The Shophound

Pop-Up Report: Under Armour Gets Aggressive On West 57th Street

Okay, we're just going to ask, What exactly does Under Armour mean by their commanding "Protect This House" slogan? It is plastered all over the athleticwear company's Holiday pop-up shop at 3 West 57^th Street, and while it certainly sounds strong and powerful, it leaves us wondering, protect what house? -From what? -With what? Stretchy workout tops?
When we visited the store a few days ago, we were immediately greeted by an imposing, burly gentleman who swiftly asked us if we were shopping for anything in particular, or needed gift ideas. He was polite, but just a tad intimidating in a shirt that seemed fitted for a superhero. No, we, meekly replied that we were just looking, and slunk off to the racks of training gear. Under Armour, we have heard, has been growing like wildfire in popularity since it began in Baltimore less than 15 years ago. It is, we are told, technically advanced to enhance athletic performance, designed to regulate heat and perspiration to keep athletes generally comfortable so they can run faster, jump higher and score more touchdowns.
Since The Shophound does none of those things, and Under Armour has not yet developed a garment that will cut through crowds at the Barneys Warehouse Sale or get us past security at a Proenza Schouler show, we felt just a bit out of our element, or perhaps Under Armour was a bit out of its element right next door to Bergdorf Goodman. (Besides, as it is the Holiday season of Hannukah Donuts, we are not going anywhere in a stretchy top, no matter how much perspiration it wicks away.)
At any rate, our frame of reference for judging this particular store is admittedly flawed beyond reporting that it is crammed with lots of athletic clothing and shoes for Men, Women and Children, some stretchy, some marginally less so. If that is your cup of tea (or rather, bottle of electrolyte enhancing, energy boosting sports drink) then, by all means, head on over to 57^th and Fifth where you will see official uniforms for the U.S. Olympic Freestyle Ski and Bobsled Teams.
Under Armour Pop-Up Store open through January 24^th at 3 West 57^th Street at Fifth Avenue, Midtown

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.

Today In Jewels: In Which We Actually Eat Breakfast At Tiffany's

So when was the last time you saw the main floor of Tiffany & Co. looking as pleasantly free of crowds as this?
We saw it this morning when the fine folks at Tiffany invited us and and a few other media over to have breakfast in the store before the doors were opened to the Holiday hordes (Truman Capote really gave them a huge gift when he wrote that novella). It's never a burden to look at shiny, sparkly things, especially when they come with mimosas, little muffins and various other nibbles being walked around. A few choice gift items were set out for our perusal ranging from sterling silver ornaments and piggy banks to a gorgeous Jean Schlumberger pink tourmaline and diamond ring to a spectacular Frank Gehry one-of-a-kind white gold mesh bib necklace, generously scattered with rough diamonds and pearls ($750,000).
This is the kind of breakfast we could get used to.
Even the genial Tiffany execs there admitted that the store took on a serenely different atmosphere without all the daily hustle and bustle, and it was genuinely a pleasure to wander amongst the cases without anyone in our way.
Here's what else we learned:
· The Elsa Peretti collection never gets old, and looks as modern as ever. Some of her classic pieces have now been recast in a sleek, charcoal metal made from ruthenium plated copper (with a new, gentler opening price point).
· Tiffany's relationship with the Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe dates back to the 19^th century and is the longest vendor-retailer relationship on record. There is now an exclusive Patek Philippe salon tucked away on the mezzanine level including vintage museum pieces and an on-site repair studio.
· The store's famous main floor is one of the city's largest interior retail spaces constructed without any supporting columns at all.
· Nearly all of the gold Tiffany uses is tracked to a mine in Utah, avoiding sources that may finance questionable political activities overseas (such as the conflict in Congo as reported on a recent edition of "60 Minutes").
Eventually, of course, the doors had to open so the public could flood in, and as we left, we were given our own little blue bag containing a silver Tiffany keys heart key charm on a delicate chain for our time and attention. We have to admit that the store's fame and tourist-attraction quality has kept us from visiting as much as we might like. We hadn't been in the famous flagship in a while, which we regret. Once inside, we could probably spend all day looking at every single thing —so we'll be back. There's a lot to look at.
Tiffany & Co. Fifth Avenue at 57^th Street, Midtown

