September 26, 2008
What: Earnest Sewn Sample Sale
Why: Because they make incredible jeans and for these prices they're practically giving them away!
When: Sept. 20-28, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Where: 831 Washington St., b/t Gansevoort & Little West 12th Sts. (212-242-3414).
What: Luca Luca Sample Sale
Why: Because the clothes are stunningly elegant, and dresses, jackets, pants, and tops are up to 90% off - which is a huge deal when they're normally very pricey.
When: Thurs. & Fri., 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat. & Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: 19 W. 36th St., b/t Fifth & Sixth Aves., 4th flr.
What: Hermès Sample Sale
Why: Bags, scarves, shoes, ties, home goods, and ready-to-wear for men and women...wait, did you really just ask why?!
When: Sept. 24-28. Wed., Fri. & Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thurs., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., 1-6 p.m.
Where: Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., b/t Sixth & Seventh Aves., 4th flr.
Tags:
Earnest Sewn, Hermes, Luca Luca, Sample sale, Shopping
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Posted on 9/26/2008
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September 26, 2008
If you love shopping but have never been to Woodbury Commons, you have never truly lived. Woodbury Commons is an outlet center in Central Valley, NY (just an hour's drive from the city!) that features over 200 shops in one convenient outdoor shopping center.
The discounts are unbelievable, although you'd have to go on a really rainy day to avoid the crowds, which are always large and comprised of people from around the world who come here to get everything. Literally, everything. The outlets range from clothes to lingerie to shoes to electronics to housewares to luggage, and anything in between.
To give you an idea of just how glorious the selection of stores is, we thought we'd list a few: Ralph Lauren, Prada, Betsey Johnson, Chanel (the only Chanel outlet in the world!), La Perla, Nike, Judith Leiber, Wolford, American Apparel, Chloe, Converse, Pucci, Diane Von Fursteberg, Celine, Dolce and Gabbanna, Yves Saint Laurent, Jimmy Choo, Longchamp, and Williams Sonoma...And that's just a tiny selection of them!
So basically...you can hit up all these shops in the city, or you can sacrifice an hour travel time to the shopping Gods and be rewarded tenfold with all the incredible-yet-discounted things you'll find.
Buses and trains leave daily from the Port Authority on 42nd street, which means that if you're just here for a few days you can catch a ride there, do a day of shopping (where you'll buy twice as much for half as much), and be back in the city in time for dinner.
Tags:
discount, outlet, shopping, Woodbury commons
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Posted on 9/26/2008
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September 26, 2008
Milk & Honey is a secretive little bar/lounge on the Lower
East Side that operates under the premise of actually wanting to stay very
low-key and difficult to find (as opposed to just pretending to be exclusive
and then ultimately selling out like most night spots). The space is said to be
the owner’s “personal retaliation against celebrity-obsessed night life.”
You can only gain entry to Milk & Honey if you know the
phone number, which you have to get from someone in the know...or a member. Membership comes from the lounge’s outpost in London and
costs a pretty penny but guarantees you admission. If you do manage to discover
the number (which, by the way, changes on a regular basis) you will fully be
able to gain entry…provided you’re not famous.
-Lounge seats at Milk & Honey-
Guests must call ahead to receive the unlisted address and
make a reservation…oh, and everyone is buzzed in through a door complete with a
video surveillance system. The tiny space is charming and features only a
candlelit lounge, four-seat bar and a few reservation-only booths. Quite
possibly the coolest part (for the ladies, at least) is one of the house rules:
Men cannot chat up women, but women can chat up men, which we think is a huge
stride towards eliminating one of the most irritating parts of nightlife. The cocktails are expensive, but totally worth it, as they
are hand-crafted by the owner himself using ingredients like Lavender and Blood
Oranges. You are guaranteed to enjoy your drink, especially seeing as you will
often be asked what kind of mood you’re in, and then a drink is created especially
for you to suit that mood.
Cocktails are served with warm nuts or honey-drizzled fruit
which only adds to the whole pampered experience…and is guaranteed to make you
feel like one of the famous individuals the club strives to keep out.
