The Shophound

Personal Appearance Alert: Nancy Gonzalez Gets Published

If you haven't yet gotten over to Bergdorf Goodman to see their exceptional windows, let us give you another reason to brave the midtown Holiday crowds: Crocodile queen Nancy Gonzalez will be there Thursday and Friday afternoons, December 10^th and 11^th (that's starting tomorrow) to sell some of her popular exotic skin bags and accessories and to sign copies of her brand new mongraph book from Assouline, a perfect gift for any Nancy fan, and there are many. You probably know several if you aren't one yourself.
The designer will at Bergdorf's from 2 to 5 PM, with the book and her new clutch collection featuring over 100 bags in a dazzling array of limited edition hues.

The Window Watcher: Are Lord & Taylor's Holiday Windows Just A Bit Too Old Fashioned?

Perhaps no store has a more consistent style of Holiday windows than Lord & Taylor. Year after year, their displays are always intricate and meticulously detailed with lots of moving parts, usually including lots of figures in typically nostalgic holiday scenes. Of all the major windows, these are easily the most kinetic, sometimes featuring two or three different animations in a single window. This year, instead of featuring a story, the theme is, "What We Love", and if that sounds vague, it would explain the random combinations of Christmas-y vignettes featuring seemingly unrelated figures, often from totally different time frames, jumbled together. Here's a gingerbread house, there's a carousel and there's some skaters. One window seems to reference "The Nutcracker"...or maybe not. None of this seems to matter too much to all the little kids lined up to gaze, enthralled, at the many scenes of happy white folks celebrating.
Oh, wait a minute.
There's that.
Yes, all those figures do seem a bit more homogeneous than necessary. On closer inspection, we did find a very few caramel colored figures spinning in the upper reaches of two windows (left), but we couldn't really tell if they were meant to represent another race's complexion or just suntans. Nevertheless, we certainly hope that when planning next year's windows, they are able to inject a bit more diversity into the displays.
Lord & Taylor 424 Fifth Avenue between 38th & 39th Streets, Midtown.

Click HERE for a slideshow featuring a closer look at the windows.

The Window Watcher: Tiffany's Tiny Tour De Force

We had such a nice time at Tiffany's the other day we thought we would revisit for another look at the Holiday windows. The jeweler's displays have been renowned for decades, but the current little spectacles are particularly captivating. The small vitrines are easy to miss when Fifth Avenue and 57^th Street is teeming with crowds, but it's more than worthwhile to stop, push your way through, and take a close look.
This year the tiny dioramas feature scenes from the life of a fairy-tale princess meticulously rendered in cut paper. The craftsmanship required to execute the tableaux almost eclipses the obligatory jewels they are meant to showcase, but rather than having us describe them, click HERE for a complete look at the windows.

Pop-Up Alert II: Gap's (RED)™ Christmas On Fifth Avenue

We know that the Gap has been working with the (PRODUCT) ^RED program for quite a while with its own collection that benefits The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. To remind everyone about the charity driven product lines, the Concept store at the Fifth Avenue flagship has just been converted into The (RED)™ Store featuring not only its own products, but also those from most of the other companies that participate in the program, including Emporio Armani, Converse, Nike, Apple, Hallmark, Dell, Bugaboo and even Starbucks. The centerpiece of the store, of course, is the Gap's newest collection of artist designed t-shirts benefitting the program including the latest one designed by Stella McCartney ($28 above left). We also found sunglasses and watches from Emporio Armani, the latest iPod Nano, skateboards from The Girl Skateboard Company and a special limited edition laquered silver "Hot Lips" ring ($1,500 at right) from Solange Azagury-Partridge.
We have to admit that we had gotten a little bit weary of the whole (PRODUCT) ^RED thing not because we didn't think it was worthwhile but because it seemed like nobody would make anything that wasn't RED.
Seriously, it's kinda limiting.
Thankfully, some of the companies have discovered that they can make at least a few things in other colors now, too, a refreshing update.
The (RED)™ Store at the Gap Flagship Concept Store, 680 Fifth Avenue between 53^rd & 54^th Streets, Midtown

