Of The Moment: Alex Casertano
Midsummer city style. Men’s Creative Director and Designer Alex Casertano wearing the Bleeker Chambray Shirt, Lisbon Linen Blazer, Haskell Jeans, and Silk Pocket Square. around New York City.
“I find it to be a secret hand-shake that is shared between those with style.”
Our Men’s Creative Director and Designer Alex Casertano knows about men’s style–the textures, the fabrics, the tailoring, the history, and the style. Over martinis and fries at New York institution P.J. Clarke’s, Alex gave us the inside scoop on everything JMcL Men’s summer style–from what he’s most excited about to wear this summer to who he turns to when he needs inspiration. Read more below.
Shop His Look:
Name:
Alex Casertano
Location:
New York City and Millbrook, New York
Searching for afternoon bites and small sips, Alex wears the Bleeker Chambray Shirt, Lisbon Linen Blazer, Haskell Jeans, and Silk Pocket Square.
Profession:
J.McLaughlin Creative Director and Designer. Although I do like the moniker “clothier,” it speaks to a time when dressing was taken more seriously by men and there was a rich mélange of men’s stores throughout New England and the country at large.
Always:
Layer textures to create some depth in your look. I like to pair vintage denim and chambray with more sartorial elements like suiting and neckwear. When you do this, you are borrowing from the style glossary of the greats–Agnelli, McQueen, Newman, and so on. I find it to be a secret hand-shake that is shared between those with style.
Embracing his prep roots, Alex wears the Bleeker Chambray Shirt, Lisbon Linen Blazer, Haskell Jeans, and Silk Pocket Square to get a martini and fries at P.J. Clarke’s.
Never:
Find yourself in a situation where you are underdressed.
Motto:
Trust your instincts. Have a point of view.
Extra olives, please. Alex wearing the Bleeker Chambray Shirt, Lisbon Linen Blazer, Haskell Jeans, and Silk Pocket Square.
The Best Part Of Living In NYC Is…
I have two boys and I like that they get to experience the diversity and the pace of the city.
The Best Part Of Living In Millbrook Is…
Experiencing the seasons and the open space and quiet natural beauty.
The 4 J.MCLaughlin Pieces Every Man Needs In His Wardrobe:
Shop The Edit:
Home away from home–the bar at Nine Orchard. Image courtesy of Vogue.
NYC Restaurant Recommendations?
My wife and I love to cook and we host a lot of dinner parties. When we go out we are looking for a classic New York experience. We end up at P.J. Clarke’s a fair amount. It helps that it is a block from our apartment. My favorite room in New York right now is the bar at Nine Orchard.
Stissing House’s French and Italian-inspired cuisine makes it a Hudson-Valley must-try. Image courtesy of Lasting Joy Brewery, left, and Chronogram, right.
Millbrook Restaurant Recommendations?
The Stissing House in Pine Plains. It is in a beautiful rambling building with wonderful interiors and gorgeous food by Clare de Boer (of NYC-based restaurants King and Jupiter). The Lantern Inn in Wassaic has excellent pizza and drinks. It is great for all ages. Lastly, Troutbeck does an amazing job with their food program.
What Are You Most Excited About From The J.McL Mens Collection?
The quality of our fabrics, especially in our tailoring.
On the move. Alex wearing the Bleeker Chambray Shirt, Lisbon Linen Blazer, Haskell Jeans, Silk Pocket Square, and Sheldon Canvas Tote.
What Are You Most Excited About For Summer?
I’m excited about and fortunate to be spending a good amount of time outside the city in beautiful places like Millbrook, Rhode Island and Italy. For the latter, I’ll be meeting with mills and manufacturers in Milan and Florence and then spending a week with my family in Tuscany.
What Is The Most Rewarding Part Of Your Job?
Helping men look their best and getting them excited about it.
Currently Reading / Listening To / Watching:
Reading: Sally Rooney Beautiful World, Where Are You? and The Battle of Ink and Ice: A Sensational Story of News Barons, North Pole Explorers, and the Making of Modern Media by my friend Darrell Hartman.
Listening To: I listen to a lot of sports and media podcasts on The Ringer. I’ve read and followed Bill Simmons since I was in college. Listening to him reminds me of the over-intellectualized yet humorous conversations about sports and movies that I would have with my friends at that time. The experience of listening to him is sort of like being in a bar with your friends, without being in a bar with your friends.
Music: I am listening to a lot of Brit Pop, 90s alternative and Joni Mitchell or female artists that are Joni Mitchell adjacent. When I am not listening to podcasts or music, I have WNYC on.
Watching: Season 1 of “The Bear.”
The epitome of classic New England prep–Paul Newman, 1954. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
Style Icon:
Paul Newman
How Does Your Personal Style Impact Your Work?
It informs everything.
When I Need Inspiration I…
I work a lot with vintage dealers and textile and print archives, and they put a lot of inspiring things in front of me. I spend a lot of time in antique stores upstate. On top of that I am fortunate that I get to travel frequently for photoshoots and sourcing which is always a source of inspiration.
Favorite J.McLaughlin Styles:
Aside from the above, the Callahan Polo Shirts, Gramercy Linen Shirts–I like dark shirts in the summer so I would go with the navy–and the Rodrick Sweater.
