Store Invasion: Impeccable and Unfussy: Inside Modern Anthology
Designers John Marsala and Becka Citron opened Modern Anthology (68 Jay Street, DUMBO) in 2010 to cater to that dapper gentleman who doesn’t think of himself as such. This is a guy whose beat-up jeans, on principle, trump any kind of suit, but who still appreciates a finely tailored broadcloth oxford. Just don’t hold him to knowing what “broadcloth” means. Modern Anthology seeks to perfect that balance between high and low, vintage and contemporary, comfort and affect. Their DUMBO storefront is painstakingly curated, but it doesn’t try too hard; mid-century milk pitchers look perfectly natural against a Thomas Bina desk partly made from reclaimed naval ship wood, all lit by naval pendant cage lamps.
New York-based shirtmakers Kai D. and Ernest Alexander provide the core of their clothing selection, and their stuff looks perfect with famed Japanese bags Porter and Oak Street Bootmaker topsiders. It’s a little uncanny how homey and easy Modern Anthology is—we’d half-expect to be treated to a beer while discussing the details of a Kaweco pencil as much as listening to the stories behind those early 20th-century trophies. Aesthetics and provenance are stressed at Modern Anthology: each found or crafted object has a story, and it’s all in the details.