By Paolo Sandoval When J.Crew announced in May 2021 that Brendon Babenzien would take the helm as Creative Director for the recently-bankrupted brand, there was a real sense that we might finally see a new era from the 40-year-old giant. Once a bastion of heritage menswear retail — a well-documented fact on ’90s-inspired Instagram moodboards — a series of financial setbacks, coupled with the notable decline of prep and a bevy of small, trend-responsive labels leaching at the ‘Crew’s core demographic have taken a heavy toll on the label, seeing its status fall from that of the premier menswear …