“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” — Mark Twain
No offense to any nudists out there, but Mr. Twain is right. Clothes play an important part in our society, whether you’re a “Project Runway” fanatic or prefer to wear your nearest relatives’ hand-me-downs. (Side note: I remember my father once complaining, “It’s bad enough that my two sons steal all my good clothes, I didn’t know I’d have to fight you for them too!” But I digress … )
What you present to the world says a lot about you. And for you stylish gents, there’s a new place in town to buy your fashionable attire. Armour Philadelphia is the creative brainchild of David Grimes. A fashionable and affordable menswear store, the boutique’s name was inspired by “the historical concept of armor, a commonly used protective military uniform for men (and women) forged in battle.” I popped down to Fabric Row to visit Grimes in his store and was surprised to see a number of interesting shops springing up all around, like Bus Stop shoe boutique and Moon & Arrow vintage and art. It looks like Fabric Row is designing a whole new look for itself.
PGN: You’d been living in New York for a bit but you’re originally from Philly, correct? DG:: Yes. Born and raised in Philadelphia, around Eighth and Spring Garden. I went to Roman Catholic High School and then undergrad at Penn State for marketing and then grad school at Temple. So I’ve always had ties to Philly, even when I was working in New York. I was working for American Express for several years but I kept a house in Philly and commuted three days a week. That got to be a bit much so I rented a place in Brooklyn and stayed there during the week.
PGN: What did you do for AmEx, and can you fix my credit? DG:: [Laughs.] No, I was basically in human resources, which is what I got my master’s degree in. I had a few different jobs here in Philly, at a travel company and a couple of financial institutions, before landing at AmEx.
PGN: What about the family? DG:: I have an older brother. He’s five years older than me and lives in California. My parents are both retired. My mom worked for CoreStates Bank for 30 years, and my dad worked in maintenance at Melon Bank and TRW. They met when my mom was 16 and my dad was 20. They married four years later and celebrated their 54th anniversary last September. PGN: That’s impressive. What traits do you get from them? DG:: From my mom I get the desire to always want to learn and experience new things. She always encouraged me and my brother to travel and meet new people, try new things. My dad is a very laid-back kind of guy with a very nice and gentle disposition. It’s not a trait, but my dad was really into jazz. We always had it playing in the house. At the time, I didn’t enjoy it but as I’ve gotten older I’ve really developed an appreciation for jazz. Now I just love it.
PGN: What things were you into as a kid? DG:: Even as a kid I was into dressing well and looking sharp. When I look at old pictures, I can tell I was very aware of the importance of presenting a nice appearance, which was something my parents taught us.
PGN: My father is the same way. He still puts on a dress shirt to go to the doctor because he feels he’ll get better treatment. And both of my parents are still appalled to see people get on an airplane in sweatpants. I’d imagine you were raised with the same mentality. DG:: Totally. I do now have an appreciation for dressing comfortably on long flights; it’s not like it used to be when airplanes had lounges and plenty of leg room. But there are ways to be comfortable without having to go to the extremes of sweatpants! Comfortable khakis instead of dress pants, etc.
PGN: Describe a fun memory with your brother. DG:: [Laughs.] My mom will hate me telling this story. We loved Easter and my brother and I really enjoyed dying the eggs. My mother would take the eggs and arrange them to make a really nice centerpiece on the table. One particular Easter Sunday morning, my mother had the table all set for company later that night but we were really hungry, so we decided to eat the eggs. My mother was on the phone and when she found out what we were doing, she remained calm to the person she was talking to and then lost it as soon as she hung up. She beat the crap out of us as soon as she got off the phone! My brother was giggling in the corner because she got to me first. It wasn’t so funny then, but we laugh about it now and tease her about getting so bent out of shape for eating her Easter display.
PGN: Do you have much extended family? DG:: Yes, my father just had one brother but my mom is the youngest of 11 children, so I have lots of cousins. And since so many of her siblings were older than her, she made friends with women in high school and college who became like family, so I have a lot of additional “play” aunts and cousins.
PGN: With that large a family, any other gay folks? DG:: It’s funny, I have a very early memory of going to a family wedding when I was about 11 or 12 years old. Even at that time, I hadn’t addressed what it was yet, but I knew there was something different going on with me. It was a big church wedding and reception for one of my cousins and I remember her older brother kept to himself the entire time. I asked my mom what was up with him and my parents — in very hushed tones — told me that he lived in Washington, D.C., and that he was a dancer. They whispered that he wasn’t very close to the family and that he was “funny,” which back then was a euphemism for being gay. I found myself fascinated by him: He was very tall and attractive with a dancer’s body and the whole mystique of living in D.C. and making a living as a dancer. He was so exotic and foreign, I wanted to interact with him but couldn’t bring myself to. I could tell there was some sort of taboo attached to him and since I was just starting to wrestle with my own attractions, I was afraid of the stigma rubbing off on me. Since I’ve gotten older and have been out for some time, I’ve asked my mom about him but apparently he’s remained in D.C. and lost touch with the family. It was a sore subject with his parents and he was considered the outcast. I really regret that I never had the chance to have a connection with him. There was something really cool about him and the thought that he might be like me would have been helpful growing up.
PGN: Is he still alive? DG:: I have no idea. Maybe now that you have me thinking about him again, I’ll try to look him up.
