SHOPPING DIARIES - November 21, 2010

Today I headed downtown to Soho with a friend of mine to get some brunch at Delicatessen (the Texas Eggs Benedict is unreal) and do some shopping

First we headed to the Pop Up Flea Market by A Continuous Lean, and it was a huge success! The place was pretty crowded (see above) and the booths were really well curated and appealing (see below for a photo of one of the vintage stations).

I was most impressed with the L.L. Bean Signature booth which had a great selection of outerwear and knitwear, all under $200! The Aether booth was also sick, with a stunning collection of cold weather outerwear that was simple and sharp. The Oliver Spencer Boutique was definitely my favorite though, as all of the pieces on display were at least 40% off of the regular prices. I scored a beautiful navy wool pea coat for $250 (sorry for the shitty picture below).

The detailing (red wool interior lapels, pinstriped lining, and adjustable waste and cuffs), the fit, and the price made it a no brainer. I would recommend checking this brand out online. Their prices are super reasonable and their design is stellar.

Next we walked down to Acne to see about their new Theo Leather Jacket that I've fallen in love with.

Of course they, along with Oak, had sold out before they even got the jackets to the store. I would say its not meant to be, but they are still available online... Early Christmas present maybe!

Speaking of early Christmas presents, my second (and last) purchase was a pair of the Franklin boots ($198) from J.D. Fisk at 159 and 1/2 Ludlow Street.

The brother brand of Dolce Vita, J.D. Fisk makes great looking shoes at comparably low prices. They also had a fine selection of Shades of Greige and Gant in store and a BILLYKIRK waxed cotton gym bag ($210) I was contemplating procuring for my dad. Alas, I did not have access to the proper funds.

Next we went two doors down to In God We Trust, where my friend purchased a silver "Cheers Mother Fucker" flask for $40. If you're looking for an inexpensive Christmas gift for a friend or family member, this is the place to go. They also have another location (with almost the exact same merchandise) on Lafayette between Prince and Spring right when you get off of the 6 train.

Somewhere in between we stopped by Opening Ceremony because is it really a day of shopping in Soho without it? We were both obsessed with the Racer jackets from the Tron x Opening Ceremony collection ($530), though we never for a second considered actually spending close to $600 on it...

Overall, a beautiful day to go shopping and some great new Fall/Winter merchandise in stores. The only thing that spoiled my day was the 11% sales tax I had to pay on my shoes (the jacket was all cash and tax free!). I later had a discussion with the sales woman at In God We Trust who told me that it was changing again come January (probably going up). I understand that the state needs money, but aren't we supposed to be encouraging shopping in such a economically challenging time?

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)