RENOVATION ANTICIPATION: Bergdorf Goodman Raises Its Jewelry Game

The main floor at Bergdorf Goodman will be a construction zone for a while as a major overhaul continues through next year, but the first phase of the revamp has been unveiled (mostly). Not only does it consolidate the store's somewhat scattered jewelry display into a coherent salon, but it aligns the store with its immediate neighbors like Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels as a major player among the city's purveyors of precious baubles. While the previous arrangement which interspersed the handbag and jewelry offerings made for an entertaining meander through the main floor, it wasn't the most efficient format for selling either category, and specifically lacked the kind of intimacy expected from major jewel purchasers. Consolidating jewelry into the 57th Street side of the floor is a more conventional arrangement but gives the department a new potency that will be emphasized with a redesigned entryway and façade on that side of the store that will actually eliminate the large display windows in favor of smaller windows more suited to  jewelry. New plywood covering the ongoing construction (pictured below) shows the updated exterior design which will mimic 58th Street's main entrance. Despite its heavy traffic, the 57th street entryway was actually considered the store's "back door", but now that West 57th Street in being developed, for better or worse, into a "Millionaire's Row" of extravagant luxury towers, an upgrade seems to be in order. 
But back inside, the new Jewel Salon quietly opened over this past weekend revealing a 1930's French Moderne-inspired interior featuring a pearl-gray based palette that will eventually extend throughout the main floor. Now set off from the bustle of the rest of the floor, the new salon has a more hushed ambiance, but still has its share of visual excitement with a pair of  glittery, starburst chandeliers and paneled walls with beveled edges that recall gemstone cuts. Hexagonal display pieces also subtly allude to the shapes of the stones they contain. Another addition less apparent to the casually browsing customers is a private viewing room, a mainstay of the highest-end jewelers, for exceptional clients and special trunk show events. 
The new salon is only the first element of the store's elaborate "2020 Vision" plan which will include more renovations throughout the store and eventually allow it to capture two more floors of selling space as executive offices and other behind-the-scenes facilities are moved into an adjacent building next door on 58th Street. The whole project is meant to position the store for the future. "Timelessness is a very important mantra for us will all of our design decisions," senior vice president, women’s fashion and store presentation director Linda Fargo tells WWD, "What we do today in my lifetime is not going to be touched again for a long time. With something like a main floor, my feeling is this is definitely going to have to last another 20 years.”

Bergdorf Goodman Unveils Updated Jewelry Salons (WWD)

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: John Varvatos, Michael Bastian & Vintage from What Goes Around Comes Around Headline This Week's Sales

The Sample Sale scene  may be lightening up just a bit as the Holidays approach, but there are still plenty to keep bargain shoppers busy this week including the inevitable last minute entries that pop up for a day or two. The big events this week come courtesy of 260SampleSale  which is fully booked through the weekend.

At the home base at 260 Fifth Avenue, the denim and contemporary triple header of EQUIPMENT, JOIE & CURRENT/ELLIOTT starts today through Saturday the 19th making its now familiar seasonal appearance promising tons of jeans and casual wear just in time for the Holiday season.

Down at 151 Wooster Street, JOHN VARVATOS has shifted venues for his seasonal sale. This time around the initial discount promised is a whopping 80% off which is tough to beat but also suggests that there should be an abundance of goods to last through a 6-day sale. No word on whether the the John Varvatos ★ USA diffusion label will be included, but the main collection should be well represented.

A few more blocks downtown at 43 Wooster Street, Vintage specialists WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND are also staging their big clearance through Sunday. Flyers are promising pre-owned merchandise from a glittery list of coveted labels like Chanel, Vuitton, Dior, Hermès, but the best bargains might be found among the slightly less illustrious labels as well as the retailer's own private label vintage-inspired clothing line. Look for a big assortment of vintage leathers and furs as well.

Among the smaller independent designer sales, JONATHAN SIMKHAI will be offering his women's designer collection starting tomorrow through Friday the 18th in the garment district, and VERONICA BEARD will be doing the same in the Flatiron District on Thursday and Friday. The Beard sisters-in-law are promising umm to 70% off collections from 2015 and previous seasons.

Finally, on Friday, menswear favorite MICHAEL BASTIAN will be opening his showroom for the weekend featuring his signature luxury clothing and sportswear. Typically, that includes samples and overstock form the most recent season plus odds and ends from previous collections as well as collaboration items like shoes and accessories created for cookbooks and runway shows. Follow the smartly dressed gentlemen to the western end of Chelsea.

See out SALE ROLL at left for hours, locations and other details as well as the late-breaking sales that are expected to appear this week.

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Wings + Horns, Paul Smith, Stella McCartney, Rebecca Taylor, John Hardy, Prada, Illesteva, Jil Sander, G-Star Christian Louboutin

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. Shop well!

