By: Dale
There I was, on the second day of my trip, plodding along Magazine street in knee-high brown rain boots, a sweater, a seersucker jacket, a scarf, and clutching (as elegantly as possible) a golf-sized, fancy, drug store umbrella.
Of course there wasn’t any rain.
The locals told me storm warnings were frequent and nothing to worry about in New Orleans, apparently they noticed my uneasy, upward glances. The pale grey sheet of weather that blanketed the city since I’d arrived had been pulled taut and stifling. The humidity was getting to me and I was running out of time.
But before I left, there was one man I had to find, Mr. George Bass.
Routinely named one of the best men’s stores in America, George Bass was the only “can’t miss” menswear shop in the French Quarter, and quite frankly, all of New Orleans.
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- The full view, vibrant colors, the George Bass look by way of Naples.
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- He doesn’t only do extremely bright colors, this ensemble would be at home in any formal situation.
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- A beautiful custom blue wool silk donegal hunting jacket with collar latch and hacking pockets. Did I mention they can do full, in-house bespoke tailoring?
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- They have racks of incredible RTW as well.
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- Another vibrant piece that George is particularly proud of. Stunning.
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- Another beautiful ensemble demonstrating the very soft, natural shoulder that George Bass is famous for. The mixing of neutrals is very impressive here.
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- Isaia does it again, with a great spread collar and use of colors.
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- Details, details, details.
Nestled in an unassuming gallery of stores on St. Charles Avenue sits George Bass. It’s just south of the more generic menswear shops on Canal Street, where George will kindly send you if you ask for a black suit or something of low quality. Since 1985 he’s been selling only the best.
I walked over to the 30 year old legendary haberdashery determined to find the best menswear in New Orleans, what I got was a full education. As soon as I arrived I was greeted by a friendly staff and after a brief survey of the store they ushered me in to see George. He’s a tall Southern gentleman, you can tell he’s tall even when he sits. He wore a navy sport coat, a beautiful woven silk brown and blue tie, a gingham shirt, an inch of a blue tipped white linen pocket square, brown suede shoes, serious socks, and the rumpled khaki trousers of a man who works.
After a hearty handshake:
Me: “I heard you were the man to speak to about menswear in New Orleans”
GB: “Well what do you want to know?” He said excitedly in his distinctive southern drawl.
Me: “Tell me about George Bass”
GB: “Here. Read this, and tell me when you’re done.” he said briskly as grabbed the latest edition of his own magazine and pointed me toward the ‘Our Point of View’ section.
After I’d finished we discussed his point of view for over an hour as we toured his store. He spoke with the excitement of someone who you knew was meant to do exactly what they were doing.
He described the George Bass style, it comes from a modified classic ‘Ivy Look’. The extremely important traditional elements are the soft shoulder, vibrant colors, and casual formality, but his take has “much more waist suppression than you’d find at Brooks Brothers” he said assuredly. He hated his parochial school uniform so much as a boy that he spoke out through his clothing; George has been the voice of classically elegant modern menswear in New Orleans ever since.
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- This is one of those items, a carbon fiber suitcase with an alligator wrapped handle. Starts around $8000, call to inquire, exclusively offered in the U.S. at George Bass.
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- This is one of the most gorgeous pieces of luggage I’ve ever seen. The type you fight the TSA over.
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- Another beautiful suitcase, made in Italy.
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- George’s Signature horsebit loafer, his version is from Edward Green.
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- Alden’s European collection that’s cut lighter and more streamlined than their American offerings. I didn’t even know this existed, George is the only stockist in the States. Do you see a trend?
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- A “one stop shop” if your stop needs only include the best. George Bass carries every type of footwear you might need.
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- They buy double monks on and off, and have for the last 30 years, long before others jumped on the trend.
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- A Kiton trainer sits on the corner, $1200.
“No trends, no luxury, I only sell quality” he professed, and it doesn’t matter where the quality comes from. During the three decades George Bass has been in business, many of the original Ivy league suppliers either closed or were bought out. Years ago on a buying trip he traveled to Naples and realized what they were doing for the warm climate of Southern Italy he was selling for the warm climate in the Southern United States. Even the vivid colors felt right, problem solved. Bass began importing some of the finest Neapolitan tailoring in the world before most people in the U.S. could pronounce them. Incotex, Isaia, Kiton, Loro Piana, Luciano Barbera, and Rubinacci are just a few of the exclusive Italian labels he stocks. There is also an impressive collection of other artisans, Hamilton Shirts, Alden (and their European collection which he may be the only person in America to import), Samuelsohn, Filson, and Edward Green just to name a few.
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- George knows his customers, in the South he says “We like to eat!” and fitted polos would only fit the torso of his customers, the arms and chest would be too tight. So he custom blocked a polo with a fitted torso and a more forgiving chest and arm hole. Voila, the most perfectly fitting polo shirt for a huskier man.
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- George’s one reservation with color is in his socks. He “doesn’t sell clown socks!” and thinks that bright colors around the ankle and extremely cropped trousers should be left to the designers who made their name by it, not a timeless menswear store.
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- Pocket square in the breast pocket of a down vest.
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- A selection of shirts, Hamilton, Rubinacci, Incotex, all the heavy hitters.
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- Well stocked.
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- George’s inspiration wall, James Brown is king, and don’t ask him for the purple and gold of LSU, he’s a very proud Georgia Bulldog.
By the end of my tour I was convinced George Bass had probably forgotten more about men’s clothing than most people would ever know. His shop can only really be described as menswear treasure.
Take a look at the first installment of New Orleans, in 72 Hours here!
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