of course you know drexler well. >> yes, i do. i'm thrilled to know him.t to start with. why do we know drexler? we don't know any other fashion guy. why is this guy famous? why does he matter? >> you know, he is famous. certainly in a smaller world. and perhaps after tonight in a bigger world. but he matters because i think in many ways he is the greatest merchant of his generation. you talk about j. crew. he took it from really what was a very sleepy kind of a catalog company to what is a powerhouse now. and of course the gap. that's the one he's best known for. joined it when it had $400 million in revenues, took it to $14 billion. and really in many ways is the guy who said you can wear jeans and you can wear a blazer and you're going it look good and that kind of became a uniform in america. >> remarkable. one of the things i know about mickey is whenever i see him he always asks me when was i last at j. crew and what did i buy and most importantly did i like it? the guy's a customer guy. >> the customer's always right. and he's constantly asking ques

people forget about the connection between jobs and drexler. and of course he still serves on that board as mickey drexler, the apple board. which has not gone too badly one would say in the more than ten years he's been a part of it. >> not too bad. what'd you think of the guy? he's considered the most retail gener genius in the world. >> his generation many would say. the gap turnaround certainly being one of the key things. and what he's done with j. crew. extremely approachable person and human being. somebody very easy to talk to. incredibly curious. if you have to go back to any number of things, of course his gut, instinct in terms of what works clothing wise but also his constant curiosity and asking questions certainly the keys to his success. >> and we're not doing this just for fun because we have j. crew and the man who dressed america it's your special program -- >> you're talking about dressing america. were you in france? >> we were in italy. >> italy? >> yeah. we went there because that's one of the mills where they get the fabr

to me color is kind of painting a picture. >> reporter: drexler likes to see yellow.attention. >> you have a lot of yellow. >> yellow looks like it is a lot more than it is. >> reporter: he likes merchandise mixed together. shoes, jewelry and nail polish nexted to clothing to highlight the variety of products. it is all part of j. crew's effort to present a classic fashion forward brand that customers will aspire to. >> j. crew because they want a certain lifestyle. they don't go in there just to buy a single item. this is who i want to be and this is who i am and understand me. >> reporter: to help ensure all stores appeal to his customers, drexler pays frequent visits to a mall location near his new york city headquarters. the first store in the country to receive the latest merchandise. new shipments arrive every month. and employees work through the night perfecting displays which will be copied across the country if they earn drexler's approval. >> good morning, everyone. >> reporter: the next morning, he arrives. and doesn't mince words. >> the shoe department d

crew's mickey drexler.le on the king of retail who's driving the brand of success when ty and i come back. on december 21st polar shifts will reverse the earth's gravitational pull and hurtle us all into space. which would render retirement planning unnecessary. but say the sun rises on december 22nd, and you still need to retire. td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. we'll even throw in up to $600 when you open a new account or roll over an old 401(k). so who's in control now, mayans? ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] not everything powerful has to guzzle fuel. the 2012 e-class bluetec from mercedes-benz. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. >>> coming up on "street signs," we are all over the greece story. should they stay in the euro? will they stay? the bond king, bill gross, will join us to talk about -- is aol back from the dead? the stock quietly surging. actually at two-year highs. we'll debat

sales were in free fall and drexler was blamed.eve jobs, a gap board member who gave him the news. >> i left gap not feeling that great about myself. i was let go. >> you were fired. >> i was let go, fired, whatever. >> james is a cofounder of texas pacific group. that acquired a take in j. crew. >> you weren't just thinking this guy was fired from the bigger company. >> in this world this is better than peyton manning being a free agent. >> all right. for an inside look at how mickey drexler is transforming another american classic, check out j. crew and the man who dressed america. that is tonight 10:00 p.m. on cnbc. >> i'm more fascinated to hear his time at gap and design choices he made that were cultural touch stones that we talk about 20, 30 years later. khaki. that's all you need to say. >> or a blue blazer and a pair of jeans. that's ubiquitous now. but 20 years ago this man was credited to bringing that to the norm. >> he didn't want to get fired again, but also didn't he want the freedom to be able to miss a month's numb

mickey drexler moved from gap and so did tracy gartner.tant hire in the sense she brings more of a creative eye to the business. we think gap's holiday merchandise should benefit meaningfully. drexler was credited with turning gap into the number one apparel company and then when sales turned quick he was just as quickly blamed. >> i left gap not feeling that great about myself. you know, i was let go. >> reporter: you were fired? >> let go, fired, whatever. >> reporter: one bad season? >> it was a tough year or two, and it's okay. >> reporter: are you pissed off still that you got fired? >> not anymore. >> reporter: for much on david faber's interview with mickey drexler tune in tonight at 8:00 p.m. with the premiere of the cnbc documentary, "j. crew and the man who dressed america." >> thanks so much. we'll be there watching that. >>> meanwhile, up next, have u.s. consumers been in a buying mood this month? we'll get a fresh read tomorrow morning and our trio of stock jobs gives us their take on what else will move your money. stay with

