Also this issue:

Screen Transfer
Auditioning the video game counterparts to Hollywood blockbusters.

Icepack
-A.D. Amorosi

July 24-30, 2003

naked city

firstlook

Theory

by Alex Richmond

This spring, the shops at Suburban Square in Ardmore got a sophisticated and cool shot in the arm with the addition of Theory. The store is only the company's third, and while some department stores sell Theory's clothes, only in the standalone stores can you buy shoes and purses.

Designer and CEO Andrew Rosen thinks Ardmore is a perfect fit for his clothing line. Smack in the middle of high-end suburbia (and spitting distance from fancy retailers Williams-Sonoma and Asta de Blue), the store's pieces are not what you'd ever call cheap. But they aren't disposable; while Rosen's designs recognize runway trends, his work is so subtle that you won't want to stuff it in the back of the closet at the end of the season. Nor will you stop wearing it after five years. Made of mostly wools and stretch blend fabrics, the pieces are classic and timeless. Do the math: If you get a pair of fabulous black pants for $185 and wear them 25 times a year for five years, that's $1.48 per wear. Do Old Navy pants last that long?

The Theory color palette is mainly neutral -- simple black, white and tans -- with a few colors added in each season. This summer, orange popped up in cotton tanks and tees, and look for currant and blue in fall and winter 2003. There are also a few fun pieces. This summer a gray sweatshirt dress with a chopped asymmetrical neckline is flying out of the store.

The store itself, like the clothes, is a subtle mix of spartan and modern with a bit of pop. Dark oak floors are a stark contrast to the pure white walls and track lighting. Clothing is displayed on racks, which line two walls, and laid out on clear Lucite tables. The most distinctive feature is a massive Lucite and chrome '60s chandelier, which hangs back by the register instead of up front and right in your face -- kind of like the philosophy behind the merchandise.

Theory, Suburban Square, Montgomery Ave., Ardmore, 610-645-5150.