PGN: Keep me informed, I’d love to hear about it. How did you come out to the family? DG:: After I graduated from college, I met my first boyfriend. I’d dated girls up until that point. Like most first relationships, it was very intense. I was still living with my parents but when we started getting serious I moved in with him. Since, as far as they knew, he was just a friend who came out of nowhere, my parents knew something was up. One day my mother just point-blank asked me. I told her I was gay and there were tears, crying, “I didn’t bring you into this world for that … ” Blah, blah, blah. I didn’t talk to my father for about two weeks. My brother in California was acting as a mediator and it was a very traumatic time. But eventually they got it and came to realize that though my sexuality doesn’t define me, it’s a big part of who I am and if they wanted to be a part of my life, they’d have to accept it. We have a fantastic relationship now and they love my partner. Actually they’ve loved and accepted my last two partners.
PGN: So how did we get from HR to Armour? DG:: Well, I was in the corporate rat race for a number of years and decided that I wanted to come back to Philly permanently. In Brooklyn, there were a number of great men’s boutiques that carried cool independent and emerging designers, but I couldn’t find anything like that in Philly. We used to have places like Urban Guerilla and Xog in the late ’80s, early ’90s, but it’s a bit lacking now. I figured it would be a good time to resurrect the men’s boutique since more men, straight and gay, are getting attuned with how they look and present themselves.
PGN: The whole Ryan Seacrest metrosexual thing? DG:: Yes. And I wanted to not only offer clothes that guys wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else in the city, but I also wanted a place where I could showcase art and a place that gave back to the community. It’s been two-and-a-half years in the making. I quit my job in September of 2013 and opened Armour in November.
PGN: What things do you do to give back? DG:: The main organization we work with is MenzFit, an educational nonprofit that helps local underprivileged men find jobs. People can stop by the store and re-gift or donate their gently used men’s accessories (ties, belts, cuff links, shoes, unused socks). They’re a great organization. They help the guys with job-interview preparation, career development and apparel so they can be dressed appropriately for job interviews. You’d be surprised how much being able to look the part helps boost a person’s confidence.
PGN: What would one find in your boutique? DG:: I have a lot of clothes from established designers, but I also love having the opportunity to showcase designers who are up-and-coming. Currently we have several exciting indie designers like Prospective Flow, WRK and Circle of Gentleman. We have T-shirts from a South African brand, Magents, and accessories run the gamut from hats from Goorin Bros. to Matt & Nat vegan bags and totes. For the really dapper gentleman, we have pocket squares from Ikire Jones and bowties from Mad Handsome. Currently we have artwork from Brian Bazemore on the walls and we’ll be showing new artists on a rotating basis. PGN: What’s a piece of fashion advice for our readers? DG:: It’s important to be aware of the trends in fashion, but not necessarily important to follow them; they may not work for you. You need to find your own sense of style. For me, I like my look very laid-back and easy so that it doesn’t look like a lot of thought was put into it.
PGN: What’s on the horizon for this spring? DG:: Believe it or not, I’m seeing a lot of muted colors, lots of grays and blacks, where in the past few seasons the emphasis has been on color. This year for the urban guy there are a lot of fashions designed to let you be mobile, clothes designed so you can ride your bike or walk and get around the city. Another trend is for designers to incorporate technology into the clothing. Right now I’m selling winter hats that have earbuds built into them, that sort of thing. This spring I’m going to be introducing men’s underwear and shorts, so we’ll have some fun events here with hot guys modeling the clothing. PGN: [Laughs.] Or lack thereof … DG:: Yes! We’re kicking it off with a party for Philly Black Gay Pride during Penn Relay weekend.
PGN: Do you have people come in and say, “Make me over?” DG:: Not really, most of our customers are already pretty fashion-forward. They know what they want and have their own sense of style. I will have people come in with a shirt or suit and want me to help them find a tie or accessory to match. PGN: How did you find this place? DG:: It was kind of a fluke. I’d been planning to try to find a place in Midtown Village and ran across an ad in Craigslist for this place. I came down, loved the store and saw the potential in this neighborhood. I met a lot of the other business owners down here and really loved the vibe I got from them. Everyone works together. There’s a bike shop down the block that lent me a vintage motorcycle to put in the front-window display. It’s a great conversation piece to get people into the store! This area is really changing. There are all sorts of new shops opening up here. It’s not just a place for fabric anymore.
PGN: And your partner Eric is your partner in life too? DG:: Yes. We’ve been together for about six years. They say with any successful start-up business you need to have help and he’s been great. His background is visual merchandising so he’s my creative director and he writes a wonderful blog on the website called “The Fabric of a Man.” He still lives in New York, so he had to sign up for a long-distance relationship and having me give up my cushy corporate job. It’s a lot but it’s been really good.
PGN: What’s a style era you’d like to go back to? DG:: The ’60s and that whole London-mod era, very monochromatic, with the boots and slim-fitting pants and ties and dark turtleneck shirts. It speaks to my sense of style. That or the ’70s with the bellbottom pants and cool collars.
PGN: What song would you want as your theme song? DG:: There’s a group called Prefuse 73 that samples instrumental theme songs from old ’70s shows, like police dramas. They have one song called, “Drum Machine, Cello and Headwrap.” I’d like to do a commercial for Armour someday and use that for the music.
PGN: What was your most flamboyant outfit? DG:: I have pictures of me from back in the second or third grade, and I looked like I was one of The Jackson 5! I had a big afro with the vest and the bowties and the flowery shirts that you see in the old videos.
PGN: Now that’s something I’d like to see in the store window!
For more information on Armour, visit armourphiladelphia.com.
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