SHOPPING DIARIES - October 24th, 2010

What beautiful weather we had in NYC today! Such a climate made for a perfect shopping day down in Soho, so I thought I would create this new post, entitled, "Shopping Diaries," to give you guys a better idea of where I like to shop and my opinions on the retail environment in New York.

To begin, I explored the basics at Vince and Unis, then headed across the street to scope out the vintage at Ina and later Amarcord, the fast fashion at Uniqlo on Broadway, the high fashion at Rag & Bone, and quite by accident, the perfect mix at the Florsheim pop-up on Mercer street.

The quality of Vince's offerings has steadily declined over the past few of seasons since I began shopping there a couple of years ago, though I did pick up a pair of their skinny jeans ($240, pictured at right) to put away for Christmas. Their bottoms have always been a standout and their new skinny jean cut is without a doubt the most flattering I've ever worn. And, by picking out a $42 T-Shirt, I was eligible for their Spend $250, get $50 back sale (basically, I got the T-Shirt for free).

Unis always makes a great peacoat, and I'm lusting over her grey wool offering that I showed you guys earlier in the Bloomingdales mailer.

On the vintage front, Ina had some Moncler just in for almost the same price as the current full-price coats at Barneys, and an AMAZING Burberry double breasted wool coat for around $500. I believe it's a size small as it fit me like a dream but, as you guys know from my +J post, I already picked up the Chesterfield coat at Uniqlo for almost a fourth of the price. Amarcord had some great military jackets and, as always, a fine selection of luxury dress shoes and long coats.

At Uniqlo I picked up another one of their Cashmere Cardigans, a slim corduroy blazer for $80 (!!!), and a sweatshirt that is a 100% rip off of of the Wings + Horns one pictured below. Although I feel bad buying a rip off, the fit and price ($30, compared to $200) were just too good to pass up.

Rag & Bone was pretty depressing. While their clothes look great on a runway (and everyone knows what a big fan of their Fall/Winter 2010 show I was and still am), in person and alone they just loose their life and end up looking stiff. I went in expecting to walk out with one of the Tiberland boot colabs, but alas, they did not live up to expectations. I knew it was too good to be true. Not yet completely defeated, I tried on a pair of green corduroys ($195). The fit was alright, but I just wasn't in the mood anymore.

Feeling defeated and competely bootless, I was about to make my way home before I basically walked right into the Florsheim pop-up store without even realizing it. The lofty space is clean and welcoming, with the Duckie Brown collaboration taking up the front space, a great selection of well priced accessories in the middle, and the Florsheim Limited collection in the back.

I tried on a few pairs of dress shoes and boots while I was there. The Duckie Brown shoes were a little bit too feminine for my taste, but the Florsheim Limited collection was perfect. The prices were unbelievable (almost all of the shoes were under $150), and the styles were both classic and intriguing without being too unwearable.

I picked up a pair of the Sentinel lace-ups in camel for just over $99 and a Fair-Isle cap for $65. Check out some pictures of the space and my shoe purchase below.

(Florsheim Accessories)

(Florsheim and Duckie Brown Collaboration Collection)

(Florsheim Limited Collection)

Sentinel in Camel ($99)

FALL MAILERS (Continued) - Barneys CO-OP

Here are a selection of my favorite pages from the most recent Barneys CO-OP mailer. CO-OP always does a great job of styling their clothes in interesting and urban looks that, while not necessarily my style, definitely show off the offerings. A great shoot always makes for clothes that I want to buy, and these pages have both.

(From Left to Right, guys standing) Woolrich Woolen Mills, Stone Island, Duvetica

PS Paul Smith, Paul Smith Jeans

Rag & Bone

JunyaWatanabe Man, Comme des Garçons

Gant by Michael Bastian

SPLURGE - Rag & Bone Fair Isle Hat - $140

How cool is this damn hat? Pretty damn cool. The grey fair isle pattern will add a little kick to any outfit, and the pom-pom detail adds a kick to the hat itself. This style is available in three different colors on the Rag & Bone website. Splurge.

