Madewell’s Midlife Crisis

Adrienne Lazarus
Madewell’s spring collection refrains from desperate youth-chasing: Instead, I’d reckon that Lazarus and the team have seen the success of upper-contemporary brands and are trying to capture the customer who admires those brands but perhaps can’t afford them. Photo: Yvonne Tnt/BFA.com
Sarah Shapiro
February 26, 2025

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No one likes to wait, particularly for a dressing room. But on a recent visit to Madewell with my tween daughter, I was surprised (and a little delighted) to find a line outside the four dressing rooms—a sure sign that customers were finding things they at least wanted to try on. The real test, however, came in the checkout line, where we saw only one solitary shopper… with one solitary belt. Most shoppers—my daughter and myself included—left the store empty-handed