Gap Flagship No. 9

The Gap recently opened a 4600-square-foot, four-level flagship on Chicago's Michigan Avenue, the San Francisco-based retailer's ninth flagship store.

The new store replaces a smaller unit a couple blocks north on Michigan Avenue. It houses men's and women's apparel, GapKids, BabyGap and the company's latest concept, GapBody (which offers underwear and intimate apparel for men and women). The top three floors feature expansive windows overlooking the Magnificent Mile. Shelving and floors are fabricated from light wood with white lacquer, and walls in the men's and women's departments are blue and pink, respectively. A new signage system features photographs of the newest lines. And photographs of pants and jeans in different styles are mounted to the coordinating display shelves. Wall shelving units slide sideways, opening to additional stock.

In the meantime, in The Gap's own San Francisco backyard, Henry Cotton, the Italian men's apparel retailer, opened its first freestanding U.S. store, a 10,000-square-foot unit in Union Square.