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Zara
Category:
Men's Clothing
New York, New York 10012
(212) 343-1725
Except for the busiest of days, a visit to Zara is a relaxing--and usually fruitful--experience. The stores are roomy, clothes and accessories are spaced out pleasantly, and the price is right for...
Except for the busiest of days, a visit to Zara is a relaxing--and usually fruitful--experience. The stores are roomy, clothes and accessories are spaced out pleasantly, and the price is right for some serious shopping. Unlike the goods in most fashion chains, each item here deserves calm consideration. Could be a winner!
Like its European brethren H&M, Zara makes affordable basics with a twist, like a wider neckline or a lower-slung belt. But this is no average chain: Zara designs, makes and sells all of its own wares, giving it the ability to react quickly to trends. If a tunic-cut blazer sells out the week it hits the floor, Zara's manufacturers will help them restock in weeks rather than months.
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A beautiful store hosts this new-ish label that's already garnered top fashion honors. Walls are lined with color coordinated separates, dressing rooms are large and comfy and low tables hold...
A beautiful store hosts this new-ish label that's already garnered top fashion honors. Walls are lined with color coordinated separates, dressing rooms are large and comfy and low tables hold accessories and piles of sweaters or shirts. Pants average around $200.
Varvatos has won fashion accolades because his designs work for a huge range of men, while competitors only fill niches. The clothes are expertly cut from luxe fabrics like cashmere, wool, suede and shearling, but the shapes are basic with fashionable tweaks. You won't find dramatic Versace-esque looks here--only beautifully cut clothes for work or play, all with an American male sensibility.
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Skip the men's section of the local department store and head instead for this handsome menswear boutique, with its variety of top labels, soothing upbeat music and friendly (and buff!) staff. The...
Skip the men's section of the local department store and head instead for this handsome menswear boutique, with its variety of top labels, soothing upbeat music and friendly (and buff!) staff. The prices are considerable ($175 for a simple sweater, for example), but swimming with the sharks ain't cheap. The goods themselves are almost all stacked in tidy piles on black shelves, with just a few jackets and simple Ts hanging in the front, and larger outerwear on hangers in the back room. No one got edgy when I unfolded.
Even the designers on display here sound manly (OK, except for J Lindberg): D&G, Hugo, Byblos. Custo is a line of amazing T-shirts from Barcelona, not at all in high circulation here. Each one is slightly different, with the colorful front often entirely different in tint and fabric from the back. High-tech Levi jeans are also here, along with a smattering of Camper shoes and ornate, hardcore boots.
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Millions of Americans now know Patricia Field as the trend-making costume designer for "Sex and the City," but New Yorkers have long flocked to her 35-year-old Village headquarters in search of...
Millions of Americans now know Patricia Field as the trend-making costume designer for "Sex and the City," but New Yorkers have long flocked to her 35-year-old Village headquarters in search of risque accoutrements and cutting-edge fashion. The decor is early punk (nappy leopard print carpet, graffiti-covered dressing rooms), the music is current hip-hop, and the staff is timelessly gay.
For the ladies: Everything you need to transform yourself into club kid, fashion whore, drag queen, dominatrix, or exotic dancer: mesh bikini tops; stretch-sequin hot pants with matching pasties; wigs galore; feather boas and purses; over-the-top rhinestone jewelry; seamed stockings; spandex jumpsuits with corset-like bodices. Also, selected pieces from hipster designers like Amanda Uprichard, Miss Sixty and Field herself. For the gents: Sleek separates from J. Lindberg rub elbows with outrageous ensembles from Sleek and Sleazy.
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Everybody hearts Marc. Now he's set up a mini-mall on the lovelier end of Bleecker, bringing a full line for men and his brilliant bridge line, Marc by Marc Jacobs, to these two adjacent storefronts...
Everybody hearts Marc. Now he's set up a mini-mall on the lovelier end of Bleecker, bringing a full line for men and his brilliant bridge line, Marc by Marc Jacobs, to these two adjacent storefronts and (further down the street) a shop devoted to accessories.
Perhaps inspired by the alterna-preppy look sported by Spike Jonze, the menswear's full of simple separates: button-down shirts, perfectly-cut cords, jeans-style jackets of the softest moleskin in a muted rainbow of colors (olive, dusty blue, rust). There's even a smattering of boy-friendly accessories. As for the bridge line, it's just as stylish as its more high-priced sibling, with a vibe reminiscent of what you probably wore in high school, but with fashion-forward flair. Look for denim separates in non-traditional shapes (puffy sleeved coats and trenches), witty prints and kooky jewelry.
