Since founding The Hill-Side in the late aughts, brothers Emil and Sandy Corsillo have always seemed to carry themselves with the deliberate pace of a marathon runner. Everything began with a simple necktie, followed by a pocket square, and then a scarf, which soon blossomed into a full accessories collection which was largely based on interesting and unique fabrics. It’s a stepwise approach which has helped the Corsillo’s steadily grow their business, without stepping out too far from that original square-end necktie.
Well all that is about to change. With the launch of a more complete clothing collection in Fall 2014, the brothers are essentially taking the Hill-Side into that pivotal four minute mile territory. What began with a tie will now include sport coats, shirts, hats, sneakers, wallets, bags, and pins, all made in the USA or Japan, and all cut from from the Hill-Side’s ever-growing assortment of off-kilter textiles. We instantly gravitated toward the jackets, which reminded us of a casual sack suit, juxtaposing a three-roll-two button stance, and open patch pockets, with a shorter cut and a removable throat latch.
Other standouts include the sneakers, which are produced in Japan and harken back to athletic shoes of the forties and fifties, as well as the pliable fedoras, all of which are adorned with a Hill-Side fabric band. Just like with that first tie, it’s the Hill-Side’s signature mix of utility and wit that guides this collection, making for an impressive, yet natural next step for the Brother’s Corsillo. One can only wonder where things are headed next.
nice looking stuff i guess…. however, seeing that their scarves are $90 one could easily assume a casual shirt would be around $400 and the lauded jackets double that. like many things covered here on this ever increasingly haute and nearing 1% blog, its getting all a bit too rich for my blood and away from its supposed roots… its quickly losing me.
A natural progression but a very welcomed one, I always thought they’d make for cracking clothing. Really keen on seeing their totes closer and love the slightly awkward, innocently shaped trainers too. Kind of like the styles before big guys like Nike and Converse refined their shape.
@Simon Firstly, I can assure you that your prices on the shirts and jackets are way off. Try closer to $400ish for a jacket. As for ACL getting away from its roots, please point out some examples of this? Because to me ACL has always lauded products that might cost a touch more but are actually worth it, and it has been like that since I first started reading this site years ago.
Additionally, while I’ll admit that I’ve written about things that are outside my price range (Purdey, Private White V.C.) that doesn’t mean that I haven’t covered items like Stan Smiths, Freeman jackets, and Topo Designs, which are on the more affordable side of men’s clothing. I would say ACL has always been about this blend of the accessible and the aspirational.
As a final note in the handful of years since they’ve been around, I haven’t seen a significant rise in the Hill-Side’s pricing. And honestly, for a uniquely patterned, American-made scarf, I’d say you’d be hard pressed to find anything for less than $90 dollars. Especially at wholesale.
@simon. People have been complaining about the prices of things on this blog since day 1. You don’t have to buy everything, just take things for inspiration and hunt for deals that are similar in style. No one is excluding the 99% here. If anything, we’re trying to help them get more work.
ACL for inspiration, Dappered for affordability. Add in Art of Manliness, and the trifecta is complete.
The post on The Armoury HK coming to NYC is precisely what Simon is alluding to:
http://acontinuouslean.com/2013/12/17/armoury-hong-kong-arrives-york/
The genuinely surprising thing to me about the deluge of “heritage brands” that appear out of thin air, is that they have no real history behind them (of significance), yet they are treated with great respect.
This brand, Hill Side Clothing, appears to be a carbon copy of about 2 dozen hipster brands that I’ve seen on sites like this one in the past year alone. If anything, this site has become a kind of virtual Pitti Uomo — if Pitti were hosted in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
More to the point – I don’t understand how the men’s market can sustain all of these totally generic clothing companies. How many more camo blazers do we really need? How many more chambray dress shirts is this site going to feature? How many wallets and totes does a man need — and how often are we supposed to go shopping for new accessories? If I bought the last seventeen wallets (or totes, or chambray shirts) that acontinuouslean.com featured, then would I really need to make a purchase at Hill Side Clothing?
Hov on that new shit
niggaz like how come
if you want my old shit buy my old album
Excited to see what comes up! Saw they partnered with Gitman on some bespoke shirts last year. Great fabric selections, quality and patterns. I have a feeling that I will have a new go-to. Hope the fits spot on. If I had to guess, shirts should be around the $ of Gitman Vintage ($180-200).
ACL’s biggest editorial asset is the comment section. LOVE IT HERE. It’s like a telenovela set in a converted boiler room in TriBeCa.
First come, first serve, whoever’s got the nerve
Step up and get what you deserve
From the world of the motherfucking Hip-Hop maniac
Brainiac, so what you ought to do is step the fuck back
But how the fuck you think your rap would last?
