Cecil d's men's clothing returns to Moncton
January 25, 2006
After an absence of 10 years to work on his art, Cecil Long opens new store at 134 Church
Cecil Long is a man of many talents. He's an artist and respected clothier who has returned to Moncton to launch a new men's fine clothing store and art studio.
Cecil d's Design Studio at 134 Church St. features fine Italian and Canadian-designed suits and accessories, including exclusive Italian neckties.
"It's a very classic store," Long says with pride. The store is stocked with fine clothes and decorated with his own artworks.
Long works in a number of media. Two of his large stone sculptures are on display at the Greater Moncton International Airport and many smaller works can be seen around Metro Moncton.
Cecil d's first clothing store was on Main Street from 1980 to 1990, when he decided to take up art as a career, and began years of art study? from fabric to stone, he says.
A connoisseur of men's clothes, he once worked as a buyer for a California clothing firm, visiting European manufacturers of fine clothes and honing his craft at the same time.
Long says he was always interested in clothes and recalls working as an assistant window dresser at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, learning visual merchandizing in the process.
His partner, Jeff Garcia of Toronto, also has a long career in the clothing business. The two boast 70 years of experience in custom clothing.
Moncton is ready for a store like this, said Garcia. Cecil d's offers specialized, high-end clothing along with an opportunity to build a longwearing stylish w ardrobe for just about every occasion, he said.
Long said men from Moncton and other parts of Atlantic Canada often travel to Montreal or Toronto for the right clothes and the right fit. They can now come to Moncton for their fine clothes and custom fit and for clothes t hat cater to their lifestyle.
The frequent traveller might prefer easy-care clothes that don't wrinkle, while the a rchitect might lean towards casual wear, for example.
The store is about people and catering to their lifestyle, he said. People want value and they want service.
"We're part of the old school" that believes in service and meeting the client's wishes, he says.
Fewer and fewer people wear jeans on "casual Fridays" these days, he said. Instead, they come to work in more stylish, casual clothes.
It's an indication of changing trends. Long said since his return to the city, he's met people who still own suits he sold them two decades ago.
They just don't fit anymore, he said. The new store opened Dec. 5, 25 years to the day he opened his Main Street premises. Long opted to re-establish himself i n Moncton because of its great sense of community.
It's the people who make the difference, he said.
BY YVON GAUVIN, Times and Transcript
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