EAGERLY AWAITING: Kent & Curwen Is Late!

Missed deadlines are never good, but when it comes to opening a Madison Avenue boutique, opening projections are always subject to change. Re-animated British heritage brand Kent & Curwen is still trumpeting an Autumn 2013 arrival, which looks a little sad now that it is 2014. A tiny glimpse through a crack in the doorway yesterday showed a busy construction site that looked like maybe it would be ready by later this Spring. Will it be worth waiting for a revival of the label that once introduced the V-necked Cricket sweater to the world? A glance through the brand's current website shows initial collections based on updated British classics from Schoolboy to Savile Row looks. Perennial favorites to be sure, but there should be more exciting things to come. Last Fall, Simon Spurr, a menswear favorite whose own much admired label fell dormant in 2012, joined the company as creative director —a much more fitting position than the ghost-designing for Tommy Hilfiger his previous assignment required. His first collection for Kent & Curwen will be shown in London next week to presumably eager buyers and editors for Fall 2014, which means that by this time next year, a Spurr fueled version of the label is likely to be right in the center of a menswear world always looking for a new label to love.

They really need to fix that window signage, though. ASAP.