Tags:
Lower East Side, Milk and Honey, Secret Lounge
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Posted on 9/26/2008
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September 19, 2008
On this blog we’ve already spoken about what’s new on the NYC nightlife scene getting old fast, and we may have found a temporary cure. The club game dictates that you can’t just have a cool club, you have to make your “nights” there.
It’s all about the specific crowd each night draws and usually it’ll have a thing or two to do with the DJs or, more obviously, promoters.
Luckily, your Thursday night just got a facelift. A new party has started in the West Village in the downstairs of Socialista called Stans.
While the crowd at the club upstairs is your standard Chelsea club crew, Stans is a different story. The drinks are kind of pricey for the crowd they typically draw (barely legal NY/LA-ers) but the music is good and the company is great: Cool kids without the hipster riff raff.
Plus, if you're in the mood for a fun musical mix from the likes of the BeeGees and Stellastarr, this place is your best bet.
Tags:
Nightlife, Socialista, Stans, West Village
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Posted on 9/19/2008
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September 19, 2008
Here in New York, bumping into a celebrity when you’re out and about is nothing new. Generally locals take a much more laid back stance on the appearance of a celebrity and will opt out of bothering them for a picture or autograph…possibly because they know they’ll see them again sometime and sooner or later the fame game won’t be interesting anymore.
But for those visiting from destinations that celebrities frequent far less, we’ve decided to give you a little tip sheet to tell you where you can go to get your fix. Now, it wouldn’t really be right if we told you exactly who is at each place, plus seeking the celebs out is half the fun…but we’ll still give you the lowdown on where to go.
-Leo and Diddy partying at 1Oak-
-Fiending for an Olsen? East village semi-dive bar Lit and West VIllage lounge Socialista often play host to the famous twins and their bevy of model/designer/actor/hipster friends.
-Not searching for any particular scene? Marquee often plays host to a bevy of celebs, who often throw parties there. A great sound system and three different music rooms attract a crowd that really just wants to dance. Everyone from Beyonce to Jermaine Dupri to Heidi Klum has been spotted here.
-Mr. West is a brand new lounge that just opened up in Chelsea and is partially owned by DJ Jus Ske, who has worked with Pharrell and has been on the nightlife circuit for a while. So expect some boldfaced names to pop up there in the near future.
-Tenjune often hosts the reality TV set…think Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Jessica Simpson (hey, she did Newlyweds, she counts!) And sometimes you can spot a rapper here and there (Diddy, Kanye West).
For all you Gossip Girl fans out there you can also likely find some GG cast members here as well...OMFG!
-And, of course, there’s the Beatrice Inn where literally every single celebrity that has ever appeared in a tabloid likes to go. Lindsay Lohan, Mary-Kate, Chloe Sevigny, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, and the Ronsons are all regulars. Fun (or not-so-fun) fact: It is also said to be the last place that Heath Ledger was seen in public before his untimely death.
That brings us to the end of our little how-to guide for stalking celebrities at night when they’re out partying and having fun. DISCLAIMER: If you see them at one of these places and don't want to be escorted out by security...just pretend like you're at a zoo: Look but definitely don't touch. It’s up to you to find a way to the inside…but, hey, at least we got you started.
Tags:
1Oak, Beatrice Inn, Celebrity Sightings, GoldBar, Lit, Marquee, Mr West, Socialista, Tenjune
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Posted on 9/19/2008
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September 17, 2008
I've grown up here in New York City, but it wasn't until this past year that I really started going to clubs. I never really liked the whole process of getting dressed up just so you could go stand outside a club for 25 minutes until the doorman decides to let his ego slip away for .5 seconds and let you in, where you can then proceed to marinate in the too-smoky air and pay exorbitant amounts of money for drinks you'll finish too quickly.
No, I was always much more the type to be inclined to go out only if every detail of this type of evening was planned in advance. But then something happened and I started going out...a lot. I went to Cain, to Marquee, to Tenjune, 1Oak, GoldBar, Lit and then back through the same list again the next week. I developed a routine and it was fun, at first, and the music was good...but after a while it was just the same old scene and I got bored.
During this time there was one place that I never factored in to my rotation: The Box. For some reason, it wasn't a spot that my friends generally frequented so I, in turn, never ventured in. But the other night a friend dragged me into its weird, surreal interior inside a building on Chrystie St., and the first thing I saw was a midget seated on a tiny chair suspended halfway up the wall. My friend greeted him, and truly that was only the beginning of the bizarre.
