What's In Store: Therapy

Since opening three years ago in the Hotel Commonwealth’s posh retail strip, Jean Therapy has established itself as a destination for denim by offering an unbeatably wide array of styles and brands. This explains why the debut of spinoff clothing store Therapy has generated so much excitement among devotees. But where Jean Therapy succeeds, the new venture comes up short. Stocking an underwhelming selection of designs for women and men by midprice brands like Ted Baker and Ben Sherman, a smattering of the sort of accessories already available at Mint Julep and Velvet Ribbon, plus a few candles and coffee-table books, Therapy is spread too thin to satisfy any niche. (Yes, a similar formula works for South Boston boutique Habit, but that’s largely because it’s the only hip clothing store in the neighborhood; it’s harder to pull off when your shop is a 15-minute walk from Newbury Street.) Housed in the shiny Trilogy building just around the corner from its big sister, Therapy is interesting enough to check out before or after a movie at the Fenway cinema, but, in its current incarnation, doesn’t merit its own trip.

What it does have in its favor are cute red walls, spacious fitting rooms, reasonable prices (most things fall under $300), and an energetic staff. Combined with these ingredients, a narrowing of focus could catapult Therapy into a destination worthy of its name.

152 Brookline Ave., Boston, 617-266-6501, jean-therapy.com.