 Hi, I'm Jack Newcastle, founder and president of Kingston '66. Some may wonder what it is we're trying to do around here, and a valid question would be if we're trying to be vintage (or as they now say, 'retro'), but the only honest answer I can give to that is 'sort of.' Being that I had started collecting vintage clothes as a teenager - mainly narrow 60s suits - I never had the urge to go out and buy a modern suit. Frankly, I just wasn't interested in the styles of the 80s and 90s. But when a random jaunt down Madison Ave. a few years back had me stopping at the haberdasheries, I suddenly found myself being pushed into a few modern affairs by some fast-talking salesmen. 'It looks great on you,' they all of course said, no matter the style or cut, but right away I realized that despite the high price-tags on those suits, none of them fit as well as the ones I had been scrounging up at Goodwill for all those years. The new jackets were baggy and loose about the chest, and definitely not sharp, so when I decided to launch Kingston '66, my goal wasn't so much to have it a 'vintage' company as it was recreate the fit and styles of the clothes in my wardrobe. In this regard, I'm certain that many of our potential clients are worried that the designs from Kingston '66 will come across as costumic, but my partner Robert Ross and I didn't establish Kingston '66 to create costumes or even 'period correct' clothing. Like many of the major design houses, we simply raided the 20th century, picking and choosing details we liked, and then worked with our tailors to strike what we believe is a great balance between old and new. Call it a different kind of timeless, if you will. For example, The Chairman is obviously based on a typical 1930s suit, yet we resisted the urge to go full out period correct by shortening the jacket or making it ventless. Similarly, The Correspondent is an amalgam of early 50s styling (I was thinking of Gregory Peck when I put that one together) yet no one has ever stopped me to ask, 'What's that costume you're wearing?' In fact, it was this suit that inspired me to found Kingston '66 for the simple reason that professionals all over New York - lawyers, accountants, businessmen - were asking me where they could buy it. Finally, if you've been poking around the website, you've seen a lot of Mr. Ross and me. Probably too much. Yes, we have our own style - like I said, we've been doing this for a lifetime - but Kingston '66 isn't about our look; it's about yours. With Kingston '66 you can be as colorful or as reserved as you like. Either way, you can be sure you're still going to look sharp. Thanks and kind regards, Jack Newcastle President, Kingston '66 |