The Shophound

Today In Switcheroos:SoHo Finally Gets A GAP

It seems hard to believe that with all of its chain stores over the years, SoHo has gone without its own GAP store despite having multiple American Apparels, Club Monacos and G-Stars. With all the attention we paid to the smothering service at the newly consolidated Banana Republic flagship, it might have been easy to miss that the abandoned Banana men's store had been swiftly converted to a Gap 1969 jeans concept location.
This particular branch is based on a pop-up store that was opened in August in Los Angeles to promote the chain's newly refreshed 1969 denim collections, and jeans are the focal point of the store, featuring every possible permutation of the chain's core product. Though there is stiff competition from UNIQLO up the street, we are impressed with Gap's new denim program, especially considering that the "premium" collection tops out at about $88 for selvedge styles and stands up well to much more expensive designer brands. To keep the emphasis on jeans, the rest of the offerings have been pared back with an emphasis on basics and a few choice specialty items like a leather zip hoodie at nearly $400. As easy as it is to complain about the proliferation of chain stores in Manhattan, we'll continue to praise Patrick Robinson credit for restyling the Gap back to life.
Considering that the next closest location was a long hike away up on Astor Place, it was a no-brainer to turn the space left behind by its sibling on Spring Street into a Gap. After Banana's furnishings had been cleared, Gap's store designers cleverly whitewashed the existing space, added new light wood shelves and installed a dramatic glass wall at the back of the store that serves as a window to a vast denim stockroom. Voilà! It's a Gap. While we think speed was the main priority here, we have to give the massive chain credit for "recycling" the store rather than gutting it and unnecessarily installing a new interior.
And by the way, unlike its sibling up the street, the Gap's service is appropriately friendly but not overwhelming, so feel free to walk in without being greeted to excess.
Gap 1969 552 Broadway at Spring Street, SoHo
Previously
Renovations Unveiled: Banana Republic Will Welcome You To Death

More Collaboration Anticipation: Robert Geller x Levi's Coming To Bloomingdale's Next Month

If you can't wait until October for Jil Sander, there's another collaboration from a Teutonic designer coming our way September 10^th and it looks pretty appealing itself.
Robert Geller was named GQ's Best New Menswear Designer in America earlier this year, and in addition to the $50,000 cash prize came the opportunity to create a co-branded collection with Levi's. The workwear aesthetic is right in Geller's wheelhouse, and the results will be fully unveiled exclusively at twelve Bloomingdale's stores, Bloomingdales.com and seven Levi's stores (in New York, San Francisco, Miami Beach, Beverly Hills and Bucktown, Ill.).
Geller worked to customize and redesign classic items from the Levi's archive including a superslim 606 denim jean. Those looking for Levi's typically affordable prices will find that this collection will skew closer to Geller's luxury levels with jeans retailing for a super premium $275 and the collection topping out at $575 for a blanket lined parka. Though we remain mired in a designer collaboration glut, this one looks more than worthwhile. We expect the designer denim crowd to flock.
Robert Geller, Levi's to Unveil Men's Range (WWD)

Jeans On The L.E.S: Self Edge Artisan Denim Lands On Orchard Street

As reported, San Francisco denim boutique Self Edge opened its Lower East Side location on schedule last Friday right next door to Orchard Corset, and if you think New York has already seen the last word in jeans, then think again.
Anyone heading down to Orchard Street looking for a pair of comfortably washed and lovingly hand distressed dungarees should keep on walking down the street to Earnest Sewn for one of their (perfectly respectable) myriad washes. Self Edge is for hard-core denim aficionados, and by hard-core, we mean hard denim. The jeans here are raw and heavy, with their selvage side seams intact. We saw a pair by Iron Heart made from 23 oz. denim so stiff that the pants standing up by themselves was a foregone conclusion, much like some of the foundation garments at the store next door. Cardboard-like would be a fitting description, and we can only imagine with horror the chafing and abrasion that would accompany the extended breaking in period these pants might demand. This pair, however, was an extreme example of Self Edge's merchandise, most of which is much more easy to wear, but the fashion story here is basic and rugged. Though there are several jeans brands represented here including Flat Head and Sugar Cane, you probably haven't heard of any of them. They are mostly independent niche brands dedicated to preserving artisanal manufacturing techniques, and not contrived design, so the basic five-pocket style with minimal decorative stitching is the standard here. You'll have to bedazzle them on your own.
Of course, even without all the extra finishing processes, many of the jeans at Self Edge still hit the $300 mark and then some, but the store has more than just jeans including lots of shirts in typical vintage and western inspired stripes and checks, and a few shoe styles made for 3sixteen by cult bootmaker Quoddy. There is even a rack of belts in sturdy leather with heavy brass buckles waiting to be broken in along with your jeans, as well as a burgeoning private label line.
Dedicated to keeping the experience complete, Self Edge will be receiving a vintage chainstitching machine in the next few weeks to make all alterations consistent with the styles in the store.
As you may have figured, the concept here is 'break them in yourself", meaning wearing jeans unwashed for several months so that all the little whisker marks and worn patches that will appear after the first washing are made by your own body and activity instead of a machine somewhere. Sometimes it's hard to convince people that (as long as you wear underwear!) it's perfectly fine not to wash jeans very often as long as they are aired out regularly and don't get heavily soiled. The end result is better fitting jeans with distressing that matches (and flatters) your own body. Trust us, we were converted by our first pair of Nudies, and if that doesn't convince you, think of the environmental benefit of forgoing all the chemicals and wash cycles that go into creating the stacks of denim at Seven For All Mankind.
Self Edge 157 Orchard Street at Rivington Street, Lower East Side
Previously: Denim Forecast: San Francisco Jeans Experts Heading East?

