Rag & Bone

Profile

Marcus Wainwright and David Neville founded the cult denim brand rag & bone in 2002, learning the craft from scratch by observing seamstresses and pattern-makers in Kentucky. Their first-ever boutique—opened in September 2008 on a stretch of Christopher Street dotted by various fetish and leather stores—displays around a dozen washes of the same soft, minimally treated denim that made them famous, as well as the full men’s and womenswear collections. The jeans are refreshingly unadorned, keeping the focus on quality denim sourced from Japan and North Carolina. The exposed-brick walls, metal pipes, and worn floorboards give the space a masculine, industrial feel, although an understated vase of flowers and scattered oddities like antlers and an antique typewriter add character. The luxurious men’s selection offers French-cuff and tuxedo-cut shirts, tailored blazers, cashmere coats, and merino-wool sweaters. On the opposite wall, racks of women’s wares include shearling-lined leather vests, tweed coats, striped silk tanks, and wool pencil skirts. Pima-cotton tees provide clingy, velvety basics for both sexes. Lush accessories are draped across central tables and leather chairs near the fitting rooms, like a tie printed with tiny daggers, fingerless knit gloves, and waxed-cotton duffels. — Lauren Murrow