The Moniker Family is pleased to announce the birth of their beautiful suit...Prince & Mercer!

I believe everyone has a baby in their lives.

For example, in the past few months two of my friends have had baby girls. Beautiful little girls, Noa and Sophie.

Last year my sister-in-law had a baby boy, Jackson. So cute.

I’ve got another nephew and a niece, Davis and Victoria. They were babies once.

And, of course, everyone wants to know when my husband and I are going to add to the brood. I get asked this question constantly by friends, family, even co-workers as I’ve achieved a “certain age” (read: over 30).

Then there’s those who consider their pets babies of the family.

Others have sacred collectibles considered babies. For others it’s the first run of a collection, signed manuscripts…anything goes where babies are concerned.

For us at Moniker, our baby is Prince and Mercer because it was the first suit we “birthed” into our collection.

Here’s the birth announcement:

The Moniker Family is pleased to announce the birth of their beautiful new baby boy, a suit named Prince and Mercer.

The suit is named Prince and Mercer after an intersection in New York’s historic SoHo district. The cast-iron architecture, seen on nearly 250 structures in SoHo, creates the largest collection of cast-iron architecture in the world. Looking up from the corner of Prince at Mercer will reveal one of these fantastic buildings.

SoHo was originally known as the Cast Iron District and lined with cobblestone streets. Looking down at the corner of Prince and Mercer will reveal an original cobblestone street, one of the very few that remain unpaved in SoHo. The corner of Prince and Mercer is a place to see the young, hip, original, commercial and historic, but above all else, a place to be seen - fashionably.

Prince and Mercer should should be worn by an über cool, young hipster, just like the men seen standing on this NYC corner. But take note hipsters, this suit is not appropriate for the office. For best results, wear a ventless jacket while standing, such as on a windy SoHo street corner with the collar turned up, or circulating at a penthouse cocktail party. European men have been wearing this cut of suit for years.

Our baby, Prince & Mercer, needs a good home.

The Prince & Mercer man is understated smooth with a metropolitan edge. He wears his suit and walks with confidence, even if the streets beneath his feet are uneven cobblestone. The Prince & Mercer man is as much a bad boy as he is a gentleman…a gorgeous and dangerous combination. An institution unto him self, the Prince & Mercer man is a man to be seen – fashionably late, naturally.

Prince & Mercer is ready to come home with you today.

Make Prince & Mercer your baby.

Inspiration

Each suit in the Moniker collection has a personality. The suit personalities were designed to help distinguish Moniker suits from others. It’s also a way for our customers to connect with our suits and their design on a more personal level.

For me, as the designer of the words, the personalities were a way for me to connect with my creativity and allow the passion, inspiration and energy to convert into words.

My best writing came when I thought of someone that looked great in a specific type of suit. Then I sat down to write the personality of the suit. Photos of men I saw in magazines, guys at work, gents I met across boardroom tables, everyone was a potential muse for my pen.

Now, I should make it known that I have a gorgeous, loving husband I adore. Of course, I wrote one of the suit personalities based on his fashion preferences.

But much to his chagrin, this was not the case for the other five suits. In fact, every time I wrote a personality and asked him to take a read, he thought I was writing about him.

Well, I’m either a great writer or a fantastic wife. Let’s go with both and call it even.

So, I’ll end the debate here and now, if not for you, then for the sake of my marriage. Each personality was based on my husband, Craig.

And with that statement I should have a lifetime of marital bliss ahead of me.

However, just in case I needed some additional inspiration, these were the potential "other" muses for the six Moniker suit personalities:

Bond & Piccadilly – that’s my guy, Craig. He’s English by heritage and a thoroughbred of the boardroom. Craig’s a true gentleman. Only a few people very close to him get to see his eccentric side, which is the side of him that attracted me to his personality in the first place. Well, that and I thought he was gorgeous at first sight ten years ago across a crowded restaurant.

Shibuya & Hachiko – my younger brother, Christopher. Yup, that’s you ‘bro. A CEO at an early age, proven mental brilliance, people aching to be you, always taking your own path. In the world’s largest crowd, you still stand out just by standing there and being you. I’m so proud.

Sherbrooke & St. Laurent – this is Jeff, the COO that manages me in my corporate day job. There’s a phrase that’s a contrast in theories; the part about managing me, I mean. Try holding me to a corporate dress code. Where’s the section about wearing jeans with dresses? I think Jeff’s a contrast in theories too. Tough, sure, but I knew THAT.

Hollywood & Highland – obviously there’s a famous name that came to mind when I wrote this personality. However, to protect the incredibly unlikely potential of a friendship with this person, I will keep their identity concealed. Here’s a clue...he’s never been to my hometown. Trust me, that hardly narrows the field.

Borovitskiy & Moskova – another famous name, but much older than the Hollywood & Highland guy. This one got Craig’s back up when I told him who holds the title to this personality. Strange it wasn’t the younger guy that brought on feelings of jealousy. There’s something really attractive about the confidence of age, the assured moves of someone who’s been there, done that for real. The cognac and cigar-infused voice, the dark hair, the secret smiles….OK, maybe I’d be a little jealous if I were Craig.

Finally, Spring & Mercer. Actually, Spring & Mercer was the very first suit we designed and I wrote about. It’s the suit we talk about the most because it was our “baby”. The inspiration for Spring & Mercer came from a photo I saw of a handsome young man standing at a corner with his collar turned up against the wind. In that moment Spring & Mercer was born.

The best part is our customers get to choose the personality they associate with most. A gentleman, CEO entrepreneur, corporate COO, show-stopping Hollywood personality, old school charmer or the guy standing at the corner just looking gorgeous.

Which one is my favourite? It doesn’t matter.

I’d rather know which one is you.