2013 Fall Runway Recap

Last week my husband, Phil, and I had the pleasure of attending the Nordstrom Men's Shop & GQ Fall 2013 Runway Show in Bellevue, WA. As co-founders of Altus Menswear, we know we need to keep up with fashion trends in menswear!

There were a few key statements made during the introduction by GQ Style Expert, Peter St. John, such as emphasizing "looking your best at all times" and "wear it with confidence and you could kill it!" (I made frantic notes in my program so as to get his statements word for word.) Peter's comment about looking your best at all times really hit home with us. Looking your best translates into wearing apparel that fits you properly, even if it's just a T-shirt or a pair of sweats.

Altus Menswear co-founders, Phil & Andrea Williamson, after the Fall Men's 2013 Runway Show.
Phil is wearing an Altus Organic Cotton Striped T-Shirt.

Fashion pieces need to work for you in multiple situations. As Peter St. John continued, "regardless of the trend, it's versatile." We agree! At Altus we focus on basic, classic pieces for tall men that provide the foundation of a versatile wardrobe. Phil's Organic Cotton Striped Tee is a perfect example. He wore it with a black jacket for our evening out and has worn it with shorts on relaxing weekends.

As local celebrity models walk the runway at the end of the show, Phil snaps a photo of Seattle Sounders players, Midfielder Andy Rose and Goalkeeper Michael Gspurning.

The Runway Show ticket sales directly benefited local charities through the Detlef Schrempf Foundation. Standing at 6'-9" retired Seattle SuperSonics player, Detlef, can easily wear Altus size Extra Tall!

Famous Men 6'4" or Taller Who Don't (or didn't) Play Basketball

First let's be clear.  We LOVE basketball and all those tall men and women who play it!  But if you're over 6'3" tall and don't play basketball, you might be like Altus co-founder, Carter.  At 6'8" he can't walk into a room without being asked if he plays basketball.  He doesn't.  Carter's passions are soccer, mountain biking and beach volleyball.  And he's not alone. Just for fun we compiled a list of tall guys that have done something else.  If you think of more, send us an email (support@altusmenswear.com) and we'll add their name to our list!

Name	Height	Profession
Anthony Robbins	6'7"	Motivational Speaker
Brad Garrett	6'9"	Actor
Bruce Hornsby	6'4"	Musician
Chevy Chase	6'4"	Actor
Christopher Lee	6'5"	Actor
Clint Eastwood	6'4"	Actor
Conan O'Brien	6'4"	Entertainer
David Hasselhoff	6'4"	Actor
Donald Sutherland	6'4"	Actor
Ed "Too Tall" Jones	6'9"	Football Player
Fred Thompson	6'6"	Politician
Howard Hughes	6'4"	Business Magnate
Howard Stern	6'5"	Radio Personality
Hulk Hogan	6'7"	Wrestler
Ivo Karlovich	6'10"	Tennis Player
James Arnes	6'7"	Actor
James Brolin	6'4"	Actor
James Cromwell	6'7"	Actor
Jeff Goldbloom	6'4"	Actor
Joey Ramone	6'7"	Musician
John Cleese	6'5"	Comedian
John Kerry	6'4"	Politician
John Mayer	6'4"	Musician
Liam Neeson	6'4"	Actor
Lyndon B Johnson	6'4"	Politican
Michael Clark Duncan	6'5"	Actor
Michael Crichton	6'9"	Author
Peter Crouch	6'7"	Soccer Player
Peter the Great	6'8"	Russian Emporer
Randy Johnson	6'10"	Baseball Player
Richard Kiel	7'2"	Actor (played Jaws in Spy Who Loved Me)
Rock Hudson	6'4"	Actor
Roger Waters	6'4"	Musician
Stephen Merchant	6'7"	Actor
Ted Cassidy	6'10"	Actor (played Lurch in the Adams Family)
Tim Robbins	6'5"	Actor
Usama Bin Laden	6'6"	Terrorist
William Gates II	6'6"	Philanthropist

Donate Too-Short Clothing to Support a Cause

If you're like many of our tall Altus customers, in the past you have purchased clothes at a regular men's store (maybe even in the "tall" section) but then have to donate them after they're washed because they shrink and no longer fit you!  This happened to our family more times than I can count, which is partly the reason we make our own patterns.

But this blog isn't about us and our frustrations with buying tall clothing.  It's about a fundraiser for a soccer team!  

