Paul Minichiello

Paul Minichiello (December 9, 1940 – August 1, 2014) was a master tailor who was a fixture in the Vancouver fashion scene for nearly five decades.[1] He rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s by attracting a reputation for offering bold, bespoke tailored clothing that challenged more traditional and conservative approaches to men's fashion.[2]

Paul Minichiello
Born	Paul Minichiello December 9, 1940 Civitanova del Sannio, Italy
Died	August 1, 2014 (aged 73)
Occupation	Master Tailor
Relatives	Dino Minichiello (son)

His work captured the attention of both local and international celebrities, including musicians Sonny Bono,[3] Carl Weathers,[4] Eric Clapton[5] and Randy Bachman;[6] professional athletes Bobby Hull,[7] Gordie Howe[6] and Wayne Gretzky;[3] and high-profile businessmen Kyle Washington,[8] Jim Pattison[8] and Jack Poole.[6]

In 2011 Paul retired[9] and left control of the family business to his daughter, Julie Minichiello.[10]

Early life

Paul Minichiello was born in 1940 in Civitanova del Sannio, a small town in the Italian Province of Isernia.

At the age of five he began sweeping floors in the workshop of a local tailor, but soon moved into the role of apprentice.[11] Eight years later, at the age of 13, he finished his first suit, which he’d designed for his father, who was emigrating to Vancouver, Canada.[12]

One year later Paul left Italy himself and followed his father, making a solo trek to Vancouver. Upon arrival he immediately began working at a variety of local tailors in order to help pay the way for his mother, brothers and sisters to join them.[11]

Career

In 1964 Paul opened his own shop, Paul's of North Shore, on Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver.[3] Prior to this he’d worked for nine years at Tip Top Tailors, a variety of local tailor shops, and for a brief stint at Louis Roth's fashion manufacturing company in Los Angeles.[13]

By the time he started his own shop Paul had developed his own unique style, and was making a name for himself as a trendsetter with a style that "appealed greatly to the young and hip 20-35 demographic."[13]

When asked about his imaginative designs he once said: "You can’t expect a grown man to make the switch from a [more traditional] suit to one of my more creative models in one big step. The transition would be too dramatic."[13]

During the late 1960s he was often referred to as "the Pierre Cardin of Lonsdale Avenue,"[13] a reference to the famous Italian fashion designer. But he disliked this comparison, preferring instead to be known simply as Paul Minichiello—"a guy who doesn’t copy anybody," and "who doesn’t really need to lean on Mr. Cardin or Britain's Hardy Ames for ideas."[13]

Cultural impact

It didn’t take long for Paul's unique style to catch the eye of local and international celebrities. Soon after it opened, his modest North Shore shop became a regular stop on the travels of many touring musicians, actors, athletes and high-profile businessmen.

One famous incident in 1971 saw him outfit Sonny and Cher from head to toe for their first ever TV show, The Nitty Gritty Hour. The couple visited his shop while they were on tour and placed an order so large that he couldn’t complete it before they had to leave town again, so he flew to Los Angeles the following week and delivered the order personally.[14]

Another incident, in 1978, saw Eric Clapton in town, though Paul was less inclined to bend over backwards. Clapton said he wanted Paul to come to where he was staying and measure him for a white fur parka, to which Paul replied: "If he can’t come down to my store, like everyone else, to hell with him, whoever he is."[5]

Later that same year, Penthouse magazine did a feature on the best dressed men in Vancouver, selecting local radio host and devoted Minichiello client Mike Winlaw, who was photographed modelling one of Paul's custom suits.[15]

His work was particularly popular among players in the National Hockey League.[16] The trend began with players on the local team, the Vancouver Canucks, who in turn served as de facto travelling salesmen whose flashy bespoke suits started catching the eye of other players around the league.[7]

Bobby Hull,[7] Wayne Gretzky,[7] Gordie Howe,[6] Gerry Cheevers,[6] Pat Quinn,[17] Dennis Ververgaert[6] and Jerry Korab[18] are counted among some of his most devoted fans, with Korab and Quinn in particular ordering all of their suits exclusively from Paul throughout the remainder of their careers. For three years in a row during this time period, Korab was picked as the NHLs Best Dressed Player.[3]

References

1. "Paul Minichiello Obituary". The Vancouver Sun and The Province (via Legacy.com). 7 August 2014. Missing or empty |url= (help)
2. Crenna, Carol. "Civil Suits". (February 27, 1994). North Shore News, p.15
3. Rattan, Surj. "Master tailor back in business". (April 28, 1991). North Shore News, p.37
4. Empey, Dave (November 28, 1979). "Rocky's ‘Apollo Creed’ pays a visit". The Citizen, p. 33
5. Sidebar in The Vancouver Sun. (Jan 28 1978) p. B3
6. Empey, Dave (January 29, 1975). "The Golden Jet Suits Up". The Citizen, p 26
7. "NV tailor goes state-of-the-art". (February 2, 1992). North Shore News, p. 37
8. "Paul Minichiello: North Shore's clothing designer and tailor extraordinaire". (October 1999). Vancouver Lifestyles
9. "Our Legacy". Minichiello Bespoke Couture. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
10. "Our Team". Minichiello Bespoke Couture. Retrieved 2014-06-24.
11. "The Clothes Horse: Paul Minichiello and His Fashion Stable. (June 2001). Canadian Thoroughbred
12. Sidebar in North Shore News. (September 24, 1995) p. 27
13. Slattery, Pat. "About Clothes…" (January 16, 1970). The Vancouver Sun
14. In "Weekend Wind Down" sidebar by Jack Wasserman, Vancouver Sun (date unknown)
15. Sidebar in The Vancouver Sun. (March 28, 1978) p. B5
16. Sidebar in The Vancouver Sun. (January 28, 1978) p. B3
17. "Quinn Keeps His Cool". (February 14–21). Georgia Straight
18. "Hawks Try New Threads". (December 27, 1972). The Citizen, p.12