one attention is free. Though, with a selection of more than 140 high-end brands like Billy Reid, Orlebar Brown and Eton, the style doesn’t come cheap.
“They have introduced me to a whole new world of upping my level of dress,” adds Utterback, who lives in Houston and travels frequently to New York for work and pleasure. He now has 17 suits, 20 sports coats and 48 pairs of shoes, all bought from Trunk Club.
Jay Henry, a Williamsburg, Brooklyn-based writer, has been to Trunk Club four times and has splurged on three pairs of $550 Fabric-Brand & Co. jeans.
“It’s genius for men,” says Henry, 49. “None of us [wants] to shop. And I find it quite lovely to go into a salon, have a cocktail and sit with your stylist.”
The bar can feel like a proper clubhouse on some nights, with cool music playing in the background.
“There [are] drinks flowing and the energy kicks in,” says Nicolas Gomez, Trunk Club’s regional events coordinator. Gomez says clients often network while they shop. And some companies use Trunk Club as a team-building exercise in lieu of happy hours.
“I love how the Trunk Club concept challenges the traditional shopping experience by turning it into a fun and sociable event for men,” says Ian McCaig, co-founder and chief marketing and strategy officer of Qubit, a digital marketing firm, who has held company events there for attendees to drink and shop.
Clients are quick to note Trunk Club’s not just for high rollers, though. “There [are] young guys in there just buying a shirt,” says Utterback. “It doesn’t feel pretentious.”
