The Shophound

STEALTH ATTACK: Rag & Bone Sneaks Into Ed Hardy's Old Meatpacking District Spot

Ever since they closed their "Nobody knew it was a" Pop-up store on Madison Avenue, Rag & Bone's retail strategy for Manhattan has been less conventional than their previous "conquer every neighborhood" plan. Their latest low-profile entry is near the corner of 13th Street and Washington Street in the space that once held the reviled Ed Hardy's first New York store (pictured at left). The signage above that reads "Dave's Quality Veal" is a remnant of the building's past as a meatpacking plant (Remember when they actually did that there? Remember the smell?). It is not to be confused with Dave's Quality Meat, or DQM, the cult East Village streetwear store. What it does hold is not only a new Rag & Bone shop but also a Jack's Stir Brew Coffee bar. We're not sure if Jack's is a guest of Rag & Bone or the other way around, but the coffee company is the only one listing the store on its website, which might make the international sportswear label a temporary guest in the way that indie bookstores and fringe theater groups sometimes are.

It's a little strange, although Rag & Bone has become so ubiquitous in Manhattan that it's surprising to realize that they didn't already have a Meatpacking District store since they have already hit the East Village, NoLita and SoHo. A plus for the brand: It's only a few doors away from All Saints, so they can easily keep an eye on the chain's Rag & Bone knockoffs. Convenience!

Rag & Bone X Jack's Stir Brew Coffee 425 West 13th Street between Ninth Avenue & Washington Street, Meatpacking District

JON CARAMANICA GOES SHOPPING: Assisted Review Edition

Today's Thursday Styles finds Critical Shopper Jon Caramanica in the unusual position of reviewing a store that is geared more toward women than men. At Owen in the Meatpacking District, he calls in three female 'superfriends' to help him navigate the boutique that "merges Lower East Side sensibilities with Upper East Side prices." Unfortunately, this does not mean, as we had immediately thought, that he recruited Wonder Woman, Black Canary and Hawkgirl to help him with his column —because that would have been awesome!

Instead, he recruited three ladyfriends whose collective tastes cover pretty much all the bases, so somebody would have had to like something in the place, and essentially that's what happened. Our shopper doesn't pawn the effort off entirely, finding a few things for himself in the mix, although we can't really figure out what is the root of his personal style? Is he the neo-classicist heritage hipster, or the sort of person who would get excited over loud floral jeans as he does this week?

Critical Shopper: Jetsons in Their Comfort Zone By Jon Caramanica (NYTimes)
Owen 809 Washington Street between Gansevoort and Horatio Streets, Meatpacking District

CAN'T PASS IT UP: DSW's Luxe810 Designer Pop-Up Goes To 90% Off

It's getting closer to the end of March, and that means that DSW's deeply discounted designer apparel pop-up shop, Luxe810 will be closing soon. As any good sample sale shopper knows, the prices get better at the end, and Luxe810's started out pretty good. Yesterday, The Shophound strolled by and noticed that the discount had been raised from 80% to 90% off.
That's 90% off, folks.
It doesn't get better than that, and it makes for easy math. Just move the decimal point on the price tag. The merchandise is not quite as abundant as it was when we discovered the shop, but there's still plenty of stuff left from the designers listed in the image above including Bottega Veneta, Roberto Cavalli and Gucci to name a few. Imagine a Ralph Lauren suit for under $150. How about a special Valentino dress for $300 or so? We aren't sure what the exact closing date of the shop is, but at these prices we don't expect it to last too much longer.

Luxe810 Pop-Up store at 408 West 14th Street between Ninth Avenue & Washington Street, Meatpacking District
Previously:
Off-Price Spring Treat: Luxe810 Pop-Up Brings DSW's Discount Apparel To The Meatpacking District

OFF-PRICE SPRING TREAT: Luxe810 Pop-Up Brings DSW's Discount Apparel To The Meatpacking District

It looks like off-price footwear giant DSW might be quietly dipping its toes into the designer apparel world with its new Luxe810 pop-up store on West 14th Street. We haven't heard anything about this new venture before we discovered it over the weekend. It turns out to be one of five temporary stores the retailer has launched around the country to launch the rebranding of its designer offerings under the Luxe810 name.

