Condomania Packs Up Its Prophylactics

Well, we hate to gloat (not really) but we asked the question exactly six months ago, and it turns out that Condomania's days were numbered. RACKED tells us that the first condom store's doors are, sadly, now shut after a 16 year run, though they will be looking for a newer location with an affordable rent. We can't say that they were ever one of the chic-er stores in the city, or one of our favorites (like we would ever admit it if it were!) but they had an audaciously novel concept with a genuinely admirable social purpose. Everybody should have a shame-free, user-friendly place to buy condoms, lube and various other accessories you might need in the bedroom. It is yet another sign that Bleecker Street's skyrocketing rents are destined to drive out every independent store that gave the thoroughfare it's unique character.
Discontinued: Condomania on Bleecker Closed (RACKED)

Miguelina's Bleecker Bow

Pushing Eastward on Bleecker, Miguelina Gambaccini has opened the first boutique for her ten-year-old label on the corner of West 10th Street. The former home of Details home furnishings has been whitewashed and brightened to provide an appropriate home for Miguelina's ultra feminine contemporary line. It is bound to be be the new go-to destination for those ruffly camisoles needed for topping skinny jeans. The current assortment leans heavily towards the beach with bright, gauzy crepes and plenty of the season's trendy eyelet, You will be able to wear these clothes if Spring actually happens this year, as we see the midday temperature is 36˚ today on April 9, and we had hoped to have put away out down jacket by now. 36˚!.  Some of the looks fall just this side of lingerie, so tread lightly. Footwear so far appears to be limited to strappy, flat sandals. Frankly, it's not exactly cutting edge, but the store features lots of the sort of casual frills that continue to be popular (for now at least). Hopefully, the staff will be a bit less aloof when you visit.
Miguelina 347 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village

Would You Like Fries With That?

We thought we might just ignore the Bowery Whole Foods because, well, what more could we add, and it's already the fourth one in the city with more to come. Can we be expected to report on every new Gap that opens? Then we went in, and it seems like they just keep getting better and better. We have heard much about the high-tech Cheese Cave, and the upstairs complex of cafés beats the cramped dining area at Columbus Circle while improving on the annoying bi-level arrangement at Union Square, but there's really only one thing that made our hearts leap.
French Fries.
They have a hot, fresh hand cut pommes frites stand right in the store, and somehow manage to run it without making half the store smell like a greasy spoon. Naturally, There are a full complement of dipping sauces and exotic salts, and they do cost a bit more than the ones at McDonald's, but yum.
Of course, you have to eat them right away, most likely in the upstairs cafe or walking across Houston Street, but since the store is newly opened, you can usually count on an extra abundance of samples throughout the place at least for a few more weeks.
Including fries.
Whole Foods Market 95 East Houston Street, Lower East Side

Barnes & Noble Ditches Astor Place

Oh, the irony! The store that has been credited with driving away most of the independent bookstores in the city is being driven out itself! Barnes & Noble has confirmed that they will be closing their Astor Place store by the end of the year due to an increasingly high rent.
It seems hard to imagine that they couldn't hang on in the middle of NYU territory, but Amazon must be taking a bigger bite out of their business than we thought. Who can compete with no tax and free Super Saver Shipping? Apparently, not Barnes & Noble.
This leaves a big multi-level retail space available in a highly desirable location, but if a giant like Barnes & Noble can't bear the overhead, who can?
Might this be a good address for, oh, we don't know, maybe a Topshop? We're just sayin'...

Astor Pl. Bookstore in Noble Defeat (NY Post) via RACKED

Marc Jacobs Makes Us Chuckle

The Shophound loves a designer with a sense of humor.
This is the best beach tote we have seen so far, found at the Marc by Marc Jacobs accessories store on Bleecker Street. It reads "Jacobs by Marc Jacobs for Marc by Marc Jacobs in Collaboration with Marc Jacobs for Marc by Marc Jacobs". Is that a third line or a fourth one?
What's the best part about it?
It costs twelve bucks, only at Marc Jacobs stores, of course.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Accessories
385 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village

