SHOE STORY: England's Kurt Geiger To Take Tommy's Bleecker Street Store

When one of Tommy Hilfiger's more recent attempts at trading up fizzled, it left a particularly charming storefront at 375 Bleecker Street available. It spent some time last year as a temporary launch pad for Karl Lagerfeld's latest diffusion line, and recent walks past the location have revealed that it will soon be the permanent home to British shoe band Kurt Geiger. Not unlike the Duchess of Cambridge's favorite L.K. Bennett, the brand is upscale but not irrationally expensive, so it makes sense to find it there as more and more contemporary labels find their way to the West Village. This will be Kurt Geiger's third U.S. store after units in Costa Mesa and San Francisco, California opened last year, with many more reported to follow. What took the venerable English brand (which will turn 50 this year)  to long to come to America? We're guessing that it has something to the fact that it was purchased in 2011 by the American apparel conglomerate now known as The Jones Group. After all, why would an American corporation want to own a big overseas brand without taking advantage of the huge market at home? Of course, importing a popular brand from across the Atlantic is not always a home run. The Shophound can think of other ambitious imports that failed to crack the American consumer's taste, but trendy shoes and accessories hardly seem like a tough sell these days. We have no opening date for Kurt Geiger yet, but it has started advertising for staff, so we are guessing it will be open well in advance of Spring.

Kurt Geiger (Official Site)

WAREHOUSE FLASH: Barneys Next Warehouse Sale Starts On Valentine's Day

It will be a bittersweet Valentine's Day next month when Barneys kicks off its final Warehouse Sale in what will soon no longer be the Chelsea Co-op store. Our friends at Racked have been speculating that this may be the last Warehouse Sale ever. We hate to step on anyone's spin, but we are pretty sure that yesterday's WWD article that confirmed the closure of the Chelsea location was pretty specific that after next month's sale, another one was planned "in a new location one block away in August or September".
So, let's all just take a deep breath and stop worrying if the seasonal sale will continue, and start speculating about where it will continue. That's more fun anyway, right? Metropolitan Pavilion? Some other warehouse space in Chelsea? Who knows?

So far, we have no official word on whether the store will repeat the online component of the sale from last season which ran in advance of the traditional event. Followers will remember that prices were reduced at periodic intervals online in the same way they do at the main sale, and saved shoppers a lot of standing in line and uncivilized elbow checks. So far, Barneys' own Warehouse Sale site has not yet been updated, so we don't have complete dates, but, as always, we will keep watching.

*SALE HUNT* Barneys Warehouse Sale (Mizhattan)
The Barneys Warehouse Sale Has a Date (But Will It Be the Last?) (Racked)
Barneys Warehouse Sale (Official Site)
Previously:
Coming & Going: Barneys Co-op Officially Closing In Chelsea, But A Downtown Flagship Could Be In the Works

BACK FROM THE DEAD: Bettie Page Clothing Makes Its Bowery Debut

The Shophound can't help pondering whether or not the iconic 1950s pin-up Bettie Page, if she were still alive, would be especially thrilled to see that The Bowery is where a sizable store bearing her name and image has opened. After all, in her day, the Bowery was not a place where respectable people went shopping or even where people who posed for racy fetish pictures, like Ms. Page did, would want to spend any amount of time.

Of course, we know that the Bowery has changed, and Bettie Page Clothing, which opened late last year in a gleaming modern building, is flanked by the luxury boutique Blue & Cream and Daniel Boulud's DBGB restaurant. Patricia Field is only a stone's throw away as are John Varvatos' and Billy Reid's boutiques, so she is now in good company. What we wondered as we strolled through the store was how Ms. Page, who died in 2008, managed to create an 11-unit dress chain? Well, it turns out that Bettie Page is one of the wealthiest dead celebrities, with an estate that reaps several million dollars a year in royalties. There are Bettie Page Lingerie, Swimwear and Shoe lines along with a healthy business in prints, photos and even a line of erotic fiction. Fortunately for the late model and erstwhile Christian missionary, she eventually found her way to reputable licensing representation during the 1990s, though she lived much of her post-modeling life troubled and penniless before she discovered that she had become a cult figure.