When it comes to luxury brand shoes, Your regular DSW store can be very hit-or-miss, especially when it comes to prices. A visit to the DSW on the Upper West Side yesterday turned up women's shoes from Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Giuseppe Zanotti and Miu Miu to name a few labels, but the discounts on these brands tend not to be particularly deep, making them less of a bargain than the first markdowns at Saks or Bergdorf's. The prices on apparel at the Luxe810 pop-up, however, are an impressive, flat 80% off the full tickets, and from what we could tell, it was all top-tier goods —no dodgy diffusion labels. We saw a full rack of serious evening gowns from Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino among others. There are substantial selections from Bottega Veneta, Gucci and Balenciaga for women and men as well as men's tailored clothing from Ermenegildo Zegna and Ralph Lauren. Surprisingly, there was only a very small selection of shoes, though there was a case full of Judith Leiber bags.

Whether DSW will be getting more into the Off-Price apparel business remains to be seen. The staff at the store told The Shophound that this was a new venture for the company and had no idea if it would be repeated or expanded. There may be something of a void to be filled with last years demise of Filene's Basement and Syms, but if DSW does expand in this direction, we don't expect the discounts to be quite as deep on a regular ongoing basis as they are at this pop-up. One caveat: the store appears to be featuring some elaborate pieces from these brands -especially in eveningwear. That means that if something starts out at $5,900 or so, the discount price is will still be over $1000. Not everything is quite that exorbitant, but with a focus strictly on the high end, the shop may not be the place to look for a casual impulse buy. On the other hand, even of the shop is a one-off, it's a great opportunity for anyone looking for special designer pieces at deep discounts. Luxe810 will be open through the end of March and can also be found in Washington D.C., Boca Raton, Boston and San Francisco.

Luxe810 Pop-Up store open through March 31 at 408 West 14th Street between Ninth Avenue & Washington Street, Meatpacking District

POP-UP REPORT: Don't Miss Pop-Ups From John Bartlett & The Everlane Workshop This Weekend

There will be any number of pop-up shops materializing throughout the city between now and Christmas -way more than we can possibly catalog here- but two we won't want to miss are happening through this weekend.

The Everlane Workshop, which will be open through this Sunday, comes from the innovative web retailer dedicated to bringing high quality luxury basics to the public as directly as possible to keep prices stunningly low. Their workshop at the corner of Gansevoort and Washington streets will allow you to sample their tightly edited but beautifully made product lineup and order for yourself with a few exclusive extras. While the focus and quality is firmly at the luxury level, the prices are more chain store, and though they are not quite Uniqlo-low, they come pretty close. This week, the pop-up will be hosting special pre-reserved workshops that let customers make their own belt, necktie or add a customized cashmere patch to a featherweight cashmere sweater. The shop closes after Sunday, so you only have until then to see for yourself how Everlane's ribbed cashmere scarf that wraps around your neck twice like a cloud is a genuinely incomparable bargain at a mere $75.

Our friend John Bartlett is also revisiting the retail world this week to show off his latest Holiday collection as well as stage a sample sale at 174 Hudson Street in Tribeca through Sunday. In addition to that, this Saturday he will also add a pet adoption event in conjunction with Adopt NY, a league of rescue groups working to save animals from being euthanized and make New York's shelters No-Kill.

The Everlane Workshop runs through December 9th at 74 Gansevoort Street and Washington Street, Meatpacking District
John Bartlett's Holiday Pop-Up & Sample Sale runs through December 9th at 174 Hudson Street between Vestry & Laight Streets, Tribeca

JON CARAMANICA GOES SHOPPING: Fancypants Feet Edition

First of all, we have to give Critical Shopper Jon Caramanica some credit for even getting into the new Christian Louboutin men's boutique, which he reviewed in this week's Thursday Styles. It isn't the kind of store that The Shophound would blithely ignore, but we have tried on at least three occasions to visit only to find it closed in the middle of the day for some sort of special construction reasons. It has been annoying to say the least, so kudos to Caramanica for finding it open.

