Store: Lé Court

Location: 615 SW Broadway, Portland OR 97205

Social Media: @le.court

Popular Brands: Xagon, Exibit, Karl Mommoo, Takeshy Kurosawa.

Lé Court is a new boutique based out of Portland, Oregon that specializes in Italian made menswear garments. We were interested to check out the space and the story behind Lé Court, so we sat down with the store buyer, Alex Veltri, to get an exclusive look into the store. We interviewed Alex a while back about personal style, so it was nice to catch up and see how far he has come with this new store. Be sure to check out the space if you're in the area, and our interview with Alex below.

Tell us about Lé Court- what does the store represent in menswear?

"It represents the shift that menswear has seen in the last ten years. I named it based on The Royal Court during King Henry XIV’s reign over France in the 17th Century. He’s the one responsible for the luxury industry making a transplant from countries like Spain and Italy to France. I wanted Lé Court to align with the newfound respect for craft and quality in the menswear world. Cities like Portland haven’t been on the up and up with fashion until recently, but now is the time to expand the options for fashionable, progressive dudes."

What type of brands does Lé Court carry?

"We carry mostly independent Italian brands with a style and design that’s unique to the Italian culture. Some of the main lines we carry are Beaucoup, which is a French label but made in Italy, then there is Exibit, Alessandro Di Lange, Nous, Block11 and a few more."

What does Lé Court bring to the table in your opinion?

"I try to look at all of this from a consumer’s perspective and not my own. Obviously it’s going to have selections that I personally like, but I think it’s important to look at retail as a service and not just a business. A storefront is a form of entertainment, a unique experience, and a particular offering of product for real people. They aren’t always out looking for something specific, or trying to help you out. That’s something I had to learn; the importance of attuning yourself to each person as an individual and helping with their wants and needs."

How has the response been since opening the store?

"Awesome. We have a lot of guys that are looking for exactly what we carry and others who are learning to step out of their comfort zone a little bit and introducing pieces they wouldn’t normally choose. During the third buy I knew exactly what pieces to buy for who. So needless to say it’s been a lot of fun working with such a diverse customer base and really getting to know the guy’s personal style."

What are you most looking forward to as a buyer and for Lé Court?

"Being a buyer in this boutique format is cool. I don’t think very many people would call me a ‘people person’ by standard definition, but I would based on trying to understand everyone. It isn’t just what I think is cool its how I think people will respond to it, again stemming from trying to attune to our customers."

What advice do you have stylistically for anyone into fashion?

"Experiment and don’t feel any shame or that you can’t pull something off. I know a lot of people that look back at old photos of themselves and start to make fun of themselves for what they were wearing but I always remind them that there was a moment for what they were doing. Style can’t evolve without trying something new. It’s just like finding yourself, you have to communicate with people and see how certain things are reacted to and adjusting from there."

Store Feature: Lé Court