. >>> and drexler was blamed.eve jobs, a gap gord member works gave him the news. >> i left gap not feeling that great about myself. you know, i was let go. >> reporter: you were fired. >> i was fired, let go, fired, whatever. >> reporter: james colter is a co-founder of texas pacific group, the private equity firm that acquired a majority stake in j. crew in 1997. you weren't thinking, ah this, guy's just been fired by one of the major retailers in the country. there's a stigma or anything else? >> in this world this is better than peyton manning being a free agent. there was a moment in time. >> that was sneak peek at "j. crew and the man who dressed america." david faber takes a look at retail legend mickey drexler, how he transformed the gap and how he's revitalized another american classic. catch the premiere tonight, 10:00 p.m. eastern time and pacific time here on cnbc. so logically we want to take a look at the various retailers touched by this, the gap, amazing what mickey drexler did when he was there. h

duck comes down to drexler and he would shoot at us.oncrete jumping off the ground, the shells hitting the cars. because our two gangs was into it. that's the first time i even heard his name or knew about him. >> it didn't hurt so much for me as i did for brandon. he has uncles and grandfathers and cousins and what not that could help raise him but it's nothing like a dad. >> and he was very young, and having -- you know, that's all he knows about his dad is in and out of jail. >> what's up? >> that you? >> yes. >> happy birthday, man. >> thank you. >> eight years old. you getting big. don't spend all your time sitting in the room playing in video games. go outside and play and go to school and just be good. >> okay. >> i wish i was outside right now playing, running around. >> the severity of the situation never hit me until i get a call at the hospital from across town that he had been mugged. and i'm thinking, how did that happen? they said we're taking him to surgery. we'll call you when it's over. they called me that he was finall

david faber caught up with mickey drexler, one very hands on ceo. >> reporter: drexler obsesses aboutstomer complaints to coutier. >> anyone who has graduated college last year -- >> reporter: he can be heard through a p.a. system that broadcasts to every room in the 290,000 square foot headquarters. >> curious about a cover. run, don't walk. thanks. >> you are a micro manager. >> i am as others define it. >> it's not a criticism, though. >> no. it has been in the past. i just say it because i think that the world needs more micro managers running companies today. it's my personal opinion. i love micro managers because i know they care about every customer. >> drexler personally will respond customer complaints sometimes within minutes. tune into the original documentary j. crew and the man who dressed america remerie pr tonight at 10:00 eastern only on cnbc. and i know david faber has been working hard on that. >> and coming up, the goal of any executive, be more proceed du productive. our nest geks works with some of the biggest firms to help them do that. tony zwart to the rescue n

mickey drexler is applying his magic at j. crew. but for the past decade gap lost its way.rs gap had been left for dead. this had been the ultimate has-been retailer. a company that was out of touch with its customers, with some of the least appealing merchandise of any apparel i follow. and that's really saying something because it's not like i'm the most stylish guy in the universe. normally i don't like to judge a clothing retailer based only my subjective assessment of its products because there's no accounting for taste and what looks bad to me might look good to somebody else. but gap was the exception that proved the rule. as the company became synonymous with lifeless and generic attire, you didn't want to be caught dead falling into the gap. [ rimshot all of which led to year after year of subpar results. from 2006 to 2011 gap's results declined. that is awful. even worse the company's same-store sales that ultimate metric for retail abysmal. for seven of the last years the same-store sales were flat or negative. the merchandise was consistently weak. and no matter

watt avenue advantages of drexler to the technology is practically surgical last saturday this not spotted you see over here, the sounds of three shots being fired in 45 seconds officers had an audio recording of the shots fired and the map trying to leave the location a short time later they had a suspect in a gun in custody. >>> since january this out spotters to identify more than 2000 instances of gunfire around oakland streets and taken least 340 t of the streets of oakland. there were six gun arrests and 13 weapons recovered. there have been 45 this year compared to 38 last year when oakland police believe the solution lies in expanding the shots better program. >>> he contracted and predicted again predicted. >>> as it is shot spotters are stationed across only about 5 mi. of oakland's could cause the city of $8,000 a year. >>> they give. >>> secondary headlines vallejo police shot and killed a man who they say pulled a gun on them after refusing orders to stop it happened late last night after officers got reports the man had shot someone else that weapon turned out to be a pellet