So what to make of Bettie Page Clothing today? The brainchild of one Tatyana Khomyakova, the store does not, as one might expect, trade in the kind of fetish gear that made its namesake so infamous. It actually offers reproductions of the kind of 1950s-style clothes Ms. Page might have worn off-duty —Think of what Dita von Teese might wear offstage if she didn't have the money for couture (Bettie Page dresses retail in the $150 to $200 range). The store does its best to recreate a vintage dress shop feeling without all the musty patina —tidy but not luxurious or slick. In a weird sort of disconnect, brand-new old fashioned mannequins wear pristine thrift shop dresses available in multiple sizes on the racks a few steps away. In case you don't recognize the novelty aspect of the store, the staff is in full costume, dressed head to toe in current merchandise, and if they can't pull off Ms. Page's signature bangs, they are encouraged to sport beehives or some other elaborate 50s hairstyle. The store is cheery with a  relatively wholesome atmosphere, although there is a bit of officially sanctioned Bettie Page memorabilia here and there. If you didn't know who Page really was, you might think she was some kind of raven haired Donna Reed. As for East Village New Yorkers, who have been mining the 1950s for authentic vintage apparel since the days of "Desperately Seeking Susan", we can't see them being too impressed with ersatz nostalgia-wear despite its licensed pedigree. Of course, we all know that such stores aren't necessarily aimed at the locals. Consider it a part of the extended New York City theme park created expressly for tourists. Thanks, Mayor Bloomberg!

Bettie Page Clothing 303 Bowery between Houston & East 1st Streets, East Village

COMING & GOING: Barneys Co-op Officially Closing In Chelsea, But A Downtown Flagship Could Be In the Works

As Barneys confirms that its Co-op store in Chelsea, its first outside a flagship store, will be closing after next month's Warehouse Sale, the retailer also reveals that it is actively looking for all sorts of retail opportunities in downtown Manhattan including a perennially rumored second Manhattan flagship location. According to today's WWD, a multitude of options are up in the air concerning Barneys' retail plans for New York. The Co-op on West 18th Street will close not because it is underperforming but because the lease is up and the landlord is planing extensive renovations that will require all tenants to vacate. The upcoming Warehouse Sale (no official dates yet) will be the last in the location, but it is expected to continue on in another location nearby in August or September.

What happens next remains a big question. The store's official statement to WWD is,

“While we have no immediate plans to replace the Chelsea store downtown, we believe that there remains significant opportunity for Barneys in downtown Manhattan to replace and expand upon this store closing, and our historic business, and are continuing to look at multiple real estate options for the medium to long term,”

—which could mean almost anything. A full flagship, including a Co-op department would require at least 100,000 square feet, and probably more to make the kind of statement New Yorkers expect from Barneys, which is not especially easy to find anywhere in Manhattan let alone in the kind of shopping neighborhoods where one expects to find a luxury store. A Co-op might be easier to place, and more of a priority, since this closing leaves the SoHo Co-op as the only one downtown, and that location does not include Men's apparel at all, as the Chelsea unit did.

Barneys has been in retrenchment mode over the past couple of years, shedding underperforming branch stores in both the flagship and Co-op divisions, but it remains successful in big cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. A new Manhattan store could strengthen the chain in a market where it already has an established customer base and brand loyalty —the question is exactly where it would be? It's worth noting that Barneys had established itself as a tony store on Seventh Avenue and 17th Street during the 1970s and 80s, a time when Chelsea was not yet seen as a particularly luxurious or desirable neighborhood. In fact, the store played a major role in Chelsea's gentrification. Is Barneys still daring enough to once again become a single destination in a less glamorous part of downtown Manhattan (if there are any left) or has corporate ownership made it more cautious and conservative? Hopefully, we'll find out before Chelsea has to go for too long without one of its most popular stores —and most convenient and reliably decent rest rooms.

Barneys New York Looking for Downtown Flagship? By Sharon Edelson (WWD)

COAST TO COAST: Civilianaire Heads Back East to Houston Street

Last year, when The Shophound was traipsing around Los Angeles, we discovered, Civilianaire, the denim and workwear store that stood out to us in a city crammed to the gills with denim and workwear stores. At the time, we mused that the concept could easily be transported to downtown New York. Well, last weekend, as if by magic, Civilianaire opened it's first New York store on the corner of East Houston and Mott Streets. After we pondered for a while about what other useful wishes we should publish here on our, apparently, enchanted blog, we took a jaunt down to NoLita to see if we would be as charmed by the store on a chilly January afternoon in New York as we were on a balmy May afternoon on West Third Street in L.A.

