J.Crew's Newest Men's Shop

A big "thanks!" to so many of you, including Some Assembly Required, Jess, & Rosie, who shared the news that a new men's only concept store opened at Copley Place (in Boston, MA) recently.

"Thanks!" to Rosie who shared an article from Boston.com (click here to read the article in its entirety) about the store.

Tailored for a masculine fit
By Christopher Muther
October 5, 2010

There is an unmistakable crackle of controlled chaos in the air. Amid the neatly folded stacks of shirts and displays of crisply tailored suits, a whirling dervish by the name of Millard "Mickey" Drexler is brusquely inspecting the new J.Crew men’s concept store at Copley Place. The store has been open approximately two hours, and Drexler, the CEO of J.Crew who was once dubbed the “merchant prince,’’ is causing a minor panic with his presence among the sales associates, all dressed in matching black and white check shirts.

“Where’s the swatch book for suits?’’ he asks, flummoxed when it does not appear when requested. The 66-year-old Drexler, looking casual in a Belstaff jacket and untucked shirt, tells one of the check shirt-wearing employees to move a sock display to where it is more visible.

Drexler is in town for the opening of the store, which is the chain’s first outside of the New York area. Currently in the midst of a creative and financial renaissance, J.Crew split its men’s store off into a separate location in Copley Place. The new space is a modern, cleaned-up take on a dusty smoke shop or haberdashery.

“We didn’t do official studies,’’ Drexler says. “But it became clear to us that guys weren’t crazy about walking through women’s merchandise to get to their own section at the back of the store. We thought the time and the clothes were right to create a men’s store. It looks the way men’s shops used to look.’’

The environment is a thoughtful mix of masculine bric-a-brac, wood accents, and the brand’s clothing, which has been significantly revamped by designer Frank Muytjens, the man who Esquire magazine declared “made it cool to shop at J.Crew again’’ in its current issue.

“We realized that men were looking for something a little more modern,’’ says J.Crew president and executive creative director Jenna Lyons. “I don’t mean modern as in fashion. I mean modern in terms of cut. We didn’t stock a clean, lean tailored suit. We didn’t have a narrow cut shirt. We didn’t have a great slim pant. We had a lot of casual clothes, but we didn’t have a tailored element to make him feel sexier or pulled together.’’

Drexler, the former Gap CEO credited with taking the chain from a humble jeans store to the king of the khakis in the 1990s, says the new J.Crew approach is tailored to fit the way that men shop, which he says is significantly different from women.

“We pretty much don’t like to shop relative to women,’’ he says. “Women are just better shoppers than men, and they spend more time at it. What we’re creating here is a well-edited shop where guys can come in and get a suit, get a shirt, get a pair of pants. It’s not overwhelming, and then we sell pieces from Alden, Red Wing. We have watches and books. The idea is that a guy can come in here and do all his shopping and not feel like there’s too much.’’

Around the store, the emphasis is on classic American sportswear redesigned for stylish gents. Just don’t use the words “trend’’ and “men’’ in the same sentence around the J. Crew honchos.

“The word ‘trend’ for men is always scary,’’ Lyons says, laughing. “I wouldn’t call it a trend, but you see a lot more men are dressing up these days, looking more polished. It’s adorable when you see a cute young guy wearing a tie when he doesn’t have to.’’

To me, branching to Boston is a great idea. Can you imagine how many sales they will get from the Harvard grad students alone?! ;) As for the store itself, it looks beautiful!

What are your thoughts on the latest men's only store? Are you a fan of concept? Do you agree with Mickey and his take on the stores? :)