Forth & Towne

So I've had occasion to visit Forth & Towne, the Gap's offering for women 35 and over, a few times and form an opinion on it. (It opened about a year and a half ago, but only in the suburbs, so I don't get there very often.) The first few trips, I wasn't overly impressed. The clothes seemed to suffer from a fatal Eileen Fisher-ish dowdiness, and I found myself getting depressed: this is how people think you should dress when you turn 35? That's a lot of my own personal preference talking: I've never been a big Gap or Banana Republic fan, and I'm less the type of marketing vice president/soccer mom/aging boomer they're targeting than a childless, still-single hipster who is reluctant to identify with or go gently into that middle-aged night. However, I can tell you that for those marketing vps, soccer moms, and aging boomers who don't need or want Sex and the City wardrobes, shopping can be a challenge. I always think of the two sides of the third floor at Nordstrom downtown: one side for the hip designer stuff, the other for boxy, tweedy things. (Just a visual image for all of you familiar with the store's layout. I actually do think Nordstrom does a decent job of catering to an older-but-still-into-fashion demographic with its Individualist section.)

These last few visits, I found a few things I liked--a rack of basic but very pretty special occasion dresses, and a short-sleeved silky shell in different colors. (I bought one in oyster--$49.99 on sale.) There are some brocade jackets that have the faintest whisper of "older lady," but also some velvet capelets that wouldn't be out of place in Nordstrom's cool section. The handbags still lean toward Coach, and the shoes have a loafer look about them, except for some silver ballet flats. A lot of my clients who hate shopping would love to find one store where they could find everything they need. I'm not sure that store will ever exist, but for some of them, this might be the closest thing.

The clothes are grouped in different "collections"--Allegory, Prize, Edition, etc--which seems unnecessarily confusing. I don't know any women who pay attention to these labels while they're browsing. I guess it's supposed to make it easier to know where to go for what you're looking for, but the store's not huge--you might as well look at everything. And the salespeople would be only too happy to find whatever you want anyway. One night I was there I was greeted separately by every single salesperson--about seven people. I know I am a little crabby, but it's distracting to have to say hello to someone every five minutes.

Much has also been made of the circular dressing rooms with a seating area in the middle, which supposedly encourage social shopping. In each dressing room there's also a card for you to write your feedback on (just like at Denny's!). Maybe it's all the sensitive "we want to meet your needs" vibe that bugs me a little. For me, it all comes down to the clothes. If I like them and like them consistently, I'll be back. If not, I won't.