Agnes B

Au revoir Agnes b. I am sad to see Agnes b gone. It’s not only the store but the people who were so personable, Sarah and Alex, Travis and others who were there at some times. Their sales at the end were great. I know I can never get these breaks again so I did stock up. They have a new and improve website for online orders. Of course I will still miss the boutique.

We happened to walk by a few weeks ago. This had always been one of my sister’s favorite stores, so I wanted to show my gf. Turned out that the store was in its final week before closing, sadly. They were having an 80% sale which made things much more affordable. We bought a few items, which look to be very well made.
The people working were in surprisingly good spirits, very helpful, friendly and cool people, even though they had obviously been working a lot to wind things down (we showed up just before closing and they let us and a few others stay as long as we wanted), with the prospect of looking for another job. Agnes B was lucky to have such great people working for them.
Sorry to see the place go.

Let me apologize now for not reviewing this store years ago. Sadly, Agnes B in San Francisco (and many of their other U.S. locations) will be closing soon. [I think they’ll hold onto a couple of places in New York.] Agnes (as they refer to her in the store – never met her myself) creates very classic, clean lines (for men’s clothing – I can’t speak about women’s clothing) while taking liberties with the materials, prints and colors of her fabrics. I never got into her t-​shirts and other sports wear, but her dress clothes were really quite nice. With high collars many of her jackets were great for conservative dress needs but had that edge with narrow and short lapels. Granted her clothing was designed for people possessing more… classic (as compared to common) body shapes, but with a bit of additional tailoring, they make for great clothes.
Having shopped at Agnes B locations in Paris, NYC and LA, I have to say that San Francisco’s staff were the best. No snooty pretense. Just super helpful and with good eyes for style. We love your clothes, Agnes. And hope you return to San Francisco.

Think Sofia Coppola: lots of basic black, refined whites, soft grays, parlayed with splashes of bold, bright colors. Sofia Coppola and agnes b. write the aspirational style guide for my fashion life. If only I could buy the entire store and put it in my closet.
The clothes are well-​made and fit perfectly to make you look refined and at ease in your clothes — I love the tailoring of the tops for women. And the cardigans are to die for…
Staff are wonderfully nice and supercute in their agnes b. clothing and piles of accessories. There just really isn’t a reason not to shop at agnes b. — I simply can’t leave the store without some killer staples that I know will last me through seasons of fashion whimsy because they are so well-​tailored and tastefully designed.

Agnes B.‘s one of my favorite places for clothes. Overall, her stuff’s the most consistently fashion forward sportswear I’ve yet encountered. The staff’s super friendly, and the music’s usually terrific (Velvet Underground, Stereolab, etc.)

I have a 3 year-​old Agnes B. cardigan that needs to be replaced (probably would’ve lasted much longer but I’ve thrown it in the washing machine instead of hand-​washing or sending it off to the cleaners. bad, bad).
On the bright side, this means that I have to go back to their store! I agree with everyone. I love clean lines and quality. I even bought my niece clothes in Paris.
Names will not be mentioned, but forget that flagship store down the street. I’m quite happy with Agnes.

the best sweaters in the world live in this petite boutique. if i were a rich little french woman, i’d stroll in with my red beret with my white poodle tucked under my arm, and drop some serious u.s. dollars for the sweaters and cable knit hats.

Awhile back I bought a pair of boots here on sale, beautiful quality. The space is great I just find the prices outrageous for what is basic «knock around» sportswear. I take the attitude «if it looks like I can get it at Target well… then I am buying it at Target». The men’s wear is just really, really basic.

My esteemed colleague Mr. Dandy Degenerate has captured the essence of agnes b. in his review: «well-​made, simple clothes that will make you feel well-​groomed, perfect for a french romantic intellectual comedy, but no heads will turn.»
Everything here is in good taste. Such good taste that it becomes boring at times. The risk of refinement I suppose.
Then again, agnes can’t be THAT boring: she employed Nicolas Ghesquiere as a child laborer — err, I mean intern.
Agnes is definitely worth a visit. The first floor is strictly pour les femmes: blouses, coats, hats, and all sorts of impedimenta. The second floor holds everything for a man aspiring to be a French intellectual.
Her shirts (ah, I mean chemises, pardon, je suis un vrai con) and perhaps some sweaters are worth checking out. I’ve never been a big fan of her blazers and coats. Some details are lacking. I can’t remember any agnes b coat or blazer ever featuring doctor’s cuffs, for example. Many of them have visible stitching at the top of the vent. And her 46 fits like a 48 on me.
I was here this past weekend. Claire is an excellent sales person: professional, courteous, and helpful. Plus, she laughed at the new name I gave to a princess seam ON THE FRONT of a man’s chemise: it’s the «Queen’s Stitch.»