Pop-Up Report: Ryantown At Earnest Sewn

British artist Rob Ryan has taken over the back room pop-up space at Earnest Sewn with a vast array of his signature stenciled artworks and textiles. Ryantown will be up through the end of May. Venture towards the far side of the rustic denim dealer, and you'll find a profusion of items ranging from the inevitable printed t-shirts to greeting cards, tote bags, painted tiles, pillows dishes and all sorts of other baubles and novelties. All are touched with what looks like vintage folk art patterns which, upon closer inspection, reveal poetic musings and inventive designs. It's one of the more charming pop-ups that Earnest Sewn has hosted, and definitely worth a visit for anyone in search of Mother's Day gifts.
Ryantown at Earnest Sewn through May 31^st, 821 Washington Street between Gansevoort & Little West 12^th Streets, Meatpacking District
Rob Ryan (Official Blog)

Private Sales Go PublicIt's Black Friday At Diesel

Usually, Black Friday means something bad, like the stock market crashing, or the intolerable crowds at the mall on the day after Thanksgiving.
Diesel, however, is using the term to promote what would normally be a sort of semi-private sale if everyone weren't shouting it from the rooftops. It starts today, like right now.
If you click to enlarge, and print out the image above, you can get a nice hefty 30% off "almost" everything at Diesel for the next few days. It also contains instructions on how to use it online as well.
Happy shopping.

Window Update: Inven.tory Pulls Down The Patches And Lets In The Light

Apparently we weren't the only ones who thought that Inven.tory's clever denim patched exterior made the new Lafayette Street location a little too easy to miss. A little porthole was not quite enough to let the public know that there was a whole store behind all those patches.
Now, the lower half of the decorative textile adornment has been removed (as pictured above) so passersby can see that there is a store inside. The limited edition ripped and patched Cheap Monday jeans appear to have sold out, but there's still plenty of good stuff there, and the cheery staff seems grateful to no longer be deprived of sunlight. After all, it was a shame to waste those nice big windows.
Inven.tory 237 Lafayette Street, SoHo

Hide And Seek: Cheap Monday's Wall Of Denim At Inven.tory's New Outlet

It would be easy overlook Inven.tory's new Lafayette Street location now that it has been plastered with denim patches by Swedish sportswear label Cheap Monday. The indigo storefront just blends into the cityscape, but a telltale porthole in the façade gives a view into the airy new location.
Inven.tory is hosting the brand's "customized" tour, an exclusive selection of limited edition, customized jeans dropping in at selected locations around the globe. 50, and only 50, pairs appeared here last week along with a full selection of Cheap Monday's product lines in a dedicated space further inside the boutique.
Inven.tory has been making Manhattan shoppers happy since last Fall with its two Nolita boutiques selling overstock at around cost from young designers who may not be quite big enough to carry their own sample sales, and who would easily get lost in the morass of merch that is Filene's Basement or Loehmann's. When we stopped in last week, we saw nice selections from Geren Ford and Idol Radec at very good prices. They even have one of those blog things to keep customers up to date on new arrivals and store news.
It almost seems too good to be true, but Inven.tory is has already opened its second location after just starting up so they are clearly for real. As boutiques cut their orders and get strict about accepting deliveries that are even a moment late, we frugal shoppers can now reap the benefits more quickly and in a setting that may be more pleasant than some of the shops that carry these labels at full price (as far as we can tell, however, the Cheap Monday goods are not being discounted).
As for the customized jeans, if you are used to thinking of Cheap Monday as clean, crisp dark denim, you might be surprised to see the display of ripped, distressed and patched pants that make up the tour display, but then that's why they are special.
Cheap Monday Tour at Inven.tory 237 Lafayette Street between Prince & Spring Streets and
19 Kenmare Street at Elizabeth Street, SoHo/Nolita

