TAKING A BREAK: After 102 Years In New York, J.Press Will Temporarily Close Its Flagship

It's not going out of business, and it's not totally voluntary, but American preppy style retail icon J.Press will be closing its Madison Avenue flagship for at least a year while its home building is being renovated. This will be the first time since 1912 that the city has been without a branch of the New Haven founded store. Parent company Onward Kashiyama has been looking for a temporary location, but has failed to find a suitable stand-in before the store, along with the building's other tenants, will be required to vacate the premises. The lease isn't technically lost, it has just been put on hiatus in a manner of speaking. Though a search still continues for a replacement location, it could be as late as Spring 2015 before J.Press once again has a home for its main, traditional collection.

What will remain open, however, is the York Street collection store on Bleecker Street (though we wouldn't be totally surprised if they threw a few basics from the mail line in there for while). The collection, designed by Shimon and Ariel Ovadia of Ovadia & Sons, presents a younger, slimmed down version of the store's signature style. It is meant to broaden the brand's appeal, but unlikely to suffice for the company's old-line sack sack suit stalwarts. The company's other locations in New Haven, Washington DC and Boston will remain open as well as its website, so J.Press' New York customers won't be entirely without access to new repp ties and oxford shirts, but they will be counting the days until their sartorial home reopens.

After Century In New York, J. Press To Lay Off Staff, Close Store For One Year (Ivy Style via GQ)