When Jesse Held, a Minnetonka resident and notable bartender at Eat Street Social in Minneapolis, won a local bartending competition, he was thrilled—and a little scared. The win meant a trip to the Nation’s Most Inspired Bartender Search, sponsored by Bombay Sapphire and GQ magazine in Las Vegas this past September. Held was excited to be in a group of the 50 best bartenders in the nation, but three days and four nights of high-profile social events, capped off with a photo shoot featured in the December issue of GQ, was a little intimidating.
Held felt confident holding his own behind the bar, but he knew he was out of his league when it came to dressing the part for the photo shoot. So he turned to Carrie Erickson and Leah McMullen, owners of Blackjove men’s style consulting firm, to help him look as fresh and modern as his mixed drinks. When he arrived at the photo shoot, Held knew he had made the right choice by hiring Blackjove.
“I was the only guy there who didn’t have to have a complete makeover,” Held says. While the other bartenders were restyled on-site by the GQ fashion team, Held received compliments on the three-piece suit, pink shirt and tie that Erickson and McMullen had picked out for him.
“That confidence that we see from our clients is so rewarding,” McMullen says.
She and Erickson have built their business on making men look—and feel—their best. The pair, who were friends for several years before becoming business partners in 2011, believe there are a lot of men who want to dress well but feel at a loss how to do so. Most of their clients are men ages 22 to 58 who are looking to either beef up their professional profile or boost their personal life. Held hired Blackjove to help him specifically with the competition in Las Vegas, but he says their advice and the items they purchased for him has seeped into his daily life.
“There are parts of the things they picked out for me that I wear behind the bar almost every single day,” Held says.
McMullen and Erickson attribute this to their personalized approach. “We really get to know our clients before dressing them,” McMullen says. In Held’s case, this meant going to his house a few weeks before the competition and going through his wardrobe with him. From there, they had a conversation about Held’s budget and then prioritized what was most important to buy and at what price.
Held says Erickson and McMullen paid attention to the details of his wardrobe, including his belt, pocket square and tie clip—items Held would not have thought of. And although they weren’t all items that Held would have purchased, he loves them and wears them regularly to prove it.
“These ladies can give some life to your wardrobe,” he says.
McMullen and Erickson agree that is Blackjove’s goal. “It’s a sliding scale of fashion,” Erickson says. She says they don’t approach each new client with the idea of making him look a certain way; instead, it’s about making them feel good about what they have and what they can do. As Held can attest, confidence looks equally good on the red carpet and behind the bar.
&
Blackjove – Personal Styling for Men; 612.236.3410
