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Neither did we, until we talked to the Prenners at
The Ben Silver Corporation in Charleston, SC, and picked up this and other
dress-up tidbits from their 4,000,000-copy catalogue. Set on historic
King Street, the store has been a bastion of classically inspired, preppy
dress-up for an upscale, tourist-driven clientele since 1985. In spite
of short-lived fads or the advent of casual dressing, the Prenners have
thrived as tailored clothing and furnishings specialists, an integral
part of which is their expansive, robust neckwear business.
The Prenner’s tie business was up 10 percent in 2001 (overall store
volume is approximately $2 million). Their Persian-rugged, pine-floored
shop houses a sophisticated mix of more than 1,000 ties, including British
regimentals, authentic tartans, polka dots and patriotic neckwear featuring
designs of the Armed Forces. Ben Silver has at least 500 styles of striped
ties alone. “We started with stripes; now they’re big again.
This is the first time we’re crossing into fashion,” Bob Prenner
jokes, noting that this spring, stripes will be less regimental and more
whimsical, in pastels like pink, baby blue and yellow.
Currently, neckwear accounts for 25 percent of the store’s merchandise
assortment (other categories include sportcoats, specialty suits, trousers,
shoes, accessories and some womenswear), 75 percent of which is private
label. “It makes sense from an economic and quality standpoint to
be predominantly private label. Then we add to our mix with other lines
that offset our look,” he explains.
This selection is spread out on round oak tables and hefty architects’
cases or draped over brass and mahogany tie racks, with neckwear from
vendors such as Kiton, Leonard, Fabergé and Arnys. In the catalogue
(80 percent of the company’s business), pages and pages are devoted
to thousands of additional styles, each page rife with intricate background
and detail, written by Sue Prenner.
Sue’s father, Ben Silver, founded the company in the Flatiron district
of New York City, originally producing overcoats. But when President Kennedy
was televised in 1960 striding across the White House lawn coatless—and
set the trend to dressing sans overcoat—Silver diversified into
blazers. He later produced enameled buttons to go with them, and those
soon began to outsell the blazers. Sue and her husband, Bob, both lawyers
at the time, took over the business in 1978 when Silver died. In 1985,
they opened the 2,000-square-foot shop in Charleston, where they re-introduced
blazers.
Soon after, on a buying trip to England, Bob and Sue developed an interest
in the many striped and crested fabric patterns they encountered, representing
all kinds of associations, from fraternities and military regiments, to
clubs, clans and families. Not to mention all those authentic tartans,
where the pattern of the cloth identifies wearers as friends, foe or nosy
neighbor—even if they live on an estate several hundred acres away.
Full of inspiration, they launched their own neckwear as an accompaniment
to the blazers, and neckwear soon shared center stage.
“I believe many little stores have gone under because they didn’t
stand up for what they believed in. They let fads dictate their business,”
stresses Prenner. “We don’t chase trends—we stick to
what’s good for us and we tweak it.”
All neckwear is handmade from English and Italian silk; production is
done in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe and shipped from a 6,000-square-foot
warehouse in Charleston. Prices range from $70 to $170 for four-in-hands
(bows at $55). The bulk is done at $85 to $95, and average prices are
creeping up steadily. Bob and Sue never run sales in the King Street store.
“We have an outlet store in Myrtle Beach and an outlet online for
end-of-season leftovers,” Prenner says. “Having so much tourist
business helps—they want ambience, not off-price.
“We don’t over-think our business, we react from instinct,”
Prenner continues. “The more we go on our intuition, the more we
succeed.” This spirit of independent know-how has landed Bob and
Sue the job of outfitting actors like Russell Crowe in his upcoming movie,
“A Beautiful Mind” and Martin Sheen on NBC’s “The
West Wing”, and politicians including Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter,
Richard Nixon and George Bush—father and son.
“I think George W. looks pretty good,” Prenner says. “I
like his neats. He looks like a dignified world leader. Now Clinton is
another story. He was just too flashy for a President. His politics aside,
I never did like those ties.”
MR The Magazine of Menswear Retailing