Style for the other gender

Perhaps it was destined that a man named Fabio Casagrande would someday own a men's clothing boutique.

But although he admits to occasionally getting preferential treatment from female hotel clerks after mentioning his name is Fabio, he usually finds the issue of his name to be amusing and somewhat frustrating.

"In Italy, everyone's named Fabio.

It's like John over there," he laughs.

Casagrande, owner of Vertical Menswear in Reno, hails from Genoa, Italy.And except for a trace of an accent, he is actually nothing like the long-haired, often shirtless supermodel that made his first name famous.

But coming from Italy, one of the world's fashion capitals, Casagrande knows what looks good.

That became clear when he and his girlfriend (now wife) Isha opened Ciao Bella, the upscale boutique in downtown Reno, four years ago.

The store was primarily dedicated to home decor, with a small corner focused on clothing.

But the clothes were an immediate hit.

"My dream was always to have a boutique for men's clothes, and offer a small niche of what people in Reno weren't getting," says Casagrande, who has a degree in business management.

He was approached, shortly after Ciao Bella opened, about opening a store in the new Magnolia Commons shopping center that was planned in South Meadows.

The timing seemed perfect for Casagrande to make his dream a reality.He opened Vertical Menswear at 9333 Double R Blvd.

in November of 2004.

Meanwhile, Ciao Bella became Lipstick, which his wife still owns; it has since moved to Magnolia Commons as well, two doors down from Vertical.

Whereas Lipstick is a hip boutique for trendy, upscale women's clothing,Vertical fills those needs for men.

"Everyone who's come in here has said, 'This is so cool, I could never get this stuff here before.' They constantly have to drive over the hill to get a cool shirt to go out in," says Casagrande.

His vision has consistently been for a store that serves men, and only men.

"Not to be sexist about it, but women like to have their own boutiques, so when guys come in here, it's just for them.You don't have to share the store, or even a wall, with women.

No one's done that here yet, just for guys."

With price points starting at around $10 for accessories, and ranging up to around $300 for higher-end jackets,Vertical resembles a shop in San Francisco's Union Square district or the streets of London.

This is not a suit shop.

Although the clothes are upscale, they're still casual.

Even the sport coats and trousers have an edge.

The store carries brands that include Theory, Diesel, Robert Graham, Buffalo Jeans and 7 Diamonds, a brand Reno residents usually have to travel to Nordstrom's at Roseville to find.

In the year Vertical Menswear has been open, it's already gathered a loyal following of repeat customers.

"Reno's behind in fashion," Casagrande says,"and I don't think that's a secret to anybody.

We get things three to six months after they've been in New York or L.A.

But Reno's grown exponentially, and there's a lot more boutiques here than there were three or four years ago." Currently all the businesses located in Magnolia Commons are independent, high-end boutiques, which Casagrande finds very encouraging.

"It just goes to show that there's a desire in Reno for uniqueness.

And the fashion here has definitely picked up.

It always used to be jeans here, but people are dressing up more," he says."

I had hoped a store like this was needed, and I've gotten nothing but a great response."