It might not really matter to most of us when the store is open anyway, because, as our shopper describes, the prices of Louboutin's shoes are "shocking". Several years ago, the designer was known as a refined, inventive alternative to stiletto king Manolo Blahnik, but then his platforms met a platoon of Hollywood starlets and stylists who found the next status symbol in his signature red soles and an aesthetic of "more is more" evolved. You might not think that his "everything but the kitchen sink" philosophy would have translated to men's shoes, but in the age of Kanye and Pharrell, high profile male style setters have discovered the pleasures of selective flamboyance, and as our shopper describes his visit,

...the store was never not full, with a mix of would-be hip-hop moguls, frequenters of Pacha, even a woman in respectable olive green No. 6 clogs. Many just stared, and more than you’d think tried things on, given that the prices go past the shocking and right to the insane. A guy with a snakeskin-motif bandanna draped out of his back pocket tried on patent leather slip-ons under the guidance of a woman in a distressed rocker T-shirt that screamed stylist’s assistant: in a room of extremes, they appeared perfectly at home.

So maybe the store doesn't really need to be open regular hours. Maybe it's really like a hot nightclub where the doors magically open when an Escalade pulls up to the curb or a New York Times reporter comes calling. Whatever. It sounds like our shopper is there more as a tourist than a serious customer. Maybe he needed his cooler friend to help get him through the door. One day, maybe, the novelty will wear off, and the store will be open when we are in the neighborhood so we can see finally this place for ourself.

Critical Shopper: Spikes or Soles, It’s a Man’s World By Jon Caramanica (NYTimes)
Christian Louboutin Men's Store 808 Washington Street between Gansevoort & Horatio Streets, Meatpacking District

NOW OPEN: Christian Louboutin's Men's Store Set To Open Today

A month ago, The Shophound peeked into the construction site of Christian Louboutin's men's store in the Meatpacking District (pictured below) and surmised that it had a long way to go before it was ready to open unless "unless exposed cinderblock is part of the decor".

Well, so much for what we know about judging construction progress because, in fact, exposed cinderblock is part of the decor, and the store is set to open today, just in the nick of time to take advantage of Fashion Week, Fashion's Night Out and all that frenzy. The new store (at right) was designed by Eric Clough of 212box to reflect the neighborhood's gritty heritage, so instead of the plush, "inside of Jeannie's bottle look" we would expect from Louboutin, there are exposed pipes and utility conduits and even parts of the High Line railroad visible —and those cinderblocks. In fact, the store is finished with all sorts of found objects and materials from sources like the Park Avenue Armory and Paris flea markets as well as an embroidered leather wall panel from the fabled Lesage workshop. Upstairs there is a "Tattoo Parlor" which will allow inked shoppers to have one of their own (or one designed by Louboutin) tattos re-created on their new shoes by the Lesage atelier. The store sounds as eclectic as Louboutin's shoe designs, and as the Meatpacking District mix shifts to stores with a more contemporary, populist point of view, it represents the kind of pure luxury player that originally transformed the neighborhood into a shopping destination.

Christian Louboutin Brings Men's Only Store to NYC (WWD)
Christian Louboutin 808 Washington Street between Gansevoort & Horatio Streets, Meatpacking District
Previously:
Construction Sight: That Christian Louboutin Men's Store Might Take A While...

WINDS OF CHANGE: Patagonia To Bring The Outdoors To The Meatpacking District And Surf To The Bowery

The Meatpacking District's shift from high luxury to merely "upscale" is picking up steam as Outdoor specialist Patagonia will be opening a new store at 414 West 14th Street this Fall. Situated right next to the Levi's premium collection store, the spot was recently used as a Holiday pop-up store for men's online retailer Park & Bond, and though, technically, Fall begins in about six weeks (ugh), it doesn't look like much has been done to the space yet. Though Christian Louboutin's shop for his extravagant men's shoe collection is set to open soon (ish?), Patagonia is continuing the shifting trend of the neighborhood toward larger, less exclusive brands. The brand is at the high end of its category pricewise, causing outdoorsy types to refer to it as "PataGucci", even though actual Gucci customers would never confuse the two. Recent months have seen designer Stella McCartney decamp for SoHo as her shop is soon to be taken over by contemporary priced Alice + Olivia. Alexander McQueen is also constantly rumored to be looking for a more exclusive alternative location. Though any cold winter day will show you how Patagonia down jackets are wildly popular among New Yorkers, it is not quite the designer brand one would have expected to see there just a few years ago. The arrival of bigger, more popular brands like Apple and Levi's continue to have an effect on the neighborhood.