Horacio Goes Shopping: Breaking Out to Brooklyn Edition

Well, it's about time that Horacio Silva got himself out of the Lower East Side. This week's Critical Shopper trekked all the way to Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill to check out Hollander & Lexer's men's sportswear boutique. While we applaud his broadening of horizons, we must take issue with a few of his opinions.
First of all, he describes it as "a store in a neighborhood that desperately needs a style lift". While Boerum Hill has not reached the hipster heights (or depths depending on your point of view) of Williamsburg, it is hardly a backwater. In fact, just down the block is Butter, a boutique as chic as any in Manhattan. H&L may be the only men's boutique in the neighborhood (so far) but, its success suggests that more may be coming soon.
Next, in the sidebar, he describes the the staff as  "incredibly friendly and heavily mascaraed". They were in fact quite welcoming, but they must have left their Maybelline at home because we didn't detect any Great Lash action, and Horacio's implication is misleading. This store has its own brand of theatricality, but Patricia Field it is not. In fact the interior is creepy mostly because of the moody lighting which is not really represented well in the Times' photos. This unfortunately makes it difficult to see the goods, which is too bad, because while it's true the same labels can be found at Odin and Barney's Co-Op, Hollander & Lexer has its own point of view, and mixes its brands with an eye towards vintage inspired casual looks. Emphasizing the point, the merchandise is arranged by theme and color rather than brand. While the labels aren't exclusive, Hollander & Lexer makes a good addition to Brooklyn's other fashion minded men's stores like Oak which  is great, because there is no Barneys Co-Op in Brooklyn.
Critical Shopper: The Clothes Closet at the Mad Scientist’s by Horacio Silva (NYTimes)
Hollander & Lexer 358 Atlantic Avenue (between Bond and Hoyt Streets), Boerum Hill, Brooklyn

More Meatpacking Action: Iris & Ports 1961

And progress marches on. Italian shoe manufacturer Iris has announced that they will take on the giant shoe department at Jeffrey and open their first American store at 827 Washington Street between Gansevoort and Little West 12th Streets. No idea who they are? Not surprising because they produce shoes under license for Chloé (pictured), Marc Jacobs, John Galliano and other major designers, all of which will be included in the new shop. The location was chosen for its proximity to the proposed downtown branch of The Whitney Museum of American Art, though knowing the Whitney's track record with proposed expansions, we will believe that one when we see it being built.
Around the corner at 3 Ninth Avenue, Canada's Ports 1961 will re-enter the retail business in the U.S. with a boutique, leading us to believe that in the very near future, that stinky meatpacking smell will be gone from the neighborhood. Since the area has been irrevocably changed, that's probably a good thing in the end.

The Shophound on RACKED

Don't miss our reviews of Via Bus Stop and 202 on the new blog, RACKED, cause we know you've got plenty more time to kill until the boss comes around again.

Loehmann's Uptown is Open

The much talked-about uptown branch of Loehmann's has opened its doors this week. Most recently a supermarket, the basement of The Ansonia Building was once home to The Continental Baths, where Bette Midler famously got her start, and later the sex club Plato's Retreat. There's no sign of the space's scandalous past in this antiseptic branch of the famous off-price retailer. Sadly, we are not even treated to the stores infamous ad campaign featuring off-duty gay porn stars. What we do get is a smaller, much tidier version if Chelsea's multi-level flagship.

More Designer Collaborations: Doo.Ri, Thakoon & Rodarte Hit the Gap

In its continuing search for direction, the Gap is adding some more exclusive designer lines. The Daily reports that Thakoon, Rodarte by Kate and Laura Mulleavy and Doo.Ri will be designing limited edition collections based on the classic white shirt. While we can never get enough of these collaborations, we have to wonder if they are starting to become commonplace. This will be Thakoon's second after last season's Nine West collection. Still, they have become a valuable way for struggling young designers to support their more luxurious main collections as well as gain valuable exposure for their names. The collections will run in tandem with Gap's upcoming "white shirt" campaign, though we have no official word as to when the merchandise will become available, or what sorts of items the will include. Gap's collection with Roland Mouret from last fall caused a frenzy in London, although it's highly limited Stateside debut was muted. We will be interested to see if they can regain some luster with this strategy. They designers chosen have all been CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund runners up or winners, and the magazine's Meredith Melling Burke and Virginia Smith (wife of upcoming Target designer collaborator Patrick Robinson) will be hosting a party to celebrate the event later this month.
Hot Button Shirts: Gap teams up with Doo.Ri, Rodarte, Thakoon (The Daily) via Racked

UPDATE: WWD reports that the collections, called Gap Design Editions, consisting of white shirts, will be available on April 17th at only 100 larger Gap stores (presumably including Fifth Avenue stores in Midtown and Flatiron neighborhoods, and Herald Square). The designers won't be identified on the label, but will appear in the ads which were shot by celebrated photographers Inez van Lansweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. The items will retail from $68 to $88. Ironically, Doo-Ri Chung is also working on a special wedding dress project with J.Crew, where she is being mentored by CEO Millard "Mickey" Drexler (a former Gap CEO) as part of her CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize.
Latest Designer Link: Gap Taps Young Talent (WWD)

Photographs by Inez van Lansweerde and Vinoodh Matadin for Gap