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Jeffrey
Category:
Men's Clothing
New York, New York 10014
(212) 206-3928
The haute-couture pioneer of the Meatpacking District, Jeffrey is an Atlanta institution that migrated north. Owner Jeffrey Kalinsky has his own retail pedigree: A former shoe buyer for Barneys, he...
The haute-couture pioneer of the Meatpacking District, Jeffrey is an Atlanta institution that migrated north. Owner Jeffrey Kalinsky has his own retail pedigree: A former shoe buyer for Barneys, he parlayed his eagle eye into his own business. Jeffrey patrons are the kind who keep cars waiting while they shop and know the names of the aggressive (but pleasantly un-snotty) salespeople. And you can, too, if you're free to drop mad cash on a truly divine Missoni dress.
Although well-stocked with a wide range of labels, from Helmut Lang to Pucci, the store's real draw is the full lines of fancy footwear for men and women. Racks of Gucci, Manolo Blahnik and Prada, among others, prove that Jeffrey is (still) all about the shoes.
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Calypso
Category:
Men's Clothing
New York, New York 10021
(212) 535-4100
Christine Celle's first store was on the stylish island of St. Barthelemy. But she fell in love, closed shop and moved with the man to Manhattan, and Calypso became a mini-empire with 13 boutiques,...
Christine Celle's first store was on the stylish island of St. Barthelemy. But she fell in love, closed shop and moved with the man to Manhattan, and Calypso became a mini-empire with 13 boutiques, four in Manhattan. This romantic history fits Celle's aesthetic: Calypso clothes are almost all casual, comparatively affordable and never serious.
Stuff made to make you smile. The women's line leads with beachwear, baby bibs and bustle skirts, not to mention fruity fragrances, flirty frocks and soft, cozy sweaters. The cheerful, resort-y attitude of the clothing is reinforced by scents like Mimosa and soaps from the South of France. The playful grown-up line has a mini-version in Calypso Enfant et Bebe, and a men's collection has been added, too.
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Pink walls--in a store that's full of men's clothing? Welcome to the world of Paul Smith, where the consummately British designer injects seemingly stodgy goods (men's suits and other tailored...
Pink walls--in a store that's full of men's clothing? Welcome to the world of Paul Smith, where the consummately British designer injects seemingly stodgy goods (men's suits and other tailored merch) with a heavy but tasteful dose of fun.
Classic, narrowly cut suits are the real draw, in everything from dark navy pinstripes to a shiny tobacco sharkskin. Pair one with a groovy button-down shirt in just about any color of the rainbow--stripes, checks or solids--add a tie, and you're dressed for the big event. Still kicking it corporate-casual style? Check out the divine selection of gifts. There's a tin lighter shaped like a fish, scads of hip books ("Affluenza," funnily enough, among them), cashmere mufflers and Paul Smith's own tableware (adorned with the same stripes that appear on the store's bags).
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Where else in all of New York can a shopper be greeted with the crescendo of a blasting symphony? This cozy menswear boutique sets quite a different tone, offering muted but distinguished clothes...
Where else in all of New York can a shopper be greeted with the crescendo of a blasting symphony? This cozy menswear boutique sets quite a different tone, offering muted but distinguished clothes that would suit an English gentleman or a Barney's salesman equally.
Some of the selected designers are familiar--Helmut Lang, Paul Smith--while others--Duffer of St. George, Fred Perry--are more estoric. Trendy London label Duffer's gorgeous wool Paddington jackets are in a class by themselves. Fred Perry offers sporty gear like the rugged and old-school warmup suit here, which looks like the kind of thing an ex-soccer player would wear every day except Sunday.
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This Osaka-based retailer's store is compact, assertively stylish and loaded with neat stuff. Six floors of everything from green seaweed flakes to chic clothing to fresh flowers keep browsers rapt...
This Osaka-based retailer's store is compact, assertively stylish and loaded with neat stuff. Six floors of everything from green seaweed flakes to chic clothing to fresh flowers keep browsers rapt for hours, while prices range from affordable to "oh my god." First-floor art installations reinforce the idea of store as cultural experience.
Gadget freaks gravitate toward the second-floor array of shiny cameras and trendy sunglasses, while beauty aficionados swoon over prestige brands like Czech & Speake nestled up against off-beat products like Eau de Botot (billed as the world's first mouthwash, invented in 1755). Survey the lifestyle you so richly deserve on the home furnishings floor. Then pop down to the basement to buy tea accessories and take refreshment at the Tea Box cafe. Diners bend over bento boxes filled with Eastern-Western delicacies in a setting as tranquil as a Zen garden.
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