It turns out that Civilianaire has transported itself quite well. The spare interior with its peg-board walls and vintage pendant lights feels well replicated and the clothes look just as bright and appealing as we remembered. While the general concept of faux heritage brand, vintage-inspired jeans and casualwear is, as we have pointed out in the past, not remarkably novel at this point, the trick at Civilianaire is in the execution, which means basically it's all a matter of taste. As it happens, the brand comes form the team that created Lucky Jeans before selling it to the company formerly known as Liz Claiborne Inc, and the vintage inspiration is in a related vein. While there is nothing new about a pair of classic five-pocket selvedge denim jeans, it's the choice of which particular bolts of Japanese denim to use, including brick red, olive and light blue, that makes their jeans look appealing. The same goes for the classic khakis and checked shirts, and the whole line looks fresh and accessible without veering into banality.

As we had stopped by on one of the store's first days with an open door, there was the expected extra bit of attention from the staff, but, to their credit, they weren't oppressive or overeager. They were extra-quick to let me know that everything in the store was made in California, an increasingly salient selling point these days. Though the store is still without the oversized signs that mark its west coast siblings, a steady flow of customers seemed to indicate some early success for Civilianaire on this coast. We won't be surprised to see another outpost or two around town before long. And while we're at it, world peace and a winning Powerball ticket would be awesome as well —just puttin' it out there.

Civilianaire 53-55 Houston Street at Mott Street, NoLita

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Christian Louboutin, Naeem Khan, Reem Acra, Dolce & Gabbana, Paul Smith, Gucci, Prada, Zero + Maria Cornejo, Fratelli Rossetti, Z Zegna

Here is your weekly sampling of some of the brands you can expect to find on the bigger online Flash Sale Sites this week. You should click over to the sites themselves for a full schedule of events, and be sure to check for the correct start time for each sale. Happy clicking!

GILT GROUPE

Trovata, AG Adriano Goldschmeid, Cnthia Rowley/Ali Ro, White + Warren, Joie/7 for all Mankind Shoes, Christian Louboutin, Tracy Reese, Amrapali & Aishwarya Fine Jewelry, VBH. Reem Acra/Naeem Khan, Velvet by Graham & Spencer, Freeze 24-7, Paul Smith, Puma, Vince, JD Fisk, Joseph Abboud, Hook + Albert, Jack Spade, Dolce & Gabbana, White Collar Style —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Giorgio Armani, Adrienne Vittadini, Da-Nang, Peacock Alley, Via Spiga, Ella Moss, Puma, Botkier, Lafayette 148, Kate Spade, DL1961, JPK Paris75, KEEN, John Varavatos, Junk Food, Ravenswood Wine, LAGOS,, Cosabella, Diane von Furstenberg Home, Versace, D.L. & Co., Sferra, Fratelli Rossetti, DKNY Jeans, Sue Wong, Marc by Marc Jacobs —join HERE

BELLE & CLIVE

Rebecca Minkoff, Inhabit, Clarins, Jimmy Choo, Notte by Marchesa, Prada, Joseph Abboud, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Proenza Schouler, Badgley Mischka, Tadashi Shoji, Hugo Boss, Tod's, Sigerson Morrison, ABS by Allen Schwartz, Z Zegna Aishwarya —join HERE

IDEELI

Gucci, Franco Sarto, ABS by Allen Schwartz, Dlan & Rose, Spode & Portmeiron, Cluny, Kathy Hilton, MIA—join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Laura Geller Beuty, Hugo Boss, Nixon Watches, Steve Madden/Bebe, Booty Parlor, Perfect Pumps, Appaman, PUR Cashmere, Joe's Jeans, BCBG Max Azria, Kenneth Jay Lane, NuFACE, Kenneth Cole, Amrita Singh, Kosta Boda, Koolaburra, Maui & Sons, Kensie, Cullen, Gorjana, Sole Bicycles —join HERE