Who doesn't love this world-wide sport that emblazons 5-year-olds with a spirit that can remain all the way through adulthood!  This also happened to our family.  

My husband, co-founder of Altus Menswear, is a soccer fanatic.  Actually, that is an understatement.  He is involved in many Futbol teams, leagues, tournaments and cups as a fan, player, coach and (briefly) a referee.  As a coach he has been deeply rewarded by watching the progress of his players.  These same players are raising money while keeping clothing out of landfills with a wonderful program:  Clothes for the Cause

There are many, many causes to support and if you have read my earlier blog about our model participating in the Relay for Life you know that we, too, are supporting multiple causes.  But this week we are donating our too-short clothing in support of the Cascade FC B97 team!

Altus Menswear co-founder, 6'4" tall, plays his favorite sport!

Altus model, now at 6'8" tall, when he was a little younger (and a couple inches shorter) playing high school soccer.

Evolution and Change is a "Good Thing"

If there is one thing you can always count on, it's that change is inevitable.

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often. – Winston Churchill

Well, in our pursuit of perfection, we at Altus, having just recently opened our (online) doors and updated our website, are going through yet another evolution.
 
I've been sewing since I was 8 years old so it is easy for me, as president of Altus, to analyze our fabric quality, pin-point garment details that need to be perfect, and tweak patterns for a better fit, but website design is beyond my expertise.  So we've met with some of the best creative minds in Seattle and they've helped Altus update our look!

You'll notice a cleaner format, focusing more on our story, our commitment to domestic manufacturing, and the products.  And do we ever have some great new products are coming this fall!

Our new zippered hoodies will be available early August.  Just in time for cool fall evenings!

Coincidently, when I opened up my July/August 2013 issue of Martha Stewart Living last night, I noticed they, too, have gone through a "deliberate overhaul of the magazine's design" as noted in the letter from the editor, with more "'white space' around the pictures."  I've always been a fan of this magazine; I own nearly every copy, only missing a few from the early 90's, all grouped by month for easy reference during seasons and holidays!  So, reading about Martha's redesign, assured me we are doing the right thing by evolving our brand.

And we will continue to change; to respond directly to our customers' requests, meeting the needs of men over 6'3" that don't need the "big" found in traditional "big & tall" stores.

Our changes will happen gradually over the coming weeks…. so check back with us often to see our progress!

Fashion & Fit: Challenges for Tall Men Through the Ages

Guest Blog by Phil Williamson, Altus Menswear Vice President and Director of Marketing:

Sure, we were all fashion-challenged when I was a young man in the late 1970s and early 80’s. Platform shoes, bell-bottoms and those rayon shirts with the cowboy motifs on them were horrific enough (less we forget the mullet). But for me, it was an especially awkward time.

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6’4” is not that tall these days but back then I definitely stood out and was self-conscious about my gangly physique. For me, the style atrocities of that era were further compounded by a total and complete lack of any clothes that remotely fit me. There were no Big & Tall stores or tall choices at the department stores that I recall. So, as evident in the picture below, most everything I wore, was either way to short or way too baggy (and still too short).

These days there are more choices for specialty sizes, thanks in large part to the Internet, but tall guys that are not “big” still have to work too hard to find clothes that fit. I can get by, but I still shop by size first and will usually purchase whatever fits rather than worry about style. But at 6’8”, my son Carter has really struggled to find anything that fits – especially casualwear. A generation later and the sizing challenges for thin and athletically built, tall guys continue.

And so Altus Menswear was founded with the goal of providing tall and extra-tall guys a convenient shopping experience, where they can find a line of great looking, classic styles, that fit (even after they are washed). 

Styles will come and go (hopefully the 70s and 80s will just go) but a tall man in well fitting clothes is very striking so get noticed for all of the right reasons. 

The author, back in the 80's, wearing way-too-small and not-so-classic apparel.

The author, last week, in his classic Levis with an Altus Menswear, well-fitting, shirt.

Company Sprouts from Necessity

Necessity is the mother of invention.  I don't know who first spoke this well-known phrase.  I've read it was Plato, but I've also heard Aesop.  What I do know is the statement is completely true and the reason I left my landscape design career to start a new venture in apparel manufacturing.

The "About Us" page on Altus Menswear begins with, "I began this company because of the tall men in my family."  That is no understatement.

Somewhere someone is wearing nearly new clothing from a second-hand store thanks to us, because most of the casual wear we purchased over the last few years ended up being donated almost immediately.