Madison Avenue Additions: Burberry Launches A Midtown Double Header

Today at 9 AM Burberry will double its retail presence in New York with not one but two shiny new stores on the ground floor of its newly christened American headquarters on Madison Avenue between 49^th and 50^th Streets.
You would think that two well placed boutiques in Manhattan would be enough for an international luxury brand like Burberry, but a pair of 1,500 square foot shops open and available in the building that houses its home base (coupled, no doubt, with favorably slumping retail rents in the neighborhood) proved too appealing of an opportunity to pass up. While neither shop is a flagship, each one will showcase a facet of the brand. One is devoted solely to the most popular and commercial Burberry London label, but it's the other that may attract more interest. It will feature Burberry Brit, a younger sportier label (once known in Europe as "Thomas Burberry") that has been mostly unavailable at retail in the U.S. until now, and possibly serve as a beachhead for a more expansive rollout of the collection.
We haven't been inside yet, but for the first few days, we are counting on there being lots of anxious Burberry executives on hand —mainly because their offices are right upstairs. At the very least, everyone should be on their best behavior.
Burberry Brit & Burberry London 444 Madison Avenue between 49^th and 50^th Streets, Midtown

Pop-Up Redux:eBay Returns To 57th Street —This Time For Everybody

Earlier this year, we expressed our confusion about the Pop-Up store eBay staged on West 57^th Street that never seemed to open to the public. It turns out that that was just a dry run for the Holiday shop that will open tomorrow in the same spot next to Bergdorf's. The interactive store features items pulled from eBay's top sellers representing the site's most popular searches. Items were chosen with an eye towards the sophisticated and expensive including fresh, unworn shoes from Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik, vintage designer handbags with only a hint of patina as well as shiny iPhones and a Palm Pre that we could pick up an examine without tugging a cord that would have tethered it to the shelf. Special care was taken to represent an ecologically conscious merchandising strategy for the store. Aside from the inherent benefits to the environment of buying used items, items made from organic, renewable and recycled materials were spotlighted.
While the merchandise on hand might not be available for immediate purchase, the store is full of shiny new iMacs so you can search eBay for something similar or whatever else strikes your mind.We were given a guided tour of the new store and got the chance to meet iconic designer Norma Kamali, whose exclusive eBay collection was inspired by seeing so many of her own vintage designs being sold on the site as well as items from her Walmart line being offered as soon as they had sold out in stores. Aside from creating incomparable swimwear, The esteemed Ms. Kamali is all about finding new and innovative ways to reach her customers, and eBay is looking to position itself as a primary resource for premium products, hence the conspicuous lack of Hummel and Precious Moments figurines.
The store will be open through Sunday November 29^th (except for Thanksgiving, obviously), and if you think that the idea of an eBay store where you can't take anything home is a head scratcher, then you didn't see the steady stream of customers trying to enter the store during the press preview.
Yes, folks, shopping is back.
eBay Holiday Pop-up Store through November 29^th, 3 West 57^th Street, Midtown
Previously:
Could Someone Please Explain? What Is eBay Doing On West 57^th?

Return Engagements: eBay To Return To Midtown —This Time For The Public

Earlier this year, eBay opened a pop-up store next door to Bergdorf's on West 57^th Street that was accessible only to a select invited few and then vanished amidst curiosity from the public passing by.
It turns out that it was just a tryout of sorts for another run starting on this November 20^th through the 29th. This time, the store is expected to be fully open to the public after the obligatory gala party on the evening of the 19^th. In fact, the first 100 shoppers to enter the store on Black Friday (November 27^th) will receive special "daily deal" items. The selection of merchandise on hand will reportedly include assortments from Norma Kamali’s exclusive eBay collection, L.A.M.B, Michael Kors, Dooney & Burke, Anthropologie and various cosmetics and fragrances brands. The entirety of eBay's offerings will be made available through internet kiosks and handheld tablets, while the company will match up to $200,000 spent in the store in support of various charities including Global Giving, Grammy in the Schools, Oxfam America, Right to Play, Save the Children, Share Our Strength, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Starlight, Toys for Tots, U.S. Fund for UNICEF and YouthAIDS EBay.
Fashion Scoops: eBay's Holiday Spot (WWD)
Previously:
Pop-Up Mysteries: What Is eBay Doing On West 57^th Street? part I and part II

