Marc By Marc Jacobs Stretches Its Legs In New Menswear Shop

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

We finally made it over to the new Marc by Marc Jacobs men's shop, which, as previously noted, has taken over the former Diabless space next door to the main shop. Staffers told us that the move was prompted by a desire for more breathing room, particularly to better show off the brand's collection of low-priced "special items". These offbeat goodies have taken pride of place in the center of the store, ranging in price from $1.50 condoms to $7 leather bracelets, $14 cashmere ankle socks to $28 rain boots and everything in between. The room is bordered by apparel, with a mix of summery swimsuits, rubber travel bags and cargo shorts (only $40, from the new-ish and epically named "Jacobs by Marc Jacobs for Marc by Marc Jacobs in Collaboration With Marc Jacobs for Marc by Marc Jacobs" line), and chunky sweaters and hoodies for fall from the main Marc by Marc men's line.

A back room has been dedicated to jeans and t-shirts starting at just $18, including Marc's infamous range of charity tees and polos from his Stinky Rat line (a nickname for photographer Juergen Teller, bestowed upon him by his young daughter). As for the portraits that deck the walls, they were all taken by photographer Brian Bowen Smith, who is currently compiling a book called "The Men and Women of Marc Jacobs", filled with images of Marc's staffers from around the world—including the LA store manager, Todd, whose image graces the entryway.

Next door, womenwear has taken over what used to be the men's side, giving everything a little more room to be seen. We'd never really noticed just how many great gifts and odds-and-ends the Marc by Marc boutiques carry—for instance, we now know where we're coming next time we need a cute umbrella or a $5 key ring—nor just how many affordable, yet cool sub-brands are housed under the Marc by Marc Jacobs umbrella. Overall, the new shop is definitely worth a snoop—our only question is how they managed to fit everything in one store in the first place.
· Now Open [Racked]