I remember the day when I had had enough.  I was tired of wasting money on "tall" clothes that ended up in the donation bin.

I had taken my son to be fitted for his senior prom tuxedo.  The store was wonderful to work with!  But a tall kid can't wear custom-fitted tuxedos to school, so when we left the fitting we popped into a store across the street.  It said "Big & Tall" in the window.  My son insisted we go inside even though I explained that the store catered to "big" sizes.  He pressured me saying, "Mom, it says tall right there in the window!"

We took a chance.

The gentleman behind the counter was very kind and understanding but said, without hesitation, that there were only 2 or 3 shirts in the entire store that "might" fit my son.  I said I was so frustrated, "I feel like I should start a company to manufacture Extra-Tall clothes."  He told me it wasn't a bad idea.

We walked out with two T-shirts that were size Tall XL.  They shrunk after washing and fit him like a box. They made it to the donation bin within days.  But, much like the spring flowers in my well-designed landscape, the seed of an idea had sprouted.

My son's tuxedo for Senior Prom was much easier to find in his tall size than everyday clothes!

What's in a Name?

Choosing a name for your business can be very stressful!  Does it fit your image?  Is it catchy and memorable?  Does it look good on a logo?  Is it already being used by another business?  Does another business share part of the name and would you want to be associated with that name's possible reputation?  These are all questions you and your team should research.

Now that we are nearly two years into the commitment of our apparel company, I can look back and chuckle at our first business name ideas.  Lanky Male, Lean Dude, Tall & Thin Men, Stilt Punk, and Stalky Guy were some of our considerations for a clothing line aimed at men who need a "tall" not necessarily "big & tall" fit.

I do find myself occasionally having to explain our choice.  Altus can be defined as high, tall, lofty, sublime, exalted, profound, and deep.  What a great word!  Plus it looks great on a label.

Here I am adjusting my model's sleeve at our recent photo shoot for upcoming new products. 

My model happens to be my son, so we get a picture for our "About Us" page.

He wants to show me the world through his 6'8" eyes.  I have to stand on a crate!

Standing on the crate I get a hug!

Extra-Tall Mens Clothing Model Participates in 'Relay for Life'

Having recently opened our online store Altus, for tall and extra-tall men, we spend the weekend with family and participate in our first American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event.  My son, and the inspiration for our clothing line for tall men, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer 3 years ago.  His participation in the Relay for Life event for the first time happened at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA.

Listening to the opening remarks at our first Relay for Life, this one in Bellingham, WA.

A thyroid cancer survivor, my son walks the first "Survivors" lap with my mother. His grandma is a breast cancer survivor.

After the first Survivors lap, my father (to my right) and I join my son and mother to walk some more.

Dreams Do Come True!

When I was in high school I wanted to be a fashion designer!  I had been sewing since I was 8 even making my own clothing.  I can remember having to stand in front of my third-grade class to model a jumper I had made.  I was shy and embarrassed that the teacher was making a big fuss over me.  I was so reserved the thought of going off to one of the fashion industry capitals for college (think NYC or Paris) terrified me!  So I studied art, and then business (both at the University of Oregon), horticulture and landscape design (at South Seattle Community College) and eventually landscape architecture (at the University of Washington).  All this education spanned over 25 years, during which time I made maternity clothes (for myself), wedding dresses (for friends), costumes (for my kids' preschool dress-up box), doll clothes (for my daughter's dolls), men's dress shirts (for my husband), and countless other sewing projects.  Fast forward.  While working in landscape design, my now 20-year-old son keeps growing!  He's reached 6'8" and I'm making him dress shirts just like his father, who at 6'4" seems short to me.  And he's complaining!  He can't go to the local mall and get clothes.  He walked into the local Big & Tall store when he was a senior in high school (and a couple inches shorter than he is now) and was told there would be only 2 or 3 shirts in the store that "might" fit him properly.  The problem is he isn't "Big", just tall!  Tired with the complaints about finding clothes to fit him, our whole family comes up with this crazy idea to start a clothing line for tall and extra-tall men:  www.altusmenswear.com

Well, maybe it's not so crazy.  I figure there are other moms who have sons with a similar body type who are equally frustrated.  I realize I am now doing what I wanted to all along.

Two years of work finally results in products!

Nearly two years after my family decided to start a clothing company for tall men, I picked up our first products and we opened our business!  www.altusmenswear.com

Unloading boxes of tall mens apparel on a beautiful spring day!