Wilkes Bashford was founded in 1966 by the fashion icon of the same name. Renowned for fabulous, upscale merchandise with personalized customer service and an impeccable eye, Wilkes Bashford has defined Bay Area style for 50 years.

One of the world’s most influential men in fashion, Wilkes Bashford was a constant presence in his stores up until his death in January 2016 at age 82. He was a fixture on Esquire’s “International Best Dressed List” since 1972 and the first retailer to bring many top designers from Italy, including Giorgio Armani, into the United States. Wilkes set the stage for men’s fashion in Northern California and was part of San Francisco’s “local fabric.” Brunello Cucinelli referred to him as a “human being constantly in love with fashion.”

Wilkes opened his original Union Square store in 1966, across from its current location, with a vision to serve a high-end customer he deemed “the bold conservative.” Over the years, Wilkes expanded his store, eventually moving to his famed seven-story townhouse in 1984. He added a women’s department in 1978 and in 2001 opened a Palo Alto store to cater to the Silicon Valley crowd.

Wilkes was very involved in the community, hosting countless charity events and inviting renowned entertainers as he believed fashion and show business are inextricably intertwined. He enjoyed a lot of media attention, palling around San Francisco with long-time best friend, Willie Brown, the former Mayor of San Francisco and a renowned fashionista, who referred to him as “part of the heart of the city.”

Wilkes Bashford stores are known for their highly educated and diverse staff. Wilkes’ sales associates are fiercely loyal, passionate about fashion, and deliver a level of service that goes outside of the stores and into the customers’ homes and personal lives, when needed.

In December 2009, Wilkes Bashford became part of Mitchell Stores, owned by a family he knew for over 25 years through industry events and European buying trips. Like Wilkes, the Mitchells family share a similar aesthetic and strong commitment to community and customer service.

In November 2012, Wilkes Bashford and the Mitchell family unveiled the full renovations of both Wilkes Bashford stores. Wilkes San Francisco was gutted, rewired, and re-imagined as a stunning, metaphorical 7-story townhouse, conceived in the “Mitchells tradition,” to make customers feel as if they are being welcomed into a gracious home. The Mitchells worked closely with renowned San Francisco architect firm Gensler to create what has become an instant San Francisco landmark.

Both Wilkes Bashford stores are the vibrant “hearts” of their communities. Our doors are always open for charity meetings, trunk shows and sold-out fundraising galas.

On Nov 13th 2024 our new Palo Alto 25,000 sq ft Flagship in the Stanford Shopping Center opened.

I am excited for this new adventure with the Mitchell’s family in Palo Alto. I am proud to call them dear friends and business partners for over 30 years. They exude excellence and embody the best that a luxury experience can offer.

– Ermenegildo Zegna, Zegna Group CEO

Our parents/grandparents, Ed and Norma Mitchell, founded the company in 1958 with three men’s suits, a coffee pot and a dream…

The heart of their extraordinary vision was to “hug” the customer… to enhance and add value to the retail experience by offering unsurpassed service, a uniquely warm environment, to give back to their communities and to build trusting relationships with customers and friends that would last throughout generations.

The first location of the original “Ed Mitchells” was an 800 square-foot former plumbing supply store in Westport, CT. Norma famously brought in her coffee pot each day to make the customers feel at home. For over 50 years, we have strived to carry on that spirit and tradition. Today, we offer lattes and M&M’s, have a dedicated “Kiddie Corner” and much more… we try to do her proud.

Mitchells is still independent, family-owned and operated by a second, third, and fourth generation of Mitchells, and has grown over the years to 25,000 square-feet. We also have expanded the dream into other communities. In 1995, we acquired Richards of Greenwich, a renowned 8,000 sq. ft. luxury men’s retailer, which we have expanded to include a women’s department, and is now 27,000 sq. ft and the winner of numerous retail space design awards. In 2005, we acquired Marshs of Huntington, a 15,000 sq. ft. men’s store, which we have renovated inside and out, adding women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, and jewelry. In September 2015 we transitioned the name to Mitchells.

In December of 2009, saw the acquisition of the Wilkes Bashford stores of San Francisco and Palo Alto to our portfolio. Wilkes Bashford, founded in 1966 by the retail icon of the same name is the Bay Area’s most renowned luxury retailer. In June of 2023 we broke ground on a new 25,000 square foot flagship store in Palo Alto which is scheduled to open Fall of 2024. Until then our current location in Palo Alto will remain open.

October 2014 saw the launch of our long-awaited e-commerce site. Committed to delivering a unique retail experience, we took our time in considering how to best offer the convenience of electronic shopping, while also delivering on our standards for extraordinary customer service in an online environment. Our e-commerce site is designed to be a true extension of our store, offering proprietary, never-before-seen customer service features.

In September 2015, we partnered with Mario Bisio of Marios in Seattle and Portland, and Marios 3.10 in Bridgeport Village. Mario Bisio, Sr. founded the business in the 1960’s, and under the leadership of his son Mario Bisio, Jr. expanded to three retail stores and has become a leading fashion destination in the Pacific Northwest. Mario and his family had been great friends of ours for many years. In September 2018 Seattle was expanded and renovated followed by downtown Portland in Fall 2023.

In November 2024, we moved our Palo Alto location to the opposite corner of the Stanford Shopping Center in a new 24,000 sq. ft. home finally giving us a flagship location right in the heart of silicon valley.

After many years of sharing information, in March 2025 we partnered with Crawford Brock and his store Stanley Korshak in Dallas, TX. Crawford bought the business from its founder Caroline Hunt in the 1990s and build it into the premier fashion destination in Texas. It is a wonderful addition to our family of stores.

As we have grown over the years to now offer ten locations across five brands, we formed an entity called “Mitchell Stores”. We chose this name because the stores we’ve acquired are also family businesses and we are proud to still be working with members of their founding families. The name also conveys that our business is built on relationships… amongst our associates, designers, and of course, our customers. We strive to deliver the best local brands with shared values.

We look forward to serving our beloved communities (in person and online) for many generations to come!