What happened here? Agnes B used to be a go-​to place for me when I needed some nice new outfits. Now my boyfriend still goes there but their ladies selection is suddenly tailored to 45 year old suburban career women???

This store is stocked with plenty of basics with a flair of je né sais quoi… maybe a bit of Agnes B! There is an for women and another area for men. Agnes B offers basics with a feminine touch, especially with the extra little frills and puffed sleeves. The few times I’ve been in this store, it’s always been rather quiet, but the salespeople are pretty hands off unless you request for help.

My mum is a tiny little lady.
Finding suits for her can be an ordeal.
When I was little, for work, she wore suits with HUGEGANTIC shoulder pads, which made her look like a leprechaun linebacker.
But Agnes B., Oh so French. Put a little Grey silk suit on my mummy and she looks like a grown up lady.
Which is the way we like her.

Review #8 for Agnes B.
Small shop on Grant Ave. you might miss, or think to yourself, that looks expensive.
Always in the front window a sweet, chic display of one lady’s outfit and one man’s outfit, complete with accessories and shoes. So simple and elegant.
I’d never been in until one day recently. I needed the right outfit. A reason to go inside.
The sales people were so friendly. The sales person that helped me was Forest. I asked for a dress, like one of the sweet dresses that they often displayed in the window.
Ta-​da! He showed me two. I tried on both and I chose one of them. It was a perfect little dress. Pretty, fun, feminine, chic, and french. It is a black cap sleeve viscose dress with small white-​polka dots and sash around the waist.
The price was a bit steep! But it was a true treat! I smile inside when I know I’m going to wear it.
The bottom line is — with the warm fuzzies I get inside from feeling pretty, or friends’ compliments, or nice, approving looks from acquaintances — OR the approval of my mom! — or the joy of knowing that I have just the dress for a semi-​casual event — with all these happy benefits, I’m sure the cost is a wash :*}

Oh-​la-​la! If I was into women, Agnes and I would be going at it all day long. My love affair with this store is of the parent-​funded variety and that is the only negative in the equation. (The older I get, the less they’re willing to invest in my wardrobe…). Being a girl who favors clean lines and soft small sweaters, I really appreciate the simplicity and quality of workmanship in their apparel. PartyBot is also a fan (although I spend more time in his Agnes B sweaters than he does…). If I could afford to, I would wrap myself in Agnes and never come out. Nice store and friendly staff make you forget that you’re about to go broke. Sky-​high prices and almost no sales whatsoever make you contemplate making a move to investment banking or drug sales.

Extremely well made clothes that are both basic and gorgeous at the same time. Very clean lines with some wonderful fabrics. As other people have mentioned, the prices are well… who cares… quality is what matters!
Viva la France!

O, Agnes, why o why to you charge SO much for such basic clothes? The prices are prohibative.
It’s too bad they don’t have sales… they do, but they are a) miserly and b) tend to only include a pink taffeta vest from Summer ’04. Kind of misses the point, since Agnes B.‘s BEST pieces are the basics. but a t-​shirt for $ 90 and sweatshirt for $ 273?
Save your $, get your basics at the Gap and buy something very very special eslewhere.
I cannot recommend Agnes B.

Can’t (yet) afford to shop here, but really lovely European clothes. Thought the staff were very friendly.

When I wear a particular skirt bought here people ask me if I got it in Paris. I’m just enough of a francophile to really enjoy that. Would describe the selection as French shopgirl on a reasonably-​well-​kept-​woman budget.

Levi, the little black cocker spaniel who belongs to one of the staffers here, is the most beautiful item in the place. Otherwise you’ll find crisp, clean-​looking lines on the men’s clothes. They mark in Euro sizes and if you’re tall like me I doubt you’ll find a jacket that will fit. Very nice, friendly staff here.