An Aficionada Reviews Madewell's SoHo Store

A big "thanks!" to Lesley who was kind to share with us her review of J.Crew's sister store, Madewell, at the SoHo location. The following is her review:

The flagship Madewell store in SoHo is uniquely different than their other retail outlets. In February when I went to visit, there is a noticeable difference in its décor, I felt as if I were sneaking into one of the Madewell girl’s summer share at the shore. The store is very Rachel Ashwell “shabby chic”: white washed exposed brick walls, hardwood floors, shuttered windows and wooden shelving units. It was very reminiscent of a Baltimore or D.C. row house. Adding flourishes of color throughout the store were budding tree branches, books, and containers holding footwear, purses and scarves artfully placed throughout the store. Scarves were a major design feature: they were on the walls, in bowls and on the salespeople. It appears a carefully tied scarf is part of the Madewell uniform.

The denim bar: a wooden table with piles of jeans on it in every wash and fit was the main attraction for me. I was in search of a great pair of straight or skinny gray jeans (my personal current obsession). Initially I expected to wear a 31 or maybe a 30. I was surprised when the salesperson suggested I go down to a size 29 in the Rail Straight fit. She advised me that the jeans would stretch as I wore them and that the fit of the 29s was better in the waist in the back. She was right these jeans fit very nicely; they are straight without any taper. I also tried on the Skinny Low which is truly skinny; it has a low rise and tapers tightly to the ankle. This is an ideal fit for someone with a straight shape who wants that long lean look. I am curvy and athletic and they barely got over my calves.

Several winter items were on clearance: boots, grandpa sweaters, tunic sweaters, and scarves. Additionally, spring items were also on sale including tank tops, t-shirts, and sweaters. I noticed several similarities between J.Crew’s and Madewell’s spring collection: the cardigan sweater, belts, and sneakers. Madewell has several bright colored patent leather belts that are similar to the Patent Leather Skinny Belt and then a brown leather belt that is similar to the Roughed Out Leather Belt also. A canvas sneaker, the Bensimon (French canvas sneakers) is featured there just as J.Crew features the Jack Purcell distressed and broken in chino sneakers. There were flip flops in buckets which is similar to the way J.Crew store, stages their stores.

The Madewell flagship décor is fresh and down to earth; you can comfortably shop and easily envision how you would wear their clothes. Unfortunately online shopping is still delayed and hopefully will also be available soon. On my last visit to a Madewell store I was told they did not know when the online shopping would start.

Lesley also shared an image (shown on the left) & the following:
The Soft Satchel in pink which was featured in a February email [refer here] by Madewell. I have not seen it in pink at my local store.

"Thanks!" again to Lesley for her amazing & wonderfully detailed review! I visited one of Madewell's stores in California and was not impressed. As a result, I didn't feel the need to visit another one. However, after reading Lesley's review, I am definitely going to check out the SoHo location when I visit NYC over the summer. :)

Have you visited the Madewell SoHo location? If so, what are your thoughts?