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Menswear designer Thom Browne wanted his 2,000-square-foot Tribeca flagship to feel like a gentleman’s office from the late fifties—and to the extent that this gentleman has impeccable taste, extraordinary funds, and a healthy sense of irony—Browne has succeeded in creating a highly polished environment in which to work. Designed by architect David Biscaye, the bright and pristine Hudson Street space, like Browne himself, is so stuffy it’s cool. A large expanse of white is broken up only by a few fastidiously placed pieces of mid-century furniture, a vintage three-panel mirror, and a librarian-style desk that looks like it was lifted from the set of L.A. Confidential. Several racks are arranged around the store’s periphery holding impeccably tailored suits (starting at $3,800), striped cotton shirts, and the dapper, modern basics that made Browne famous. Behind glass doors and tightly shuttered venetian blinds, a second, private atelier accommodates Browne’s made-to-measure customers, who pay about 25 percent more. His tidy suits—high-waisted, sans pleat with a snug fit and reconsidered proportions—look almost shrunken, and he works mostly with conservative fabrics like English wool, thick canvas, seersucker, and felt. Browne’s leather dress shoes and slim cardigans round out a look that is understated, distinctive, squeaky-clean, and never boring. — Meredith Bryan

Thom Browne designs sleek, cool suits—mostly cropped at the ankle, with narrow lapels—that stand out in a sea of buttoned-up guys. Grooms can choose from his existing line (from $3,800), or suits are made to measure, by appointment.

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• The Dapper Mr. Thom Browne (8/28/06)