Long-Vacant Chevy Chase Storefront Readies for Bespoke Suits

The long-vacant Friendship Heights, Chevy Chase, storefront wedged on the west side of Wisconsin Avenue between Saks Jandel and the Courtyard Marriott is about to get some business.

Italian menswear shop DePandi is coming soon, according to signs in the window, and shop owner and master tailor Eduardo DePandi has told Patch that it will open in two to three weeks, as soon as the construction is completed.

DePandi's current menswear shop, Bruno Cipriani, is at White Flint Mall, but that shop will close on Oct. 5. The shop has been open for more than 20 years, and has a number of celebrity customers, including opera star Placido Domingo, former Redskins’ star Brian Mitchell and Washington Capitals’ telecaster Joe Beninati, Patch reported last year.

DePandi brings many years of experience as a master tailor with him to Chevy Chase. He began working as an apprentice tailor in his native Naples, Italy, when he was 9 years old. He eventually opened a boutique tailor shop there, which became an immediate success.

Bruno Cipriani has carried some of the top Italian menswear manufacturers, including Versace, Dolce Punta, Luigi Borelli, Gimo’s, Xacus, Torras, Centarelli and Grand Sasso, according to the Bruno Cipriani website.

The new DePandi shop will offer top menswear as well as bespoke tailoring, DePandi told Patch.

The new shop's space has been for lease by KLNB Retail, Patch reported earlier. The Agenda News reported recently that "[the] space has not been occupied since Courtyard Marriott took over the adjacent space a few years ago. The entire block is owned by the Grosvenor Company of Great Britain."

DePandi should be a good fit for the neighborhood, with Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Jandel, the Saks Jandel bridal shop and Brooks Brothers as neighbors.