By Anne Baker, News staff

There are many retail outlets preaching the perfection of their jeans. ‘Just come on in,’ they shout, ‘and we’ll find the right fit for you, no problem.’
Madewell, which opened its Newbury Street location Tuesday, is just that type of women’s apparel store.
The 6,000 square foot store is chock-full of attractive and attentive sales people. The ladies who worked there were helpful and kind, but never pushed any items on me. It felt more like I was palling around with friends than being sold clothes
Upon entering the well-lit, white-washed store, the promise of well-fitting jeans abounds.’ In addition to a wall of jeans, the shop also boasts a jean bar featuring several fits and colors of denim, like the ‘Skinny Low’ and ‘Bootlegger.’
To accompany their jeans, Madewell offers preppy classics like cardigans, Hunter Wellington boots and knit scarves. The wares are neatly displayed in a bright, two-story shop with silly cards explaining the different cuts of jeans and knits; one tells the story of a young girl who ran away with the perfect pair of shorts and lived happily ever after.
Obviously keeping its location in mind, vintage maps of Boston adorn the walls.
In fact, the Cape Cod decor and knit basics with familial names like the ‘Grandfather Cardigan’ and the ‘Boyfriend Tee’ all seem vaguely familiar. It’s almost as if Abercrombie & Fitch went to P-Town and found a clever-minded sugar daddy.
It comes as little surprise that the store is the brainchild of J.Crew CEO Millard Drexler. Madewell was founded in New Bedford in 1939 as a workwear company, a’ spokesperson said. The company eventually went out of business, and Drexler bought its name in 2006, but kept the store’s original logo in an attempt to pay homage to its heritage.
The store works hard ‘- and succeeds ‘- in striking the right balance between East Coast prep and West Coast cool. Ray Ban sunglasses and tan leather boots sit not far from Lilly Pulitzer-esque dresses and tops. But those items do not work as well as Madewell’s basics. I have never been one for Vera Bradley, and some of the store’s prints run in that vein.
Where the store truly shines is in its knits, mainly housed on the second floor. Staple T-shirts come without any hokey logo ‘- you’ll find no alligators, seagulls or moose here ‘- and they fit loosely. The deep v-necked ‘Boyfriend Tee’ is extra-long, challenging American Apparel’s hold on the cotton market. Priced at $24, it’s not a total steal, but a decent price for a good multi-use T-shirt.
For all its made-well perfection, the clothing at Madewell does come at a price. Jean prices run from $92 to $200, and cardigans can cost upward of $50.
But if there’s anything Madewell seems cognizant of, it’s the brand’s target demographic ‘- all items in the store are 15 percent off with a student ID. The store is also distributing free Boston-themed totes with the purchase of jeans. As history has shown ‘- cough, the Marc by Marc Jacobs Boston totes from two years ago ‘- there’s nothing the fashion-forward Boston girl loves more than a cute, city-themed canvas tote.
Madewell seems to find its home in good basics that are, you know, made well.