MY HABIT

John Varvatos, Tretorn, Invicta Watches, Chloé Shoes, Megan Park, Falchi by Falchi Handbags, Patagonia, Suzi Chin, Kalorik, Penny Stock, Gucci, Zero + Maria Cornejo, Pour La Victoire, Forte Cashmere, GEOX Boots, Burberry, Pringle of Scotland, Dolce Vita —join HERE

VENTE PRIVEE

Giorgio Armani, 2XIST, Rivka Friedman, Raffi Cashmere —join HERE

DRAWN OUT DEBUTS: Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent Hits The Sales Floors

If the proof is in the pudding, then the pudding is being served.
There was no Critical Shopper column in yesterday's Thursday Styles, but Eric Wilson made his way around town looking for the first deliveries of Hedi Slimane's newly re-conceived Saint Laurent prêt-à-porter collection for the Times' On the Runway blog. What did he find? a $1000 men's hoodie and a smattering of hyper-expensive women's clothes at Barneys, but the best representation is naturally at the newly redubbed Saint Laurent boutique on East 57th Street which, in a symbolic, but somewhat belated update, finally shed the long defunct "Rive Gauche" logo from its storefront in favor of Slimane's new logo. There, shoppers will be offered an array of new bags with discreet embossed logos and some women's accessories. Wilson had little to say about any of the women's pre-collection that may have been delivered. The much commented upon runway collection will arrive in mid-March, which is ridiculously late by modern designer retail standards. In fact, pre-collections should have been arriving in November, but we are pretty certain that Slimane did not want his line to mingle with predecessor Stefano Pliati's final YSL efforts in any way, and he is hoping that customers will be eager to get their hands on his new line no matter when it arrives in stores. That may be something of an ambitious hope even for such a celebrated but relatively untested women's designer. Women, and men, will buy when they feel like buying, and if your line isn't ready in time, it's your loss. Ask any designer who has suffered through a late delivering season. Anyway, for women there are new shoes and a few signature "Smoking" looks, and for men, more new apparel that recalls the designer's previous stint at Dior Homme. Wilson notes that with the Dior Homme boutique only a few doors away, the similarities don't necessarily reflect well on Slimane, but he may have evolved his aesthetic just a bit, "...a classic navy suit for men ($2,195), beautifully made, was not tailored quite as aggressively as it might once have been at Dior," he writes. Perhaps, then, there's hope for his menswear fans who don't want to have to skip dinner to fit into the new Saint Laurent?

A First Look at Saint Laurent in the Stores By Eric Wilson (On the Runway/NYTimes)
Saint Laurent Paris (Official Site)

THAT WAS FAST: A Gallery Bumped Rag & Bone Off Madison Avenue

So here's a surprise.
The much heralded Rag & Bone boutique at 909 Madison Avenue at 73rd Street has quietly closed. Our friends at RACKED tell us that the high-profile store, meant to be an uptown flagship for the brand, is now being prepared for a new tenant, the three level Dominique Lévy gallery.

Why the short lease for such a prominent store? Co-founder David Neville told Racked that the store only had a one-year Pop-Up lease and was always intended to be temporary.
Really?
Funny how that detail was never released in the copious amounts of press coverage that accompanied the store's opening a year ago. for the record, it certainly didn't look like a pop-up, but those terms has become much more fluid lately. For example, Christian Dior's "temporary" men's store in SoHo recently became permanent —to the surprise of just about nobody. Perhaps this was the same situation in reverse in which case the lease was intended to be extended if the store performed well enough. It's hard to imagine that the company, which just received major new investment this month, is in any sort of trouble, since it is rapidly expanding its retail network all over the country and remains a favorite in stores. In fact, according to Neville, the brand is still looking for a permanent spot in the Madison Avenue area.

Rag & Bone on Madison Avenue Mysteriously Shutters (RACKED NY)

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Zac Posen, Miu Miu, Jill Stuart, Giambattista Valli, Luciano Barbera, Steven Alan, Canali, Topman, Frette, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tibi

Here is your weekly sampling of some of the brands you can expect to find on the bigger online Flash Sale Sites this week. You should click over to the sites themselves for a full schedule of events, and be sure to check for the correct start time for each sale. Happy clicking!