UNIQLO Update: 2 For 1 Jeans & A Designers Invitation Preview At Opening Ceremony

It's a slow news day here at The Shophound. Basically, what we seem to keep running across today is Sample Sale, Sample Sale, Sample Sale, Store Closing, Sample Sale.
As is often the case on a deary day like today, we found ourselves in UNIQLO, because no other store can lift our spirits for so little money.
First of all, they started a denim promotion last week selling 2 pairs of men's or women's jeans for $49.90. This includes all men's styles except the Japanese made selvedge (which is still pretty well priced at $79) and all women's styles except Colored, Skinny, Embellished and Cropped. So it's definitely a better deal for the guys, but since most of their regular jeans are priced at $49.50, it amounts to a 2 for 1 sale on jeans. We have pretty much whittled our jeans wardrobe down to Earnest Sewn, Nudie and UNIQLO, so their denim compares quite favorably to premium brands easily costing four times as much, or about eight times under this promotion. Though we loathe and detest the term RECESSIONISTA (can we call a moratorium on any and all words ending in -ista? Except of course for Linda Evangelista whom we deeply adore), everyone is looking for a deal these days, and you can't beat quality jeans for just under $25. We never know exactly how long these promotions will last, but we wouldn't wait until next month.
Elsewhere in the store, the first set of Spring Designers Invitations collections featuring Opening Ceremony for men and Steven Alan for women should be unveiled any minute. If you can't wait, Opening Ceremony is already featuring the collection in its own store nearby on Howard Street. It's part of the store's Japanese promotion for Spring, and the prices are the same as they will be in all UNIQLO stores.
Finally, there are fresh UT t-shirts featuring new Manga characters which look cool but have no specific meaning for us whatsoever. Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Art Of Noise fans should take notice because there is also a group featuring artwork from 1980s pop music label ZTT Records.
UNIQLO 546 Broadway between Spring & Prince Streets, SoHo

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Today In Diminishing Exclusivity: Seven For All Mankind To Add Flatiron District Store

Even though they already have boutiques in SoHo and the West Village, 7 For All Mankind is adding yet another store to the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 15^th Street.
Actually, with well over 20 points of sale in Manhattan alone, 7 is starting to look more like Guess? to us, but they remain a popular brand even with their exclusivity pretty much sapped. Actually, we will miss the Au Bon Pain that used to be on that corner, because with all the shopping in the neighborhood, sometimes we need a cookie or two to keep our energy up.
So, basically, we just put Au Bon Pain above 7 For All Mankind in the retail pecking order. Does this mean something or are we just hungry?
7 For All Mankind (Official Site)

Flagship On Steriods: Deisel Parks Itself On Fifth Avenue

It's tough out there for punks. You would think that the the current economic precariousness would appeal to their sense of anarchy, but here's a mohawked crew that was been roped into acting as a "flash-mob street-team" promoting the new Diesel flagship on Fifth Avenue. Or maybe they are just poseurs. Look how their hairdos echo the Diesel logos pinned to the backs of their jackets. And what's punk-ish about a multi-level boutique on Fifth Avenue anyway?
Well, nothing.
Having survived for over 30 years without losing its luster, Diesel has achieved a sort of eminence in the designer jeans market now that it has taken up residence in the former home of no less than Gucci, just a couple of blocks from the new Armani brand palace. Of course it's also a couple of blocks from the Gap, which is kind of where Diesel sits in the pecking order of things.
The new store retains much of Gucci's former layout, applying a layer of faux steampunk patina over the former sleekness. One wonders if the brand really needs this much space when the shoe department fills the shelves with the same models over and over. There is more than enough room for every different sub-collection the label produces. We were proudly directed to a corner featuring the premium Diesel Black Gold gold collection which seemed only marginally more luxurious than the main label. The brand boasts a selection of over 700 styles and washes of denim on each floor, which seems somewhat excessive in these more prudent times, and would surely need an expert guide to navigate the made-up names of the various models (Zatany, Thanaz, Viker).
But for Diesel fans, it is a showplace, compete with a separate DJ on each floor (on busy weekends, presumably). The place is as full of tourists as a store can be these days, who typically marvel at all the Diesel abundance. Maybe we locals are spoiled since Manhattan already has two flagship sized stores at 60^th Street and on Union Square. This jumbo flagship seems more redundant to us than a needed response to consumer demands, but Fifth Avenue in midtown isn't really there to satisfy the local consumer population anymore. Now, it is up to Diesel to demonstrate is a vast, international brand can still afford to invest in a costly, showy flagship in a vastly altered retail landscape.
Diesel 685 Fifth Avenue at 54^th Street, Midtown