With your ass saying shit that is said in the past
Yo, be original, your shit is sloppy
Get off the dick, you motherfucking carbon copy
The #menswear market is quickly becoming the new Greek Life pocket T market. When I was in college, not too long ago, every other week someone would come out with a new logo and brand name involving some combination of the word Southern and (insert noun here), print it on a pocket t shirt and expound about how they “just wanted a way to express their interest in fashion with a quality product.”
Here, in lieu of pocket t’s, we have artisanal ties, leather goods and novelty garments that are relentlessly knocked off and re-branded by guys who “always had a deep interest in menswear and couldn’t take another day at their desk job.”
TLDR: same shit different day
enjoying this banter. Happy my jay z lyric finally made it to the comments also a dre lyric made it. not sure if I should be happy or mad about this.
I came for the comments.
I see the utter uselessness of the h-word still hasn’t stopped some of us in the peanut gallery from abusing it. I found WP’s comments on the sustainability of the market interesting, but for the use of one adjective they amount to nothing.
I’m on board with Matt, as well as The Rat.
These clothing companies are nothing more – and I mean nothing more – than vanity projects.
When I used to visit my old tailor in Williamsburg (Brooklyn, not Virginia), every other loft in his building had some tool who had turned his apartment into a still to make “artisanal” whiskey or spirits. This is no different.
Why does everyone think they can launch products in one of the most cutthroat and competitive businesses on the planet? Why does everyone who likes clothing think that they can produce and sell clothing? More to the point – what makes a man say to himself – I think I should get into the retail clothing business?
The idea behind a successful business idea is – I’m going to fill a niche in the market that is unfulfilled. Yet the men’s clothing market has never been so saturated.
To wit – acontinuouslean.com and putthison.com and styleforum.net are able to feature a new “designer” or “clothier” or “stockist” on a daily basis.
There’s something rotten in the state of menswear.
Why are people so serious about this? Isn’t it just a case of move along if you’re not interested?
I enjoy the rap getting dropped in, I can’t deny that.
“You’s a Pop Tart, sweetheart, you soft in the middle / I eat ya for breakfast, the watch was an exchange for your necklace / And your boss is a bitch, if he could he would / Sell his soul for cheap, trade his Knight to be Suge / You can buy cars but you can’t buy respect in the ‘hood / Maybe I’m so disrespectful cause to me you’re a mystery / I know niggas from ya hood, you have no history / Never poked nothin’, never popped nothin’, nigga stop frontin’ / Jay put you on, X made you hot / Now you run around like some big shot / Ha ha, pussy!â€
I find it somewhat ironic that this conversation is treating the Hill-Side like some fly-by-night company that’s emerged from nowhere. They’ve been making ties and scarves for four or five years years, sell in many of the more respected menswear stores in America and Japan, and run Hickorees, one of the more beloved stores in the NYC area. If anything, considering the ubiquity of their products, it’s surprising it took so long for them to expand their line. The notion that anyone is surprised by it, or would begrudge these guys a shot at expanding their business, reflects an ignorance of the company’s history, and little more.
I still don’t understand why someone would continue to visit a website just to complain about what was on that website. You wouldn’t buy a magazine and then accost passers-by, telling them the magazine had lost touch with reality.
I like nice things. These are nice things. Thanks. If you want…what, I don’t know. Constant innovation? Read a tech blog.
Just to be clear I am a huge ACL fan, I’ve enjoyed this site for years. I merely wanted to point out exactly what wp re-stated. I also appreciate what the Hill Side has accomplished in their history. However, I can’t get over the notion that there are so many brands who think that their version of the wheel will somehow be more viable or unique or true to the original than others. Granted menswear is essentially a cyclical environment in and of itself. I think the Hill Side should stick to what they know…if Mackintosh makes the archetype of coats do I really think I can create and then sell a better version?
I literally have no idea where Thom is coming from. Thom – I like nice things too. I like Brioni. I’d like to see features on how Brioni makes it coats, and chooses its fabrics. I like an Italian pants maker named Vigano. I like an Italian sweater company named GRP. I’d appreciate more in-depth profiles on clothes-makers instead of puff pieces — advertisements that are masquerading as “profiles.” Clearly Thom, these aren’t profiles.
I’d exhorting ACL to do more than just promote. I like ACL. It’s not a matter of “If you don’t like what you see, then move on,” as another posted so thoughtfully offered. I have often liked what I’ve seen here.
But – when there’s an “ad” for The Armoury (not a genuine profile), why can’t ACL go beyond just promotion, and ask questions about process and product? Why can’t ACL ask tough questions about utility? As in – ask someone like Hill-Side – to what extent are you really necessary? To what extent are you really offering the market something it needs, or even wants?
The idea that Hill-Side has been in business for 4 or 5 years, and that track record is significant (as another poster offered) is laughable. Defend Hill-Side in 10, 20, or 30 years, and then you’ll (perhaps) have an argument based on history.
Beyond all of this – I’m asking that ACL expand its fluff pieces to examine a really exciting time in menswear.
