Gap's Forth & Towne hopes to woo boomers

WEST NYACK, N.Y. — Female baby boomers who grew up in Gap jeans but found themselves sized out of the market in middle age have a new shopping alternative: Forth & Towne, Gap Inc.'s first new store concept in more than a decade.

Gap hopes to woo boomers back with a store that combines the service of a boutique, the broad offerings of a department store — and a more forgiving fit.

Forth & Towne, which aims to be quite different from Gap's three other brands — Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic — was opening its first store today in West Nyack, N.Y., north of New York City. Four more will open in the Chicago area next week.

The company is somewhat behind in reaching out to boomers — its competition is well-established and includes upscale discounter Target Corp. and mall-based specialty chains including Chico FAS Inc. that have their own particular look. So Forth & Towne aims to distinguish itself from its rivals with a variety of fashion statements on a selling floor that's bigger than the average clothing store.

The new West Nyack store has clusters of merchandise: traditional career clothes like structured suits, more loose-fitting but still dressy designs such as knit tweed pants and matte jersey skirts, casual clothing like corduroy pants and body-hugging fashions such as skinny sweater coats and cropped jackets with fur trims.

The merchandise is interpreted differently by each of the store's private labels: Allegory, Vocabulary, Gap Edition and Prize. A sweater coat from Allegory, which focuses on traditional career wear, is more structured, while shoppers will find more looser-fitting knit wraps at Vocabulary, which offered untailored garments. Gap Edition, which highlights basic items like khakis from the Gap brand, had a pastel blue zip-front cropped knit jacket version, while at Prize, the label that focuses on close-fitting styles, the sweater coats were cinched.

The fashions and accessories, including shoes and handbags, are in a price range between those of Gap and Banana Republic stores. Blazers, for example, are priced from $88 to $148.

"The overall experience is very different from what you find anywhere in the mall," said Gary Muto, formerly president of the Gap brand, who became president of Forth & Towne last fall.

Service, which tends to be lacking at many store chains, is considered a crucial part of the Forth & Towne concept. Sales associates must have experience serving customers, and come from a variety of industries including the spa and hotel businesses.