The Window Watcher: Bergdorf Goodman Remains The Window Champ

It's sort of like watching Roger Federer win Wimbeldon again. It's not necessarily a given, but it's never a surprise to see Bergdorf Goodman roll out the most accomplished Holiday windows. Titled "A Compendium of Curiosities", they are once again, dazzling and sumptuous, inspired this year by Lewis Carroll and including some not especially literal adaptations of scenes from the "Alice In Wonderland" books.
As usual, the windows bear extended viewing, and while children will stand in crowds to gaze at the storybook windows at Saks (which we haven't seen yet) it's not unusual to see clumps of grown adults standing thunderstruck in front of these displays, drinking in the incredibly detailed dioramas before them. Of particular interest were the figures of varying sizes all dressed in miniaturized Alexander McQueen outfits, for example. We must say that this makes it extremely hard to photograph these windows (it took two trips!), and while you may have seen some pictures already, we made sure our shots were as free and clear of reflection as possible.
Though the windows are gorgeous, Bergdorf's is not above falling back on some of its favorite tricks like the "view from above" used in the card game scene. The glittering mirrored corner window, "Reflected Reveries and Meticulous Metronomes", which has proved to be a particular favorite for the picture taking public, reminds us that every year, there is always one window, a grand finale of sorts, all in white or silver or some combination of the two. Let's just call it "working their signature looks". Nobody's complaining when everything is this beautifully executed.

Click HERE for a complete slideshow of Bergdorfs' Main Fifth Avenue windows plus one extra shot from the Men's Store.
After the jump, a behind the scenes video courtesy of New York Magazine's The Cut.

Cintra Wilson Goes Shopping: Church Of Armani Edition

This week's Thursday Styles finds Critical Shopper Cintra Wilson in a more reverent frame of mind than we have seen thus far. Our shopper has been nearly hushed into submission by the Armani|5th Avenue brand palace that opened earlier this year. Leading with a Wiliam Faulkner quote (!), she puts aside her shopping gadfly persona, recounting the history of Giorgio Armani as if transformed into an adoring acolyte —until she wasn't anymore,

Armani Casa occupies a corner of the second floor. These are unaffordable housewares in black lacquer, leather and chrome, all of which belong in Mickey Rourke’s apartment in “9 1/2 Weeks.” In that spirit, I hovered around an Art Deco tea set (teapot $1,395; creamer, $910) with the intention of beating up anyone capable of buying it.

And she's back.
La Cintra is mostly piqued about the elusive price tags on the more expensive items which would prompt the cruel, old adage, "If you you have to ask how much it costs, then you can't afford it." Of course, that discovery can't be much of a surprise chez Armani.
Ultimately, she is taken, or at least amused by, the monumental quality of the place,

Armani|5th Avenue will likely survive as long as Fifth Avenue does. Like the Pyramids, it was built as an indelible valentine to the invisible worlds ahead.

But is it destined, like the pyramids, to one day become a symbol of a mysterious culture now extinct? More importantly, is it merely a coincidence that the article will run on the very day that every label in the store will be available at a sample sale in Chelsea?
Stranger things have been known to happen.
Critical Shopper | Armani|5th Avenue: Indulging His Every Indulgence By Cintra Wilson (NYTimes)
Armani|5th Avenue 717 Fifth Avenue at 56^th Street, Midtown
Giorgio Armani Sample Sale November 19^th - 21^st, Metropolitan Pavilion 123 West 18^th Street, 4^th Floor Gallery, Chelsea

White Collar Update: In Which Our Shirt Arrives

We were starting to get a little antsy waiting for our Thomas Pink shirt that USA Network promised us after we spent several hours waiting in line a few weeks ago. We didn't want to complain just jet —after all, it's a free shirt— but it has been a bit longer than the promised 10-business-day wait, and we were starting to wonder if it was ever going to arrive, or did we truly waste a perfectly good afternoon?
Just moments ago, however, FedEx appeared with our shirt, gift boxed and packed with a thank you card from USA, promoting its new original series and subject of the promotion, "White Collar" (which we are kind of enjoying, partly thanks to star Matt Bomer's sleek and stylish wardrobe).
Our only disappointment in the pristine, new shirt was discovering that Thomas Pink now manufactures its shirts not in the London workroom on Jermyn Street we had pictured in our mind, but somewhere in Thailand.
Thailand!
Our illusions are shattered.
Previously:
Today In Complimentary Items: How Long Would We Stand In Line For A Free Shirt?