Just as this is the golden age of television (Breaking Bad, House of Cards, etc.), it is also the golden age of men’s fashion. Could ACL do a better job of covering this?
@wp Start your own site then. We cover what we cover, if you don’t like it please venture out and do it yourself.
(slow clap)
So….I almost never comment on these things as frankly most opinions are based on ignorance, not knowledge and hate not compassion. But…..all of the people involved here are friends or acquaintances and I gotta say, I don’t respect a whole lot of artisinal bacon mustache wax makers, but you gotta know The Hillside ain’t that. These are nice guys who make good products with nice fabrics and construction in factories with good conditions by well paid adults.
IF YOU ARE READING THIS BLOG THESE ARE EXACTLY THE GUYS YOU SHOULD SUPPORT (Jon Moy style caps)
I wasn’t basing my argument in history — I was pointing out that they didn’t come out of thin air, as you put it. You must be too busy getting ripped off at Brioni to have noticed, however. It’s fairly common that a brand expands its line, having started with a strict focus on a specific product. So going wild about the Hill Side doing it — that strikes me as ridiculous and uninformed.
It seems to be ACL’s mission to cover things they like. I haven’t been reading it forever but I cannot remember a single take-down piece of any kind. They could ask “tough questions about utility” — ask “why are you even necessary” — but they’ve never pretended to have a journalistic point of view. So asking that they deploy one now is just crazy. They’re going to change the way they’ve been doing things for years because you want to see how a Brioni suit gets made?
Why should ACL listen to you anyway? If you don’t think they’re adequately examine a “really exciting time in menswear” (I mean, look at the cool stuff Brioni is doing!) read other blogs and magazines that share your perspective. I’d suggest you start your own, but your obviously too busy trolling the comments sections of menswear blogs you don’t even respect.
I really wonder how the designers of Brioni would respond to “tough questions about utility” and “why they are even necessary,” shilling some of the most ridiculously overpriced clothing ever to grace the back of an Emirati oil baron.
From putthison.com, today:
“So much of what passes for fashion media these days is little more than a thinly masked advertorials. That includes many blogs, where affiliate links, referral links, free products, and cozy relationships between bloggers and brands have ruined the ability to produce independent, honest critiques. On many blogs, I can tell you a couple of days beforehand what’s going to be published, because I get the same press releases with the same bullet points. Many are just recycling press releases with little to no personal input. And we’re not just talking about the kind of sites that announce products (where such a thing can probably be expected), but bloggers who are considered “independent voices.†#Influencers, as I think Twitter users call them.
Menswear blogging used to hold so much promise as a form of independent media, but as the influence of blogs has grown, many have been co-opted by brands. These days, some blogs have lower ethical standards than print publications, as there are no editors to oversee the operation. If anyone has critiques about fashion magazines, know that things can be doubly worse in the blogosphere.”
This is a great site to glean info from and enjoy looking at. It’s not like I am going to Hawaii or Japan for shoes! Dappered, though, has saved me money with it’s sale “heads-ups” and clothing website crash-and-burns .
Really, have you got nothing better to do than complain. Of course everything old is new again. Of course few people need a new tote or whatever. It’s great that new people want to maintain traditions and start new ones. They are just trying to please. Give them a break.
Glad to have galvanized the message boards here…
Haven’t seen this much action on ACL since, well, ever.
I agree with RJS that ACL has some good things offer.
I would also encourage everyone to read this post on PTO: http://putthison.com/post/78230036618/our-editorial-policies-elaborated
I find it remarkable how “offended parties” on this website choose to react:
One poster takes a shot at Brioni by making a near racist reference to “Emirati oil barons.”
A contributor to the blog tells me to “venture out and do this on my own” if I don’t like something about the way ACL is covering its content.
Another poster (Sally) tells me that I’ve “got nothing better to do than complain.”
Not really – I’m just started by asking a question: Is Hill-Side Clothing redundant? Don’t we have nearly 500 other companies in America just like Hill-Side? Is it wrong to make such a query? If so – someone tell me why? What are these message boards for?
Is “trolling” really defined as asking, probing, and responding?
I think that trolling is being a douche for the sake of being a douche.
If – as Sally writes – “they are just trying to please,” then how is that different than my asking, “does it make sense for another company to enter a niche aspect of menswear that is already robustly pregnant, bursting at the seams?”
But it’s clear that such a dialogue is not welcome here.
Best
Sorry wp, I didn’t mean you were complaining. I was referring to others. I think discussion is good. I’m sure the owners of both the blog and the shop welcome it – they can only learn from thoughtful questions. I just felt that some of the comments went too far. Me, I like ACL, Hill-Side looks like somewhere I’d shop, and I suspect despite our comments there are more such businesses to come despite the over supply!
I looked at him dead in the eyes and said
“I don’t wear anything that rhymes with bologna”