Jane Mayle Bows Out

Sad news for shoppers: The high priestess of cool clothes, Jane Mayle, is closing her shop for good. It was the end of a lease and the accelerating fashion cycle that drove Mayle to close her doors -- not faltering sales. The Mayle store at 242 Elizabeth Street was a huge presence in the Noho shopping area. And it was the burgeoning popularity of Noho that ultimately convinced Mayle to leave.

“We knew we didn’t want to reinvest in the neighborhood,” Mayle says. “It prompted me to think hard about where I was in business and where I wanted to go. The industry has changed so much, and the little niche we entered when I started the brand, and the demands in this niche have changed, so I asked myself, ‘Do I want to keep participating?’” Mayle became a favorite with celebrities and editors for its beautiful “magpie aesthetic” clothes and unconventional fashion path, relaying on word of mouth rather than runway shows. Mayle didn’t say what her next move would be, but she did hint, “it could be interiors, graphics, scents—anything evoking an atmosphere. That’s where I’d like to situate myself.” With both Mayle and Jovovich-Hawk gone, what are downtown types to do for expensive vintage-inspired clothing?