It was inevitable, and as we predicted, the Guy Laroche name has been removed from the boutique that, until recently, displayed the brand on its West 57th Street sign. 
We never expected the shop to actually close down, but as we learned that the Parisian Prêt à Porter house was planning another major relaunch and repositioning with designer Marcel Marongiu, we knew this shop would not continue to operate under the name. It has now morphed into on of those generic "Fine Italian Menswear" discount stores where shirts are froutinely displayed in their plastic wrappers and plastic hangers always retain the multicolored size markers from the warehouse. This is good for the brand which is now ready for a clean re-introduction for next Fall with what one hopes will be a refreshed fashion point of view. It's not such good news for West 57th Street where landlords have been trying to upgrade their tenant mix to be closer to that on the other side of Fifth Avenue.
Previously: Guy Laroche Opens on West 57th: Would You Like Fries With That?
also: Guy Laroche: Time to Start the Countdown?
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