above: One-stop shopping for trendy casual apparel
During the three decades Kelley Frey has owned and operated women’s fashion boutiques from Boston to Greenwich, she’s learned a few things about the retail habits of men—including the fact that most of them don’t particularly like to shop.
When she founded Fred, her popular Old Greenwich women’s boutique, Kelley kept a small section of on-trend men’s apparel, but it was largely ignored. “Even when the men came in shopping with their wives, they seemed uncomfortable just looking at it,” she says.
Kelley realized part of the problem was that despite its masculine-sounding name, nothing about Fred—from the décor to much of its apparel and accessories—made guys feel especially welcome.
So, when she launched Gray Clothier, her latest foray into the local retail scene, she conceived of it as a kind of man cave, a place stocked to fill a void in the Greenwich market. “I think the guys were really being overlooked,” she says. “I’m hoping they’ll feel more at home shopping here.”
From its textured gray flannel wallcoverings and distressed leather furnishings to the putting green, she leaned into masculine elements to outfit the Arcadia Road storefront, once home to Linen Press. Kelley, who also co-owns Fred in Westport and founded the Wish boutique in Boston’s Back Bay, worked closely with Courtney Gault, founder and creative director of Greenwich Play, to weave in creative merchandising elements—the ping-pong table, where luxe jeans are displayed, a full beer and wine fridge and the vintage arcade game where guys can play Pac-Man (and other retro favorites) in between trips to the fitting room.
As for the clothes, Gray Clothier’s apparel lines have been sourced to reflect the sartorial habits of men who don’t live a suit-and-tie life but still need to look polished, like her husband, Brad.
“When I buy for Gray, I’m thinking of the guys I see picking up their kids at the school down the street,” she says. “Even if they have corporate jobs, they’re dressing more casually. They may work from home more than they go into the city. Suits are less important than they used to be. But it doesn’t mean they live in sweats. They still need something nice to wear to meet someone for coffee or hop on a video call.”
No surprise, sales of Gray’s high-end denim by brands— including Frame, A.G. and Paige— have been brisk along with the ultra-soft Rails button-downs and elevated daywear by Greyson and Criquet. The latter two, Frey notes, have emerged as menswear trendsetters by taking golf apparel and transforming it into elevated everyman looks that wear well beyond the country club. (Her husband, a golfer who played professionally and now works in finance, is a big fan.)
“I’m not doing graphic Ts or shiny, cuffed jeans,” she says. “I’m less about trends and more about the lifestyle I see people actually living here.” As Gray gets established, Kelley hopes to eventually add a whiskey bar, making that man cave complete.
16 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich