They're right across the street from each other. Two stores: one, an homage to the pragmatism of industrial mid-century design; the other, a vintage inspired menswear haberdashery turned clothier. When we first walked into Darr, the former, we were drawn inside the seemingly cluttered, tight and narrow space by the worn, industrial task lamps; the impressive taxidermy mounted against the vintage wallpaper; the mouth harp; the dozens or so decorative eggs, one of which was broken. The damaged egg was pointed out by Sam Mendes in defense of one of his little kids, whose mom (ahem) quietly attempted to scoot out before being noticed in the increasingly crowded shop.
On the opposite side of Atlantic Avenue stands Hollander and Lexer, also owned by the folks at Darr and named after two early 20th-century plastic surgeons. Aptly named? Maybe, as they've taken the proverbial scalpel to their own new collection which debuted at their Williamsburg outpost. But their line of old-world crafted layering button-downs, ticket-pocket blazers, and light tweed peacoats are far from being bound by the Brooklyn borough. They recently launched their menswear line at San Francisco's A-B Fits (1519 Grant Ave).
Darr - 369 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217
Holland and Lexer - 358 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217
We just saw The Candidate with Robert Redford and his display of indelible, yet easygoing, cool. It came out in 1972 and he'd already played the Sundance Kid, showing us how good a mustache can look. However, he'd yet to reach the summit of his career and range of style. From bearded and fringed out Jeremiah Johnson, reminding women of the great hazards of kissing facial hair, to pinstriped conman Johnny Hooker to Jay Gatsby in those crisp summer whites, not to leave out Denys Finch Hatton making colonial safari garb fashionable. Note the color shot of him wearing Oxfords and bearing his fur-laden chest on the beach in Cannes. And we heard table tennis was back in. 