GILT GROUPE

Z-Spoke by Zac Posen, Corso Como, Pour La Victoire, ASH, Antik Batik, Sea Cashmere, Miu Miu, Heirloom Jewels, Jill Stuart, Alex + Alex, Judith Leiber, Karen Walker Sunglasses, M. Patmos, Hanii Y, Furla, Cynthia Rowley, Belle by Sigerson Morrison, Boutique 9, Milly, Giambattista Valli —join HERE

GILT MAN

Luciano Barbera, A.G. Jeans, Garrett Leight Sunglasses, Tommy HIlfiger, Canali, Topman, Steven Alan, J. Lindeberg, Façonnable, Gloverall, Parke & Ronen, John Varvatos, Triwa Watches —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Frette, Sperry Top-Sider, Hervé Chapelier, Meira T, Joseph Abboud, Shae, Andrew Marc, Christopher Blue, Majorica, Final Sales, Salvartore Ferragamo —join HERE

BELLE & CLIVE

Salvatore Ferragamo, Suzi Chin, Nicole Miller, Jimmy Choo, Greylin, Vince Camuto, Fendi, Gucci, Kelsi Dagger, Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger, John Varvatos ★ USA —join HERE

IDEELI

Prada, Laura Ashley, JB by Julie Brown, Lovestitch, Swiss Legend, Body Wrap, Jil Sander, Nine West, D&G, Reed & Barton, Yasb, Vintage Havana —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Tory Burch, Portolano, Thomas Dean, Vince, Absorba, Muubaa, Mara Hoffman, Pendleton, Erica Anenberg, NutraLuxe MD, Diesel, Tibi, 525 America, Jessica Simpson,  Cynthia Vincent, Charriol, Buffalo/Nautica, Izunami, BB Dakota, Nine West —join HERE

MY HABIT

Puma, Unaluna, Seavees, Catherine Malandrino, Dr. Martens, Vince Camuto, Gucci, Vince Camuto, Vera Wang, SEE by Chloé, DV by Dolce Vita, Pink Tartan, Steven Alan, Ksubi, Halston Heritage, Hickey Freeman, Alexander McQueen, Lacoste, Pierre Balmain, Mezlan, Florsheim by Duckie Brown, Kenneth Cole —join HERE

VENTE PRIVEE

Salvetti, Theory, Versace, New Balance, Pajar  —join HERE

RUMOR MILL: Is Barneys' Co-op In Chelsea Ready To Pack It In?

Is it the end for Barney's Co-op in Chelsea? The New York Post and Racked are reporting on rumors that once this season's warehouse sale is over, the branch will not re-open to resume its normal activity as it has in season's past. Of course these speculations have been followed by trails of comments on Racked from those who claim to have known this for months, but rumors about Barneys have been unreliable in general in recent years, including some which emphatically insisting that the Warehouse Sale was being phased out, or that there were imminent plans for a new, full line Barneys store in the Meatpacking District.

What happens to the Chelsea Co-op remains to be seen. If our memory serves, it was the first location opened when Barneys decided to expand the Co-op brand from its denim and contemporary departments to its own offshoot chain. At the time, it was heralded as a return to Chelsea for the retailer which only a few years earlier was forced to close its original flagship store about a block away at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Seventeenth Street. Since then, it may have been eclipsed by a busier women's only units in SoHo, and an expansive two-level version in Cobble Hill, but it has always seemed to serve its sophisticated Chelsea and West Village clients well despite having to shut down for weeks at a time to host the Warehouse sale.
Barney's current management has not shown themselves to be particularly sentimental about the store's past, so it is not entirely unbelievable that the store might be shuttered, but that would leave a few questions such as: Would it be moved to a newer, more favorable location like the nearby Meatpacking District? What would happen to the Warehouse Sale? Would it move to a better location with more room, and would it still have such a conveniently accessible rest room?

The Warehouse Sale typically happens about a month from now —in fact, an announcement should be coming any day now. As for the fate of the Chelsea store, Barneys management isn't commenting. Make of that what you will.

A thread thrashin’ (NYPost second item via Racked)