For a jaded New Yorker, one who is tired of the traditional club fare that this city only ever seems to offer, this place is a wonderland. The space itself is the coolest of any club I've ever seen; An old theater with original banquettes and stage in tact....but turned into a night club complete with DJ and bottle service. But the best part? The incredibly strange and risque shows that pop up at regular intervals on the stage, performed in the "style" of old Burlesque clubs and narrated by a man who gels his platinum blonde lockes into horns on the crown of his head.
The shows range from variety show fare (like a man balancing on his head on a basketball that sits on top of a tower of champagne bottles) to absurdly inapproproate (a woman squeezing out what appears to be a tiny fetus and then biting it). And women's breasts are seemingly everpresent.
Did we mention popcorn is served to those in the upper banquettes during the show? Yeah, it's that cool.
But it's absolutely fantastic and completely different from any other experience you're going to have in New York City...and you have no idea just how ridiculous this place is until you go. So please, go...try it, because if you like it, you'll have to go back for more (seeing as there's nowhere else like it around here!)
Tags:
nightlife, The Box
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Posted on 9/17/2008
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September 17, 2008
So apparently we're not the only ones hurting a bit from this recession we're in. According to New York Magazine, Target, whose profits dropped last quarter, has decided to open "pop-up" stores in an effort to compete with discount retail giant Wal-Mart.
The stores are going to function like boutiques for Targets hip, young designer collaborations to try to attract the fashion forward set to their grounds. Each "Bullseye Bodega" will offer customers the opportunity to shop
upcoming limited-edition collections before they hit Target stores,
including the Anya Hindmarch handbag collection, the Sigerson Morrison
footwear collection and the Jonathan Saunders GO International fashion
collection.
The Bodegas are located at Midtown: 101 West 57th Street at 6th Ave, Union Square: 813 Broadway between 11th and 12th St., Soho: 489 Broome Street between Wooster and West Broadway, East Village: 325 Bowery at 2nd Ave. We think this is a great idea because we love Target (and their designer collaborations) but can never really get enough in the city because we have to travel so far from Manhattan to shop the collections.
Our only quandry is that the stores are only open for a few days...and we know we'll want more...
--SABRINA BACON
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Posted on 9/17/2008
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September 05, 2008
There's no doubt that New York is a city where the youth have literally taken over. We found cold, hard evidence of this on a sleepy little stretch of 5th street (between 1st and 2nd). This is where a group of fresh, young girls from New York and LA have taken over a formerly cluttered vintage shop called Ponica, and made it their own.
The girls happened upon the shop by sheer luck - they went in one day to browse the wares, found some hidden gems, and got to talking with the owner. They explained that they always wanted their own shop, and the owner admitted to wanting a lesser part in her own...and a new breed of (borrowed) boutique was born.
Once de-cluttered, the girls discovered some gems amongst the vintage clothes already in place and chose a very select number of pieces to display, including silk and muslin dresses from the 60's and 70's, hand made vests, and lovely high-waisted skirts with pockets and funky colors. Aside from the vintage clothes, everything sold in the shop is strictly hand-made. The tiny boutique features feathered jewelry by designer Phillippa Price, stunning headpeices by NY/LA designers Pas Comme les Moutons, and a bevy of other treats from local NY designers.
-A selection of headpieces from Pas Comme les Moutons-
And if this variety of gems, and the devoted fanbase of downtown cool kids, isn't enough to get you into the shop, the ambiance will. Decorated like a cross between an old Gentleman's club and your Grandmother's living room, with a bit of art deco embellishment thrown in there, much of the furnishings are also hand-made and also for sale. So if you like the chair you sit in while you wait for your friend to try on a dress, make sure and offer up a price because you may very well be able to take it home with you!
Ponica will have a re-opening party sometime in late September, and we'll be sure to keep you posted with dates and times because a spy tells us that the delicious accessories will be sold at sample sale prices for that night only...so you'll definitely want to stop by.
Tags:
Pas Comme les Moutons, Ponica, Vintage
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Posted on 9/5/2008
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