267: “You’ve got to meet Saager”
267: “You’ve got to meet Saager”
Saager Dilawri tells us what he's buying, and how he wears it.
Welcome to Magasin Menswear. In a dedicated monthly send, Louis Cheslaw surfaces choice products worth your consideration, explores larger conversations shoppers are—or should be—having, and taps a smart dresser to share how he wears it.
First up…
These two shoes alone got me through another summer, so a moment for them first. They’re the Doek Court shoe, in stock here, here, and soon here, and Montbell’s Sock-On sandal, which as the name suggests can be worn with or without.
Every single one of Dana Lee Brown’s crewneck sweatshirts are sold out, which reminds me I have got to set some alerts next time.
My mind keeps wandering back to two small-batch fall jackets: Tender’s 900 Jacket, and James Coward’s Belgian linen Replica Jacket. Something feels very right about both.
Now, for some things that are widely available. Column 001’s Nick Dierl showed up to dinner recently in this striped shirt from Another Aspect’s new Made in Japan line. It looked great, and felt better. Two other shirts I’m coveting for fall: This cream one from Speciale, and this light blue seersucker from Camisas Manolo.
Not that everything has to cost big money: I was recently reminded (when I found two in my storage unit) of how soft but strong 3sixteen’s Pima T-shirts feel. And I’ve just ordered a pair of those $29, 100% cotton Wrangler jeans everyone talks about—will report back next month. (From, sneak preview, Stockholm… 🤫)
What menswear’s best buyer bought for fall
When I was planning my trip to Paris for men’s week, “You’ve got to meet Saager” was the most consistent tip I got. They were talking about Saager Dilawri, generally regarded as the sharpest buyer in menswear, who has owned Vancouver boutique Neighbour for the last 14 years. (Heads up Mag readers: his wife Karyna Schultz owns and operates the women’s side.)
As the business has grown, and even as his inbox has filled with designers craving the Neighbour co-sign, Saager has always preferred to use any extra money to deepen his store’s strong existing relationships—with the likes of Evan Kinori, Auralee, Comoli, and MAN-TLE, to name a few.
But recently, I saw that he’d posted a story announcing Neighbour would be stocking an unusual number of brands for the first time this fall. This felt like big news to me—especially because I hadn’t heard of most of them—so I was thrilled he agreed to hop on a call and tell us about seven of the newest members of the Neighbour brand family. (I also got him to break down his personal style for us afterwards—another win you’ll find below.) Without further ado!
“I first saw Bunney fix or six years ago, and at that point it wasn’t right for us, but I kept it in mind. We’ve been looking for simple jewelry that can go with anything—for men and women—and now felt like the right time. I’m really into the signet rings, but also the charms that you can just put onto your necklace. They’re whimsical and a nice little add to anything you already have.”
“The founder and designer has a crazy resume. I think he's worked for Louis Vuitton, Margiela, Nike, Yeezy, and he's still the head designer of Goldwin 0. I messaged him when he launched Gnuhr in January—the clothes aren’t exactly what I’d wear on a day-to-day basis, but I really appreciate them: the fabrics, like this shag one, are different and thoughtful, and the imagery is really on point. I even picked up their Tubular T-shirt for myself, which has got this really nice seam along the back—no shoulder seam, no sleeve seam.”
(Note from Louis: You may remember these folks from my Paris round-up.)
“They reached out just through our contact email, and I went to have a look in Paris. They’re just sturdy garments that are going to age amazingly, and fit in perfectly next to Evan Kinori, next to Oliver Church. We just got our order in on Monday, and it's incredible. I’ve already picked this check shirt up, which is very early for me to use my allowance. And they provide so much info about their fabrics, I can’t even tell you. Just read the descriptions.”
“Seya used to be part of Cristaseya, but split off. Seya’s a little bit more menswear focused, and this season they have looser silhouettes and this amazing double face long coat that's almost like ankle length—you can just pop it over anything. I'm excited to see how people gravitate towards that one.”
“I was a little on the fence with this one, because knitwear is tough in the spring and we stock our brands year-round. But the wools this older Japanese couple produce are just so well made, I kind of had to give it a go. And I love that they do wool sweatpants.”
“Their designer, Oliver, used to work at Our Legacy. He's making everything in the UK, using factories and mills from there as well, and it all fits in really nicely—casual, but with a few blazer options. I love this one cord suit. And I like the imagery. For a brand that's only one season in, I see a lot of growth potential.”
“This Japanese brand has not come out of Japan yet, so there was a lot of back and forth to get them. I’m going to Tokyo this week to see it all, but we kind of just ordered everything. There’s this one Indian fabric check they're doing that's orange and yellow and black and a little bit of blue, but also a ton of bright reds coming that I’m interested in.”
How Saager Dilawri wears it
I couldn’t not ask him while I had him.
What would you say is your default silhouette?
A collared shirt that's maybe a little bit looser, that I can wear untucked with a pair of simple relaxed trousers. I usually like to wear the same thing for three days in a row. It makes me understand the clothing that I'm wearing a little bit better when I wear it day after day.
What's something you buy multiples of?
My favorite shirt is the MAN-TLE Cordlane shirt. It's their Shirt-8 fit, and especially in that fabric it’s perfect. I have three now in different colors—it's amazing in the summer, but you can throw a sweater under it and it works in the winter too. And of course they always do the nicest buttons, where they match the button color to something else and you’re just like, “Ah.” I just got oil all over one of them, so I'm happy Lars and Ida did another for next spring.
What’s been your best recent pick-up?
My friend Joseph Walia is a tailor in Berlin, and he gifted me a shirt he made. I’m really into it. He used to work at the store a long time ago.
Anything new for you that you're gravitating towards right now?
Suits. I feel like I'm getting to that age where I can wear one and it doesn't look like I shouldn't be, as long as it's kind of casual, unstructured, and not your traditional shape. I’ve been wearing this Comoli one in particular, because it has a drawstring waist and no lining. It feels like you’re wearing a cardigan with sweatpants.
What's something that you've had for a long time and still wear?
A really old Issey Miyake coat. It's this kimono sleeve, super long, slightly waterproof coat from the late nineties. I wear it a ton. I also have this old Comme leather jacket—by now it’s not warm, the lining's totally gone, and it's missing buttons, but I just love it. It feels like me.
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ILL ( I love Louis )