Home > Gwinnett > Rick Badie / My Opinion > Archives > 2008 > April > 19 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTo him, style has function
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He’s dressed to the nines.
Brown pinstriped suit and vest. Lace-up spectators. A dress shirt with cuff links and his initials embroidered on the sleeve.
Think Cotton Club, Bogart. Nifty and natty.
Brian Keith Howard recently ditched his day job to pursue his passion. He’s started a tailoring and consulting firm that specializes in 1930s-style fashion. “Bogey by Brielle,” it’s called. (Brielle is one of his daughter’s middle names.)
Howard developed a fashion sense at an early age. He fancied the styles of the 1930s, thanks in part to his grandfather.
“I raided my grandfather’s closet for braces, pleated pants and vests,” the Ohio native said.
He’d been a corporate sales trainer for 15 years, and he began dabbling in fashion a decade ago. A local haberdasher gave him his start by granting him access to his shop and fabric books.
Now, Howard, 48, works out of his home in Snellville. He meets clients wherever, armed with a tape measure and a suitcase full of fabrics. His suits start at $700. Eventually, he wants to roll out leisure/weekend attire.
Pearl Binder, the late artist/socialite, said, “Dress is the outward expression of a man’s state of mind, and it is his attire that tells the world what he thinks of himself.”
The quote serves as a segue into why I chose to write about Howard. His purpose stretches beyond wanting to build a high-end business. That’s a given. See, Brown also wants to educate our young people about the clothes they wear and the statements they make.
You’ve seen young men in the ridiculously saggy and baggy pants. Atlanta Councilman C.T. Martin has proposed a ban on clothes that expose undergarments. A citizens task force said a ban wasn’t the answer, though.
Discourse and discussion is.
Brown hopes to be a part of the discussion, maybe help lead it. He knows young people can’t afford his suits, but they can develop a reasonably priced, tasteful fashion sense.
He’s made a proposal to 100 Black Men of Atlanta Inc. to possibly incorporate such a theme into that organization’s mentoring program. And he plans to contact Atlanta City Hall to see whether there’s interest in tackling the issue in a way that uplifts, not denigrates and criminalizes.
“Regulating dress is not the way to go,” he said. “We need to lead by example and show them options. We need to ask them what does dressing like that mean to them? “If we never show people what good dress looks like, then we can’t complain about people wearing baggy and saggy pants. Educate them to a better way.”
For more information about Bogey by Brielle, call 678-362-4287. Brian Keith Howard’s designs will be featured in a celebrity fashion show and sports auction at 8 p.m. April 25 at the residence of Charles A. Mathis Jr. Proceeds benefit AIM, a mentoring program for underprivileged kids. Details: www.aimforyouth.com.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
Comments
By Larry
April 19, 2008 5:51 PM | Link to this
It’s too hot in Atlanta to wear a nice suit. Sandals, shorts and tshirt. That’s it pal. Make that Bogey and you’ve got something.
By Mark
April 20, 2008 1:49 PM | Link to this
Again, Rick has seemed to come up with an idiotic subject for his blog. You should be driving a bread truck.
By ELLE
April 20, 2008 10:37 PM | Link to this
Mark: Maybe you should be driving a bread truck. If you don’t like the subject… IGNORE IT!!!
I think the youth of today follow those they consider to be celebrities.
They follow the entertainers sense of style.
If this designer could tap into one of the local celebrities… he could be on to something.
I love a well dressed man!
The hot temperature just determines the material the garments worn will be made of.
By LT5000
April 21, 2008 8:15 AM | Link to this
Just what Atlanta needs, more people dressing like 3rd rate pimps.
Chalk up another moronic article to Badie.
LT5000
By Mark
April 21, 2008 11:08 AM | Link to this
ELLE* This is a public blog, and I’ll say what I wish. If you don’t care for my comments, IGNORE THEM!!
“Educate them to a better way.”
You can’t educate the ignorant.
By KIM
April 21, 2008 12:54 PM | Link to this
I am glad you sum yourself up well, Mark.
By Mark
April 21, 2008 4:15 PM | Link to this
KIM
My GPA was probably higher than your IQ.
By Sandy_G
April 21, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this
A citizens task force said a ban wasn’t the answer, though. Discourse and discussion is.
Maybe the answer is for parents to stop buying “gang wear” for their children? Last time I checked, most 12 and 13-year-olds don’t have jobs nor do they earn the money to buy their own clothes. If anyone needs educating, it is the parents, not the children.
It’s the parents, by and large, who are buying this stuff for their kids. They are teaching them to “express themselves” through their dress and hairstyles. Unfortunately, a lot of them cannot express themselves any other way because they are barely literate.
You have to teach a child to have self respect. If the parent does not care enough to teach their children some basic values like self respect, self control and self discipline, then the battle is pretty much over.
By Ginny
April 21, 2008 4:41 PM | Link to this
Sandy_G
A well written post and so true.
By Stephan
April 23, 2008 12:13 PM | Link to this
Sandy makes a great point. When I was growing up, my mother bought my clothes, so this never would have been an issue. She would have fallen over dead before she allowed any child of hers to walk out of the house with his pants down around his knees. It simply never would have been permittedl, end of story. As a result, I grew up understanding that being perceived as respectable meant looking presentable, which meant being neat and clean and wearing proper attire. If you don’t instill that in a child from an early age, you’ve basically handicapped them.