Long Awaited Openings:Ports 1961 Finally Launches

There are so many store openings during Fashion Week that it will take a bit of time for us to cover them all, but we did put Ports 1961's new Meatpacking District boutique on the top of our list. After all, we have been expecting this shop to open for almost a year. Apparently, merging the newly built section of the boutique with the older building on the corner took a bit more time than anyone expected, but the shop is now finished and open for business at the windy convergence of Ninth Avenue, Gansevoort and Little West 12th Streets.
The airy, skylit space is now featuring the Spring collection designed by Tia Cibani, who has moved the Ports brand from a classic sportswear label to a much more adventurous fashion house with a growing editorial and retail following. On the shelves inside, we even found some of the fantasy hats by Karen Henriksen from the Spring runway show (pictured below), for anyone in search of a woven straw spiral to perch atop one's head. Chapeaux aside, Ports is now a slightly less expensive alternative to the Pradas and Jil Sanders of the world with plenty of sophistication. Currently, the interior is graced with sculptures from the Berlin Artist Mathias Hornung, and, even more importantly, when we visited, there was a big bowl of candies from La Maison du Chocolat in the center of the store, which were delicious with the champagne we were offered.
Could you possibly need any more encouragement to visit?
Go, before the chocolate is gone.
Ports 1961 3 Ninth Avenue at Gansevoort Street, Meatpacking District