Fascino to open at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Fascino, a new boutique selling men's apparel manufactured in Italy, is coming soon to Westfield Montgomery Mall. They just installed some "coming soon" signage promising "Italian appeal." Fascino is in the space recently vacated by CoCo LaRue in the Nordstrom wing of the mall.

Read Wall now open at Bethesda Row (Photos)

Read Wall, the new menswear store named after its Spring Valley-raised founder, is now open at 4838 Bethesda Avenue. Here's a look inside the space, which was formerly home to Kit + Ace.

The promised bourbon can be
seen on the shelf at far right

WORK BEGINS AT FUTURE BONOBOS GUIDESHOP AT BETHESDA ROW (PHOTO)

Interior work has begun at the future Bonobos Guideshop at Bethesda Row.

As you can see in the exclusive photo below, the first step is to demo the former interior of the space's previous tenant, Daddy & Son.

If you're not a regular reader, you may be asking, "What is Bonobos?"

Bonobos is a men's apparel store that specializes in well-fitting pants, of which more are needed in the world. Having shopped at Bonobos myself when they opened a pop-up shop on Bethesda Lane during the holidays, I can tell you that even Wallace and Grommit would have a hard time finding The Wrong Trousers at Bonobos.

BONOBOS TO OPEN AT BETHESDA ROW - AGAIN! MEN'S APPAREL SHOP TO REPLACE DADDY & SON

Bonobos is coming back - and it's as if they never left.  The trouser-centric apparel shop for men who hate to shop will open a new Bonobos Guide Shop in the just-vacated Daddy & Son space on Bethesda Avenue.  Bonobos had set up a pop-up shop around the bend on Bethesda Lane during the holidays. Then they moved to a permanent location in Georgetown. This new Bethesda shop will therefore be their second permanent store in the Mid-atlantic area.

DADDY & SON CLOSES AT BETHESDA ROW (PHOTOS)

Who's your daddy? The cupboards are bare at upscale Italian shirt specialist Daddy & Son on Bethesda Avenue.  Without public announcement, the shop closed, and cleaned out the store.

I've mentioned the lack of apparel stores for men at Bethesda Row a few times over the last 5 months. Now, with this closure, there are officially zero men's shops around the Row.

If I was Federal Realty, I'd be trying to get a Hugh and Crye or Lost Boys outpost on this side of the DC line pronto. Of course, there are many other local or national names, as well.  But with no men's stores, they really need a compelling name in men's fashion to provide quality, in the absence of quantity.

By the way, this photo showing the interior seems to insist on publishing sideways - if that's how it appears, I apologize.

BONOBOS CLOSES, PACKS OUT OF BETHESDA ROW (PHOTOS)

Bonobos is gone. While the upscale men's guide shop vacated as quickly as it moved in, it didn't go out of business. As regular readers know, Bonobos had planned all along to be a pop-up shop at Bethesda Row for the holiday season, and then move to its permanent, DC-area home in Georgetown.

If you stopped by while they were here, you've got your sizes now, and can easily order online in the future.

Having said that, we're now back to the status quo of having very little in the way of men's fashions around Bethesda Row. Adding a male-focused shop or two would certainly boost other businesses around the Row. After all, men are more likely to spend money at burger joints, for example, so why not bring more of them in?

BONOBOS BETHESDA ROW GUIDESHOP LIVES UP TO THE HYPE

ROBERT DYER

IN

"THE

RIGHT

TROUSERS"

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

How much angst could Wallace and Gromit have avoided, had there been a Bonobos Guideshop in their neighborhood?

Bethesda is fortunate to have one now on Bethesda Lane, but hurry, because Bonobos won't be here forever.  That's right, our Bonobos shop is a temporary one for the holidays.  After which, it will close and move to a permanent Georgetown location.  The good news is, if you come in now, you can get sized, and be able to order online after the shop moves.

After stopping by during the Guideshop's grand opening yesterday, I can tell you that the hype about Bonobos is true.  When you come in to the shop, by appointment or walk-in, an expert Bonobos Guide will provide a personal shopper-quality assistance in finding your perfect size and styles.

In my case, it was Jamie, who gave a grand tour of the store and explained some of the secrets of why Bonobos pants fit so well.

Inside the guideshop, you'll find the original washed chinos that started it all in the center of the space.  By the window are corduroys ranging from staid to inventive.  Witness the "critter pants," or the holiday season-appropriate Hanukkords, emblazoned with a pattern of menorahs.

In the front corner is the expanding Bonobos Golf line, with polos and golf pants that have a special stripe that keeps your shirt tucked in!

The left wall has dress shirts and formal suits, the latter starting in the mid $600s.  While everything sold here ships to you for free in 2 days, Bonobos will recommend tailors who can make any adjustments your suit might need.

Next to that are the office-friendly weekday pants.  Yes, there is one pair for each day of the week.

On the back wall, you'll find the premium denim and travel jeans.  Finally, they have accessories like neckties and scarves, as well as sweaters and jackets.

I started by trying on a Jet Blues pair of the washed chinos, in the slim-straight version.  And I became a Bonobos believer in the process.  Yes, the pants really do fit as great as they say.  At $88, they are more expensive than - for example - Dockers.  But it is well worth the price, because Dockers rarely fit properly, in my experience.

When I moved to the denim, surprisingly that fit just as well.  Part of the secret, as Jamie explained, is that the waistband is contoured to fit the natural shape of the body.  From my test, the cut of the pants is also more flattering overall than your standard, off-the-rack "business casual" trousers.  If you've compared the cut and fit of a Lacoste polo shirt to an XYZ store brand, you know there's a difference, and that's the type of experience you'll have with Bonobos.

In conclusion, I think I am definitely in the target audience for the Bonobos Guideshop concept:  Tired of shopping for pants and jeans that don't fit, or having to try on 100 pairs to find one that does.  But skeptical of dropping a sizable amount on an internet shopping site, without any way to know if they really fit like they say.

Having gone in and tested it for you, if you're in that category, you're likely to enjoy shopping at Bonobos.  Many of the styles are similar to what you're wearing now, but they fit great.  And with the in-store option, you can be sure you are satisfied before buying.  But there are free returns, so you can still ship them back if you change your mind.

So stop by before the holidays are over.  I'm disappointed we'll be losing Bonobos after that, because of the severe lack of dedicated men's apparel shops around the Row.

Bonobos:  where even Wallace and Gromit will have a hard time finding "The Wrong Trousers."