they gang was from like 53 and harper and we from 52nd and drexler.me down and he would shoot at us and it was like concrete jumping off the ground hitting the cars. because our two gangs was into it. that's the first time i even heard his name or knew about him. >> it didn't hurt so much for me as i did for brandon. he has uncles and grandfathers and cousins and what not that could help raise him but it's nothing like a dad. it was very young in heaven. that's all he know about his dad. that he's in and out of jail. >> what's up? >> hey! >> happy birthday, man. >> thank you. >> the severity of the situation never hit me until i get a call at the hospital from across town that he had been mugged. and i'm thinking, how did that happen? they said we're taking him to surgery. we'll call you when it's over. they called me that he was finally out of surgery and i talked to the doctor because i had worked at that hospital before. and he told me that somebody had mashed brad's hands. the worst case he had ever seen. it took him seven hours to put the hand ba

if you describe pre-mickey drexler as bland -- >> vanilla. >> reporter: what is it now?cker sundae. i think we've gotten to a point where we've carved out our niche. it's rooted in classic traditional clothes but always some sort of a twist on it. >> reporter: discovering that special twist is the work of j. crew's 4,000 employees. at the new york city corporate headquarters, every detail is scrutinized from colors -- there are 1278 of them -- to buttons, even copying takes on a different meaning here as fabric details are captured. j. crew does very little advertising. relying instead on the 40 million copies of the j. crew catalog it publishes annually to spread the brand's name. producing that many catalogs is a major undertaking, involving not just models and photographers, but set designers, clothing stylists, makeup artists, even manicurists. >> in a store, there's -- you know, we can only create so many outfits. one of the nice things about the catalog, we get to create a new vision every month. >> reporter: each seasonal line takes more than a year to create. so

actually the guy who told mickey drexler you've been fired after a couple of tough years and drexler >> interesting. >> yeah. >> before we get to the whole facebook story here's a clip from j.crew and the moan who dressed america. >> when he was fired this source of inspiration came with it. 1904, worn by some guy named -- now it's going to be worn by your customers. >> yeah. we hope, for sure. yeah. when it comes to shirt design or pattern design, the archives vintage old is always new if it's right and if it's edited together, but these books ar priceless. they're xroid marry. extraordinary. the thomas mason for j.crew collection is a mix of j.crew fit with classic shirt fabrics. which drexler says are among the finest in the world. >> and can you catch j.crew and the man who dressed america tonight at 10:00 eastern and pacific time. david, looks like another good one. before you go, let's talk about-doctor. >> sure. >> -- facebook. a lot of people feel like they saw this coming. is that fair? >> well, you know, i don't think any of us anticipated, mika, that it would fall below th

for me, i think it's drexler and his home out on rhode island?ow, for me, it's always interesting to see the underworkings of a business. your documentary proceeded j. crew and i watched it last night. i learned a great deal about j. crew. but what drexler was willing to offer is a little bit of his inner life. >> he bent to the apartment he grew up in and that was the most part of reporting it. that's not often somewhere you get to go. and then the quality of the people you spoke to about him, tim cook -- or ryan john son, i should say. >> right. not bad. all of them have nothing but good things to say. >> this is at least a bright spot to end the holiday weekend. the number is huge. it's 79.3. now, i'll tell you, that is the strongest number. get this, since october of '07, according to my records when the number was 80.9. so that is amazing. that was the mid month read. this is may final. this is really against a 76.4, which the final for april. so, you know, it's kind of the same in europe we've seen some better confidence numbers in france.

. >> next week david has a special on drexler. gap is making a turn here.or a while. >> canadian pacific. >> bill ackman wins. what do we do? i don't like the rails, but now the overhang is gone and people want to own the stock. >> united rentals. >> this this is a stock that has been on fire. negative catter. they are a huge caterpillar rental. >> and sales force.com. >> is this the first day? this is maybe the most richly valued, but also the best computer. >> it and tahat's tonight on ma. >> 350 points lower on the dow would it take us flat for the year. >> and that's what i said last night could happen. we obviously a lot of the dow stocks are very in-vulnerable because they're it domestic, some very vulnerable. i earn people to recognize if europe does something, we all have a short squeeze. i can't be 100% bearish. won't pay off. >> we'll see you at the special on facebook. we'll get philly fed after a short break. >>> welcome back. may philly fed down 5.8. we're looking it for up 10 to 12. 8.5 last month unchanged. leading indicators just a little ol