New Additions: Zilli's Luxe Lands In Midtown

If The Shophound wasn't on our way to Los Angeles, we would scrambling over to East 57^th Street to check out Zilli's first U.S. boutique in the Four Seasons Hotel. The opulent French brand sells in only two other U.S. stores, Battaglia Shop in Beverly Hills, and Da Vinci in Scottsdale, Arizona, so it hasn't been seen in New York for quite a few years.WWD 's report suggests a glitzy store which is no surprise since dress shirts start at about $600, and leather jackets, the label's signature item, average around $11,000. Don't leave your wallet at home! We look forward to visiting next week when we get back because we need some socks and we can never think of anything to do with that extra gazillion bucks we always have lying around.
French Men's Wear Brand Zilli Opens N.Y. Flagship (WWD)
Zilli (Official Site)
Previously:
Recession? What Recession? Zilli's French Luxury To Hit Midtown ...Whether You're Ready Or Not

Flagship Alert: It's Tommy Time On Fifth Avenue

Being preoccupied with every little Fashion Week detail almost made us forget that Fifth Avenue just got a major addition: Tommy Hilfiger's 22,000 square foot brand palace on Fifth Avenue between 53^rd and 54^th Streets.
The store has been a long time coming because Hilfiger obviously had to fully gut what had been a Fortunoff store. The good news is that he has erased the garish '70's era metal and glass façade and replaced it with something more in keeping with what was left of the McKim, Mead & White building. Inside he has installed a traditionally appointed interior, with a strangely incongruous modern spiral staircase connecting the levels.
Of course, he has filled it with five floors of Tommy Hilfiger.
We'll admit that The Shophound has never been much of a Tommy fan. It's not that anything he makes is so awful, it's just that it's all so very familiar. This is nothing that others haven't been saying for decades, and, for the most part, it hasn't held Hilfiger back. Lack of fashion cred aside, Tommy is big business, and though he's had his ups and downs, he seems to be on an upswing these days, so the public has spoken. In response, he has given them a big fancy Fifth Avenue store that tourists can appreciate because it sells stuff they can easily afford. Tommy is using the high profile store to launch more expensive labels like a more deluxe women's collection, but even that pretty much tops out at bridge-level prices. Mixing in vintage items with his regular stock is another idea he has hardly originated (he also does it in his Bleecker Street store) but it does spice up the visuals on women's floors, although we're pretty sure that the Tommy Hilfiger store is not the best place to shop for vintage clothing.
On the men's floors, Hilfiger is also undertaking an upgrade, offering a special collection of suits retailing around the $1,000 mark, but again, we don't think the folks at Paul Stuart are looking over their shoulders. It seems more like a ploy to add prestige to the store than a serious repositioning of the brand. The basement has been devoted to Hilfiger Denim, and is a smaller scale recreation of the SoHo store devoted to that label complete with neon chandelier.
Overall, it's a massive Tommy statement, and, given the resurgence of tourists on Fifth Avenue, it couldn't be better timed. There are no big surprises inside, but neither are there any ill-conceived overreaches. Given the persistent struggles of more exclusive luxury retailers, Tommy's new store has made a timely appearance.
Tommy Hilfiger 681 Fifth Avenue between 53^rd and 54^th Streets, Midtown

Fashion's NIght Out: Forget The Sales, It's Drinks For Everybody!

Click images for a larger view in a new window.