And that's not the only new Patagonia store hitting the city this Fall. In a move sure to irk the East Village's cultural preservationists, the brand has also announced that it will be taking over the space at 313 Bowery that was once known as the CBGB Gallery, an annex to the legendary Rock & Roll club that is now a John Varvatos boutique. There will be much hand wringing about how The Bowery is turning into a mall, mostly by people who clearly haven't spent much time in an actual mall. In fact, this particular store will be the chain's first East Coast Patagonia Surf store, with an interior based on the Fletcher Chouinard Designs Surfboards shop that is part of Patagonia's California base. The company promises to preserve the Bowery location's heritage, although it was never a memorable interior, and two other stores have already occupied the space since CBGB's shut down. Perhaps it is time to relax and just accept that CBGB's is gone, and keeping the spaces as a shrine won't bring it back. Things change. It's the nature of the Universe. Get a surfboard.

Bowery Gets First East Coast Patagonia Surf Store (Bowery Boogie)

CONSTRUCTION SIGHT: That Christian Louboutin Men's Store Might Take A While...

We always love it when a new store under construction leaves its door open so The Shophound can peek inside and take a quick picture. We passed by the upcoming and highly anticipated Christian Louboutin Men's Store on Washington Street over the weekend, expecting to see a soon to be finished jewel box of a shoe store.

Well, eventually that's probably what it will be. The store was announced way back in December of last year, and reasonable expectations pointed to an opening that would have happened last spring. Obviously, that didn't happen, and unless exposed cinderblock is part of the decor, we don't see this store opening before Christmas. Who knows what the holdup is? Construction in New York City can be a nightmare in the best of situations, but at the same time, sometimes things do get finished in a miraculously speedy fashion, so if the store opens next week, then what do we know?

Anyway, this is what the site looked like two days ago, and everyone's waiting, because, as we all know, there are never enough places for guys to buy sparkly sneakers and studded, leopard patterned evening slippers.

Previously:
Foot Fetish: Louboutin Men's Store To Hit Meatpacking District This Spring (10/21/2011)

MOVIN' ON UP: Yigal Azrouël Joins The Meatpacking District Exodus And Heads Uptown

Didn't seem like just yesterday that the Meatpacking District was a magnet for exclusive designer boutiques? Yet another designer has hit the 10-year mark on West 14th Street with an announcement that it was time to move on in part because of the neighborhood's changing retail mix. Yigal Azrouël will be shuttering his boutique (pictured at left) in favor not of SoHo, as has been the typical pattern, but of the more rarefied heights of Madison Avenue at 78th Street. Azrouël will open his new store in September, probably sometime around Fashion Week.

One might assume that the designer was simply escaping the inevitable rent hike that has hit Meatpacking boutiques ready to renew long-term leases, but Madison Avenue rents are not exactly at bargain rates at the moment, so the change is also a choice to move to a shopping area less likely to be invaded by national chains and lower priced stores. A representative for the designer told WWD that more recent arrivals to the Meatpacking District led by Apple brought a new wave of customers to the area who are less interested in higher-end designer boutiques. Azrouël's new store will put him in the company of longtime Madison Avenue stalwarts like Missoni, Intermix and the Carlyle Hotel as well as upcoming or more recent openings like Lisa Perry, Vince and Sandro.

So what does this mean for The Meatpacking District? Depite high profile departures like Azrouël, Stella McCartney and others, the neighborhood is still anchored by Jeffrey, one of the city's most exclusive boutiques, and designers like Moschino, Hugo Boss and Krizia. Jay Godfrey and Intermix are recent arrivals as well, and a new Christian Louboutin men's shop is on the way, but as leases come up for renewal, designers seem to to be less confident that the area will consistently bring the kind of big-spending customers that they need to sustain a thriving boutique at the elevated rents that the neighborhood's landlords are now demanding.

Yigal Azrouël Heading Uptown to Madison Ave. (WWD)