Cloak
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Neighborhood: Chinatown Type of Place: Clothing Description: I first learned of menswear designer Alexandre Plokhov last spring, when a documentary with the working title of "Seamless," featuring Plokhov and several other up-and-coming clothing designers, was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. Handsome, hard-working Plokhov, shown to be a loving and devoted husband as well as a professional talent, quite completely charmed the audience; so when I heard that he'd opened a flagship store on Greene Street for his design label, Cloak, I knew I wanted to visit. The Cloak flagship opened in August and provides an elegant showcase for Plokhov's line. Its muted colors and classic details complement the clothes, which are tremendously good-looking and of wonderful quality. I appreciated also the streaks of humor and whimsy. Near the back, behind the jackets and sweaters and crisp, gorgeous shirts, a small table is devoted to an artful display of underwear. One wall is given over to bookshelves, and on those shelves I found Aristotle's "On Man in the Universe" nestled next to..."Winnie the Pooh." Though Verdi or perhaps Coltrane might have been the expected music, Black Sabbath was coming through the speakers instead. Plokhov has had the Cloak label for about 5 years, having previously worked for the Versace and Marc Jacobs lines. Last year he won the Swarovski Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent in Menswear from the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), which marked him officially as a talent to watch--and provided some welcome cash to help him pursue his vision. I noted the white "Guardsman" shirt ($295) and the soft, striped woolen crewnecks in grey and black or blue and grey ($375) before, caught up in the designs, I forgot to keep checking prices. That said, I recall thick wool scarves in beautiful neutral shades and a delicious belted cardigan in charcoal. Wonderful stuff here, displayed with great style and proving that Plokhov's charms extend far beyond the screen. - Pamela Grossman; Oct 18, 2005
Cloak 10 Greene Street New York, NY 10013 212-625-2828 http://www.cloakdesign.com/ Map Subway
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