Holl Pass
Hollander & Lexer Debuts in North Beach

We deserve an Indian summer.

Instead, we get thunderstorms.

But that doesn't mean we've lost faith.

That being said, these unseasonable showers got us to thinking that it might just be time to gear up for fall.

Welcome Hollander & Lexer, a line of sharply crafted shirts and jackets with a lived-in, Holden Caulfield, Ivy League sensibility, making its exclusive West Coast debut at A-B Fits in North Beach now.

From the name, you might expect H&L to be the kind of London haberdashery where you would sit around talking about plaid, smoking a pipe and drinking brandy… But it's actually a private-label line from a Brooklyn men's store named after two early-20th-century plastic surgeons—so look for classics like peacoats, blazers and button-downs in cuts that've been nipped and tucked a little.

Since the initial shipment is limited to a select range of tweed jackets and layering shirts, don't expect to find the clothes hanging on any old rack. Instead, A-B's owner, John, has them tucked away for safekeeping. Just ask him nicely, and he'll pull out the collection of ticket-pocket blazers and button-downs for you to peek at behind closed doors.

At first glance, it all looks pretty basic, but that's the beauty of it. The line is made up of a lighter tweed peacoat, a few tailored shirts and a hybrid wool/cotton double shirt—all ideal for the unpredictable San Francisco weather…

Which is taking a turn for the better as we speak.