Billy Wermerskirchen has a good idea of what’s in any gentleman’s closet – and what’s probably not.
“Men often don’t have dress clothes in their closets,” says Billy, third-generation owner of Bill’s Toggery, the Shakopee shop founded 93 years ago by his grandfather William Wermerskirchen, Sr. “If they do, what they’re likely to own is either dated, or no longer fits. Or it just isn’t there at all.” As a result, Billy reports, “I’ve never sold so much dress clothing – suits from quality brands such as Jack Victor and Hart Schaffner Marx.”
If this sounds unusual in an era marked by informality, the Shakopee clothier reminds gents that there’s a knack to looking good even when neckties aren’t in the picture. “Most men don’t know how to dress down, and still be dressy,” he says. “They need service, which is hard to come by. It’s what we’re here to provide.”
Bill’s Toggery isn’t just a place for office workers to learn a studied informality as they dress for success. “Sportswear,” says Billy, “is still a big part of our business.” The shop’s inventory includes shirts, sport jackets, sweaters, pullovers, and more from upscale brands like Johnnie-O and 7Diamonds. For dress shirts, look for carefully crafted offerings from David Donahue. Bugatchi fashions shirts “in an eight-way stretch mercerized cotton in contemporary styles.” Jeans, too, are an important part of the picture. Bill’s Toggery carries the 34 Heritage line – “they’re made of a superior denim fabric, with better fabrication and fit,” Billy explains.
Trek no farther for footwear: “We carry Johnston & Murphy, Florsheim, and the higher-end Martin Dingman,” says Billy. “Our shoe collection is nicely complimentary to our clothing lines.”
At the other end of the sartorial spectrum from sport coats and jeans is the Toggery’s custom department, located in a corner of the expansive premises that used to be a bank – not just any small-town bank, but, Billy points out, the place where Charles Lindbergh secured the loan that paid for his very first airplane (Lindbergh’s father was on the bank’s board of directors, which may have helped). The big safe, in fact, is now the custom shop’s dressing room. Clients have come out of that room looking sharp in suits and jackets ranging from 36 short to 60 extra long.
What to expect in the world of custom suitings? “We have a full-time tailor on staff,” explains Billy. “We’ll alter an off-the-rack suit – whether purchased here or somewhere else – to achieve a perfect fit. Or a client can opt for full custom, selecting his fabric and style.” A custom-made suit – what the British call “bespoke” – takes about six weeks from first fitting to completion. “It can be done in three or four weeks,” Billy advises, “but we don’t like to take less time than that.” Among prime customers for custom wear are men who want to get married wearing something special. Groomsmen? Billy notes a contemporary trend for them to wear suits, even when the groom is wearing a tuxedo, and the custom shop is ready to serve them, too.
Styles come and go, ties may lose their place even in the boardroom, but tuxedos seem to go on forever. “We’ve never sold so many tuxedos as we have lately,” says Billy, “and we rent formal wear, too. But even if you only have the occasion to wear a tux once a year, it’s worth owning one.”
With a tux from Bill’s Toggery, it just might be worth looking for those occasions – maybe more than once a year – and turning up well turned out. billstoggery.com
"...there’s a knack to looking good even when neckties aren’t in the picture."