At Banana Republic’s refurbished and relaunched Soho flagship last night, the digs were new, but the look of the clothes was decidedly older. “We’ve been relooking at our heritage and old sportswear and we have a lot in our archives that we’re going to rework,” creative director Simon Kneen said. While going vintage is nothing [...]

As the man who made Brooks Brothers cool again several years ago, Simon Kneen knows a thing or two about freshening up classic American brands. In his role as creative director for Banana Republic, he’s aiming to bridge the company’s original incarnation as a travel-themed retailer (remember when its stores used to feature Jeeps and [...]

“The East Village doesn’t need another vintage store,” says Marco Querci, who tonight opens new boutique Change of Season. Instead, Querci and his partner Clinton Curtis created a whole new retail beast: the curated outlet. As anyone who’s spent a draining day at Woodbury Commons can attest, [...]

I like Jon Hamm for several reasons: One, obviously, is the hit TV show that he stars in, Mad Men, which glorifies those lovely be-suited 1960’s hunks. The other is that, like me, he grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, sporting head-to-toe prep gear (Gap khakis for him, Banana Republic V-neck sweaters for me). Only [...]

Editors and publishers assembled in Chelsea yesterday for Simon Kneen’s debut as Banana Republic’s creative director. Kneen, who comes from Brooks Brothers and Adrienne Vittadini, worked a Mad Men vibe for the guys, from the Brylcreem-shiny hair to the ankle-exposing pants and sockless wingtips. For us gals, he fast-forwarded a decade and a half to [...]