These days, tales of the fleece vest-filled corridors in downtown San Francisco start-ups, banking stalwarts, and investment fund offices may well be relegated to Bay Area lore. The Snapchat-, Instagram-, and the image-filled digital lives led by its inhabitants have worked wonders on wardrobes, and whatever vestiges of the original dot-com boom remain will soon be pushed to the backs of closets by more dapper options. Barneys New York has opened the doors to its new men’s store at 2 Stockton Street, in Union Square, and racks are filled with a sartorial buffet including the department store’s collaborations with Public School, Hood by Air, Russell Westbrook x Tim Coppens, NSF, and Fear of God. The freestanding two-level store, that connects with the Barneys flagship on its lower level, has walls of bright abba gray marble and an oak-filled made-to-measure space for formalwear. Of course collections from menswear lines including Rick Owens, Thom Browne, Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Balmain, and Fendi can also be found at the new location, and a personal shopping suite has been installed in the new space’s lower level. And, proving that Barneys is an equal-opportunity renovator, plans for updates to the women’s store are already in the works, as is the addition of Fred’s at Barneys New York, the department store’s Italian restaurant currently located at its Madison Avenue, Chicago, and Beverly Hills locations. Note to the old guard: There’s plenty of fleece at Barneys, it’s just done up to look like bomber jackets and cardigans. In other words: selfie bait.

By Elizabeth Varnell

Pictured: The new Barneys New York men’s store in San Francisco’s Union Square.
Photo by Drew Altizer

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