Menswear Titans Barnstorm Atlanta

There's something about Marty.
The CEO of Joseph Abboud menswear, Marty Staff, couldn't try harder to put a new acquaintance at ease. Oddly, though, his propensity to lumber in and out of "the moment" can put you on edge.
He barged, unwittingly, into the recent EyeSeeStyle taping of an interview with menswear expert Tom Julian, who recently penned the "Nordstrom Guide to Men's Style" (Chronicle Books). Marty must have assumed we were just chatting there in the Phipps Plaza foyer. Julian and I just laughed about the ruined footage.
That's Marty.

Above: A fall Joseph Abboud menswear look

But minutes later he invited me to a party he was staging Wednesday night _ at the most exclusive restaurant in town _ in appreciation for his labels' most faithful local clients and salesmen. The food, drinks and service at Bacchanalia was superb. And the 100 or so guests dove into the limited quantity bolts of fabric offered "for suggestion" as enthusiastically as they did the platters of citrus foie gras, quail fritters, oysters and caviar crisps.
(EyeSeeStyle taped Julian's entire trend tutorial on behalf of the Abboud label after the first round of cocktails in an oakey private room. But since Marty kept drifting in and out of the demonstration _ interjecting some levity, invoking his dominance _ the clip ran eight minutes too long to upload on YouTube.)


EyeSeeStyle interviews "Guide to Style" author

You may not have a chance encounter with Marty any time soon. But his thumbprint's everywhere: from a juggernaut of new "JOE" styles now on JCPenney racks, to his licensing agreement with the NFL to outfit the coaches for their off-field appearances, to his new deal with the NBA to clothe the league's rising stars.
Marty (left) mentioned that he's an avid participant on Twitter. But he only tells select friends how he's listed.
Go figure.


Photos: Aquino/Abboud