Rag & Bone - Spring 2011 - Review

Gone are the days of slim fit tailoring at Rag & Bone. In a move to further embrace their American Workwear roots, David Neville and Marcus Wainwright have designed a collection centered around durable, denim Americana, with a somewhat dark twist. This means denim overalls, leather car coats, and indigo work shirts. Although the collection does do workwear fabrics justice, it fails to be anywhere near as wearable or covetable as the Fall 2010 collection that just hit stores.

A closer look at the 29 looks further demonstrates denim's influence on the Rag & Bone boys, even if it was not present in every single look that took the runway earlier this week. The models paraded out in blue looks made up of everything from a denim poncho, to an Alexander McQueen-esque printed button up, to a denim onesie. For the last 6 or so looks, shots of color in the form of bright orange, mustard yellow and turquoise were injected into garments. Although this did create energy, it only further puzzled me.

At this point, I'm scratching my head and thinking, "When did Rag & Bone become a gothic, fashion forward label specializing in pieces made for the runway that eventually get dumbed down in stores?" What I've come to love about Rag & Bone is that, on almost every occasion, what you see is what you get. With the exception of a suede and shearling vest that I couldn't get the salesman to sell me off of the mannequin last week (just another example of my devotion to this label), almost everything that walked the runway for Fall 2010 made it into the stores (much to my delight might I add). Just the other night I was scheming of ways to earn a few thousand extra dollars (jokes) so that I could clothe myself completely in Rag & Bone. I know that's a big fashion misstep to wear head-to-toe, but why not? They make basics better and standout pieces at reasonable prices. Why would they change their formula now after a season so adored by editors, celebrities, and buyers alike?

When it's all over I am left disappointed. The label I turn to for chic cardigans, great outerwear, and luxe basics has done a 180, leaving me with baggy jeans, loud prints, and ridiculous garments fit more for a serviceman than an off duty model. Of course I'll be interested to see what actually get's bought and used for editorial but all I can ask is this: Who is the Rag & Bone man now?

SPLURGE - Rag & Bone Fair Isle Sweater - $435

This is a must have for Fall. Fair Isle is in this season and where better to get one than from the boys at Rag & Bone. The shawl collar gives it a modern twist and the thick knit provides a cozy look. The rich burgundy color and grey detailing will look great with a pair of jeans and black boots under a heavy winter coat. Splurge.

SPLURGE and SAVE - Bergdorf Goodman 40% off sale

Sorry it's been a while since my last post! My summer internship has begun and it has been pretty crazy. I won't disclose where I'm working, but I will tell you that it is a major fashion corporation and that with every day I learn to appreciate fit, quality, and style more and more, especially when I walk into a store like Bergdorfs.

Their 40% sale is pretty extensive, at least in regards to the more contemporary merchandise on the 3rd floor of the men's store. They have a whole table piled high with jeans and 40% signs on at least 2 racks for each designer. Needless to say I didn't leave with anything because even at 40% off, Bergdorfs is a little out of my "weekday after work shopping" price range, but I did snap a few pictures:


Rag & Bone coat - Around $325 (on sale)


Rag & Bone mannequin = my wardrobe for fall/winter 10 (not on sale)


John Varvatos Boots - Somewhere around $230 (on sale)


George McCracken Sweater - $175 (on sale)


Margiela Sweater - $610 (not on sale)

I loved the Rag & Bone brown coat, which apart from fitting me perfectly, seemed like it would be surprisingly warm for the fall, despite its leight-weight feel. The Margiela sweater, while expensive, is just a classic piece that will only get better with wear. The John Varvatos boots will look great with everything. The George McCracken sweater was the perfect length and color, and I love a good pocket. The coat on the Rag & Bone mannequin is like an updated Barbour and looked great with this striped sweater.

Also, there was a TON of John Varvatos Ready-to-Wear on sale. Everything from T-Shirts and henley's to cashmere sweaters in great charcoals and grey's, perfect for layering next fall and winter.

While I acknowledge that almost everything in this post is virtually useless for the summer season, the prices make it worth thinking a little in advance. Splurge and Save.

UPDATE: The sale is not online (as of yet), so make sure to get to the store before they sell your size!
On another note, it really annoys me that Bergdorfs puts hardley any of their merchandise on their website...