Fashion's Night Out is over and we are pooped. POOPED!
If the goal of the event was to get people into stores, then in Manhattan, at least, it succeeded wildly. Every shopping area we hit was busy, and some were downright teeming with people.
We started the evening after three runway shows and three presentations, so really, we would just as soon have stayed home, but that would have been shirking our duty, and if the designers are putting in extra effort, so should we.
We began at Saks, whose main floor was packed with surprisingly dressed-up customers. The entire store felt like it was a busy Saturday in high season, with particularly concentrated crowds on the sumptuously renovated, designer laden third floor. We made our way to 7 to meet our friend DJ Aaron Elvis who was spinning for Marc by Marc Jacobs with a martini and margarita bar in tow, and the drinking was in full swing.  As we were next off to SoHo, our friends from Marc urged us stop by their Mercer Street shop where we found the designer himself in his signature kilt with more cocktails and snacks. Between Marc, Vera Wang, Costume National and Marni, that particular block was a raging party scene.
Onward to Greene Street, where we had Champagne with our friends from PHI and met Creative Director Andreas Melbostad along with star of the runways Suvi Koponen, who is lovely and tall, especially in her PHI boots. We would have happily to spend the rest of the evening there, but there was more to see. SoHo in general was buzzing, and some stores like Intermix were forced to impose velvet ropes on the sidewalk like nightclubs (which kind of defeats the purpose of the event, does it not?)
A Bathing Ape had a line wrapped around the corner of Spring Street, but that happens there every other day. The new Original Penguin store celebrated its grand opening with live models in the window, and Opening Ceremony was a madhouse. Throngs waited on the sidewalk to get in, but even if you weren't ready to face that, there were vendors on the street like Band of Outsiders' Tie Truck, selling specially priced neckwear just for the evening. Perhaps no store was better suited to the evening that Jil Sander across the street, whose first level is basically empty display space, making an easy transition to stylish downtown bar. After a quick tour through Anna Sui's elaborate Target Pop-Up on Crosby Street where models played various "Gossip Girl" characters and we were on to the final phase of our evening.
The last leg of our tour took us up to the West Village, where we meant to stop in at John Bartlett, but as his tiny store was quite full, and our feet were starting to give out, we headed up Bleecker Street where Ralph Lauren's string of shops had people flocking and Marc by Marc Jacobs was offering customers their photographs taken with models.
Finally, Raindrops began to fall as the Meatpacking District loomed. Adam by Adam Lippes had a lounge-y vibe and giant searchlights rotating at the front door. Theory's huge flagship was packing them in and taking orders for young designer accessory lines, and Jeffrey had a crush at the door that was surely brought on by rumors of Hugh Jackman. Did we stick around? No. Could we have gotten if we had? Probably not, but our feet were thanking us for turning homeward as we passed the door lines at Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen at 10 PM.
Did the event translate into sales? We don't exactly know yet, but what we do know is that retailers and designers have learned that they now need to do more than just hang up the clothes and open their doors to get customers back shopping again, and open bars don't hurt.

Mike Albo Goes Shopping: An Educated Consumer Edition

The Critical Shopper column moves ahead in today's Thursday Styles even as The New York Times' Public Editor hangs on the The JC Penney debacle (Last week featured readers' criticisms of his criticism of the original criticism. Even we are weary of it.) This week Mike Albo is faced with Syms, the veteran off priced retailer best remembered by many for their hokey homemade TV advertisements featuring Sy Syms and his daughter Marcy, who remains the company's CEO.
Mike is in a particularly misanthropic mood this week, lamenting the probability that he will never be able to afford a particular brown, Helmut Lang Suit he has been fixated on for several years. Unfortunately, Syms is not the place to solve that problem. What Mike discovers is that while Syms is full of discounts, most of its bargains are far from anything he would be interested in. Most of Syms' menswear, he discovers, is fairly innocuous, middle-of-the-road business fare, something that is strangely alien to our shopper.

I grabbed a $199 sport coat in a blue check by Hart Schaffner Marx, but it was so boxy I looked like David Byrne in the Talking Heads.

Of course, The Shophound remembers shopping at Syms years and years ago, when a bit of free time and a finely honed instinct could unearth all sorts of gems, but since then, as the number of off price retailers has expanded exponentially, the real finds have become fewer and further between –shuttled to designers' own outlets and spread over an ever increasing network of store branches.
When it becomes clear that Syms had nothing to offer Mike's urbane, downtown sensibilities, he shifts his focus from the store to its customers, singling out poor, henpecked Cyril, whose shrill wife apparently shrieked for him from all corners of the store.

She was here to find clothes for her husband. I knew this, as did the entire second floor, because her voice blasted through the rows of clothes like a tropical storm. Behind her was Cyril, a stout, round man, pulling up his pants. A grimace was permanently etched into his face.

Not every shopping trip can be a dream come true.
Critical Shopper | Syms: Cubicle-Ready, With an Eye on the Budget by Mike Albo (NYTimes)
Syms 400 Park Avenue at 54th Street, Midtown, and other locations