Rails

Rails was founded in Los Angeles in 2008 by Jeff Abrams, who started the brand with a button-down shirt in a lightweight woven plaid fabric that was different from the heavy flannel shirts that the category traditionally produced. The lightweight construction gave the shirt a relaxed drape that worked in the California coastal climate, which is never cold enough to require heavy fabric but is cool enough in the evenings to want a light layer. That shirt, and the sensibility it expressed, became the foundation of a brand that has since expanded into a full wardrobe offering for men and women while maintaining the California casualwear aesthetic the original button-down established.

The Georgetown store at 3239 M Street NW carries the Rails collection across the shirts, dresses, outerwear, denim, and knitwear categories that the brand has developed since the founding shirt. The plaid patterns are the most recognizable Rails signature, appearing in the seasonal colorways that shift between muted and more saturated depending on the direction the season takes. The fabric weights remain in the lightweight-to-medium range that allows year-round wear in climates that are not extreme, which means the Georgetown professional can wear a Rails shirt across much of the year without the garment becoming seasonally inappropriate.

The women’s range at Rails is as developed as the men’s, with the shirts and button-downs adapted for women’s silhouettes alongside the dresses, skirts, and pants that extend the brand’s casual California aesthetic into the full women’s wardrobe. The knitwear covers the sweaters and cardigans that complete the layering system the brand builds around the shirts. The outerwear section provides the lightweight jackets and coats that the California casual aesthetic extends into cooler weather.

For the Georgetown professional who wants casual clothing that is well made and stylish without being overtly trendy, the Rails aesthetic is a consistent choice. The brand’s price point, with shirts in the $150-$200 range and other pieces priced accordingly, sits in the premium casual tier that the M Street boutique landscape serves.

Hours run Monday through Thursday from 10am to 7pm, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 8pm, and Sunday from 11am to 7pm. The Rails customer in Georgetown is typically discovering the brand for the first time through a friend’s recommendation or finding the Georgetown store on M Street while visiting the neighborhood. The sensibility the brand addresses is specific enough that the discovery often produces a loyalty: once someone has found a Rails shirt they like in the right color, they tend to return for the new seasonal colorways in the same style. The M Street store at 3239 is accessible from the upper end of the Georgetown commercial strip, near Mejuri and in the section of M Street that has developed a cluster of accessible lifestyle brands. Hours are 10am to 7pm Monday through Thursday, 10am to 8pm Friday and Saturday, and 11am to 7pm Sunday.