The 29 Best-Dressed Detroiters of 2008

It’s something retailers and the international couture community have known for years: Detroiters know fashion. Photographs by Joe Vaughn

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The Rev. Marvin Winans

Detroit, pastor of Perfecting Church

Because he represents people as a pastor, the Rev. Winans understands the importance of looking the part. He considers his style of dress as conservative with an avant-garde edge, and he favors suits from Detroit’s own Tayion Collection. He says he hates shopping, but when he does, he’s looking for the best deals, often traveling to New York to make deals with the vendors. He loves hats, and feels a man’s outfit is not complete without a chapeau. He developed his fashion sense from watching movies and from observing his dad. “Style was always important to my father,” Winans says.

Monica Del Signore

Bloomfield Hills, owner of Bacco Ristorante

The first outfit that Del Signore was proud to wear was a minidress with thigh-high socks. She was in kindergarten. She’s come a long way, now preferring to be seen in Versace, Chanel, and Prada, with Vlassis Holevas being her current favorite for evening wear. Her passion is shoes and she adds, “I can’t find anyone to beat Manolo Blahnik for style as well as comfort.” Del Signore loves to discover unique finds when she travels. At home, she shops at Neiman Marcus. Her favorite pair of shoes is her knee-high Swarovski crystal sandals that she purchased at Dolce Moda several years ago. “I think my sense of style has been a work in progress from a very early age,” she says. “I can’t imagine a day without style, whether it be dressing myself or dressing a table for dinner. It’s the beauty of life.”

Clyde Downer

Royal Oak, IT manager

“Dressing well is all about your image and how you are perceived in the world,” Downer says. “People tend to treat well-dressed people with more respect.” Downer’s appearance starts with clothes that are chic but classic. Then he adds his own twist: funky jewelry or accessories. His favored labels include Ted Baker, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Theory, and Nicholas K. He shops at Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, and Dolce Moda. “I’ve been into fashion since I was a kid,” he says, which makes sense. As he explains, “My grandparents were tailors and seamstresses.”

Jeffrey Hillman

Royal Oak, retail leasing specialist

Hillman says that to dress well, you have to feel comfortable in what you’re wearing, and for him, that means different things at different times. “I have a lot of styles and moods,” he explains. “I dress according to those moods.” He admits to being a jeans-and-T-shirt kind of guy at heart. On a daily basis for work, however, he sports a funky business-casual look. His wardrobe includes a lot of jeans, an intense collection of leather jackets, and pieces by John Varvatos — his favorite designer. Hillman enjoys shopping at small boutiques, particularly Dolce Moda in Royal Oak.

Danny Victor

Clarkston, attorney

“I really do like clothes,” Victor says. “I enjoy the ritual of laying my clothes out the night before, and tweaking them with accessories the next day.” He takes the mundane and makes it unique, sometimes with details as simple as the type of pocket treatment or a button fly instead of a zipper on a conservative pair of trousers. He likes to mix bold patterns and bright colors. When shopping, his first stop is always Carl Sterr, where he can indulge his love of shoes and shirts. Victor says he first developed his interest in clothes from his father, who was always well dressed. “And now, working with Carl [Sterr], we’re taking that style to a new level.”

Kem Owens

Lathrup Village, Motown recording artist

Kem (as he’s known professionally) sees dressing well as a character defect of vanity. He remembers spending a lot of time being creative as a child to make sure all of his outfits were cool and accepted by his peers. Today, Kem sets trends. He invests a lot of his own design ideas into suits and outfits that he has custom-made at Fashion International in Southfield — particularly clothes he wears on stage. He also shops locally at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Dolce Moda in Royal Oak. He likes Prada, Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, and Puma active wear. “I spend a lot of time working out, so I like clothes that are fitted,” he says. Since becoming a celebrity, Kem also accepts that he must be “dressed” at all times. “Even when I wear a sweat suit,” he says, “it has to be a really nice sweat suit.”

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