"We want to be the key provider of the basics: khakis, jeans and the white shirt, " says Bennett, who lives in New Jersey, where a five-person core design team is based.

CNN: An All-New Dress For Success

The city hired the consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff in early 2011 to study the merits of extending the subway, shortly after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie canceled the planned "Access to the Region's Core" cross-river tunnel project, which was a blow to those who believe the region is hampered by the limited capacity for trains crossing the Hudson between Manhattan and the suburbs.

WSJ: N.J. Subway Idea Lives