White Collar Update: Free Shirt Frenzy Overwhelms Rockefeller Center?

We're glad we stood in line yesterday because our friends at RACKED tell us that USA Network's White Collar Thomas Pink shirt giveaway at Rockefeller Center gas gotten totally out of control. One of their commenters has reported that as of 8:20 AM the line was already closed and the wait was estimated at a whopping six hours!
Sorry folks. You just might have to wait until the next time USA launches a show that has a clothing related title.
Total Shirtpocalypse at Rockefeller Center (RACKED)
Previously:
Today In Complimentary Items: How Long Would We Stand In Line For A Free Shirt?

Today In Complimentary Items: How Long Would We Stand In Line For A Free Shirt?

Longer than we thought, it turns out.
USA Network is undertaking what must be a staggeringly expensive promotion for its new original series, White Collar which premieres Friday night October 23^rd at 10 PM. The network is giving away free white shirts for men and women from Thomas Pink to those who are willing to line up at the White Collar Shirt Bar that has been set up in the middle of Rockefeller Center's Channel Gardens. Customers are not simply being handed shirts and sent on their ways. They are measured and fitted individually, and will receive a correctly sized shirt via FedEx within 10 days.
We had two options at 2:30 in the afternoon on Thursday. One was to come back at 8 AM on Friday morning to get the jump on the next day's crowd. The other was simply to get in line right then and there. We were told that the wait would be about two hours by the cheery young lady who was part of the event staff, all of them dressed in white Pink shirts, black pants, black fedora hats and cobalt blue ties that matched the piercing eyes of White Collar star Matt Bomer who was smirking down at the entire affair from posters, banners and portable DVD players all over the place.
Since it was a lovely afternoon, and The Shophound had an iPod full of podcasts, we decided to just get in line and stick it out. Generally, those waiting in line were calm and well behaved, resigned to a few hours of hanging around with zen-like calm. Of course, by the time we discovered that two hours was a rather optimistic estimate, we had already invested too much time to ditch the whole thing entirely. Dammit, we were going to get our shirt, and so we persevered for nearly three hours, and after a couple of "This American Life"s and some "Fresh Air"s, we ordered a classic dress shirt with double cuffs in an elegant herringbone textured cotton (a $180 value according to the Thomas Pink website). Men are offered the options of classic, slim or formal pleated styles. We detest waiting in lines, but we still think this is a pretty good deal. You can never have too many perfect white shirts, especially if they are made in England and also free.
This stunt is costing the network at least a couple hundred thousand dollars in shirts alone, and that's not even counting the free shoeshine and coffee bars or any other expenses. We're putting the price tag on this event at about half a million, and that might be lowballing it. Is that a lot of cash to promote the début of a basic cable series? We have no idea. It may be a bargain to NBC Universal.
For those of you who missed out on today's free-for-all, it will be repeated on Friday the 23^rd from 8 AM to 6 PM, though if the crowds are anything like they were on Thursday, you can expect that the line will be closed at about 4 PM or possibly before, so you really can't get there too early. We recommend comfy shoes and good, working headphones.
White Collar Shirt Bar Rockefeller Center Channel Gardens, 49^th Street at Fifth Avenue, Thursday October 22^nd, 10 AM-6 PM Friday the 23^rd, 8 AM-6 PM

Fifth Avenue Switches:Little abercrombie Gets Switched To A Hollister

Here's another excuse to run this very popular photo again.
Expect to see these guys hanging out on Fifth Avenue sometime next year. Instead of turning the former Hickey Freeman shop at 668 Fifth between 52^nd and 53^rd Streets into an abercrombie kids store, another Hollister for the uptown tourists will be opened in its place. Considering the strong response to the SoHo "Epic" flagship, this isn't too much of a surprise. We will be curious to see how the steel and glass building will be transformed into the kind of dark stage set they so love at Hollister. Will they recreate another California pier in the two-level 15,500 square foot space, or will it become a more humble surf shack like most of the other Hollister mall stores? We'll find out soon enough, but the folks on Fifth should brace themselves for a steady chorus of "Hey, What'sup?" and clouds of stinky perfume pumped onto the sidewalk.
Hollister To Open On Fifth Avenue (WWD)
Previously:
Hey, What'sup? It's Hollister, Dude!