Have you been searching tirelessly for the perfect calfskin belt and canvas tote? Look no further, well-dressed, well-off men of the world! Gilt Groupe’s full-priced menswear site Park& Bond has finally launched, and you can start filling that e-shopping cart right now. The latest addition to Gilt’s vast fashion domain, Park & Bond promises to outfit debonair young gents with the very best vintage Rolex watches, monk-strapped Ferragamo shoes, and cashmere-lined driving gloves.
The site also features instructional pieces aimed to help the men-about-town perfect their toilette. Featured articles include “How to avoid ingrown hairs while shaving: Four Easy Steps for Keeping Things Moving in the Right Direction” and “How to Pack a Suit in a Carry-On: Because Convenience and Style Needn’t Be Mutually Exclusive.”
But the site ventures well beyond the world of grooming, offering advice extending into all walks of the genteel gentleman’s lifestyle. “How to Deliver an Unforgettable Two-Minute Toast,” for example, provides a vaguely ironic check-list for toast-givers to avoid adding “another eye-roll-inducing log to the pyre of modern manhood.”
According to the Park & Bond, the site’s name references Park Avenue and Bond Streets, “two of New York’s most stylish streets… which together embody the mix of classic and contemporary that defines men’s style right now.”
But here’s the kicker, Gilt: Park and Bond don’t actually intersect in New York, and there is a similar disconnect with the site. High fashion brands including Alexander McQueen, Versace and Elie Tahari come to an awkward head with more ubiquitous names like J.Crew, New Balance and Brooks Brothers. Only time will tell if the recent-grad prepster and the haute-couture homme can (or care to) join forces. Will the site be the Bond that binds the high and low echelons of fashionable gentlemen?