GILT GROUPE

Clover Canyon, Pia Pauro, Love Moschino, Bottega Veneta, Gurhan, Janna Conner Jewelry, Rebecca Taylor, Mackage, Melissa Shoes, Linda Farrow Luxe Sunglasses, Canali, Wings + Horns, G-Star, Robert Graham, Persol, Paul Smith, Gordon Rush, Boss Home by Hugo Boss, Safavieh, Garner-Thiebault Table Linens, Honeywell Safes  —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Furla, MCM, Celine, Tahari ASL, NYDJ, Pandora, STEVEN by Steve Madden, BCBGeneration, Andrew Marc/Marc New York, Versace Watches, Tommy Hilfiger Home, Victorinox Swiss Army, Misfit, Harry & David, iGourmet, O Olive Oil, Mrs. Prindables, Frette, Alternative Apparel, Original Penguin, Suzy Levian Jewelry, Galison Stationery, John Hardy, Illestava, Diana M. Fine Jewelry, ThomasDean, SPANX, Judith Ripka, J.McLaughlin, Rebecca Taylor, Hunter, Cuisinart, Breville, Jean Dubost Cutlery, Crabtree & Evelyn, Le Creuset/Mauviel —join HERE

IDEEL

Ben Sherman, Coach, Pajar Canada, Free People, Anne Klein, Nicole Miller, Prada, Pashaveneto Shearling, Badgley Mischka, Burberry, Tahari ASL, Vince Camuto —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

J Brand, Bearpaw, Belstaff, CWST, Antony Morato, Tory Burch, Psycho Bunny, Cole Haan, Quinn Cashmere, Haute Hippie, Stila, BCBGeneration, Giorgio Brutini, TravelPro, Pendleton Woolen Mills, PLAC, Cynthia Vincent,   —join HERE

MY HABIT

Stella McCartney, Rick Owens, Lafayette 148, Christian Louboutin, Isabella Fiore, CHARLES by Charles David, MUK LUKS, Balenciaga Handbags, Ben Sherman, BillTornade/James Long, John Varvatos Collection, Nicole Miller. PUMA, Jil Sander, Salvatore Ferragamo, Portolano, Fortis Watches, Creative Recreation, Dolce & Gabbana  —join HERE

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Maybe Barneys Really Will Be Ready To Open In Chelsea By Early Spring

It's pretty easy to gauge the construction of Barneys' upcoming Chelsea store because they leave the plywood doors open all the time allowing a view inside. For a while, The Shophound has been skeptical that the store could be finished by the "Early Spring" projected date posted on the building, but after peeking in yesterday, we saw that workers had already progressed to installing what appeared to be shelves and other fixtures on the main floor. Of course, we have no idea what the upper floors look like, and they still have to replace the storefront which was demolished earlier this fall. Can they do all of this in the roughly three months before "Early Spring" arrives. A great deal has to do with whether or not merchandise has been ordered to fill the sizable store. If goods are on the way, then they will need to get the store open in a reasonable amount of time to have some full price selling before markdowns start in May and June. The picture above could give us a hint as to exactly how far along things have gotten.

EXPANSION EXCITEMENT: Saks Fifth Avenue's Downtown Men's Store Has An Address

After a casual announcement that it was in the works earlier this Fall, it now appears that Saks Fifth Avenue's freestanding Men's store will land at 250 Vesey Street (pictured at right), not far from the full-line store in Brookfield Place that is scheduled to open this Summer.
The New York Post reports that the retailer has taken the space that was thought to be allocated to French chef Joël Robuchon for a gourmet restaurant and market. Perhaps it was decided that one French culinary hall, Brookfield's Le District, was enough for the area. Saks will reportedly be taking 16,750 square-feet on the second floor of what was originally called 4 World Financial Center which includes all of Robuchon's space plus an additional 4,000 square feet. The space overlooks the Battery Park City marina which will be a nice view for the store currently expected to open in March of 2017. Included with the larger full-line Women's store and an upcoming Off 5th unit on the other side of the World Trade Center complex at One Liberty Plaza, Saks will have an impressive presence in the Financial District, a neighborhood whose potency as a major shopping destination still has yet to be proved.

Saks in, Chef Robuchon out in downtown stunner (NYPost)

IMPENDING DOOM: Patricia Field To Close Her Store After Nearly 50 Years

It's hard to imagine Downtown New York without a Patricia Field store, but we will have to get used to the idea next Spring when the ageless, flame-haired fashion fixture will shutter her eponymous boutique. When she closes the store, it will have been just about 50 years since its founding in the West Village in swinging 1966. The store settled on East 8th Street in 1971 and remained there to wardrobe flamboyant dressers and clubgoers through the eras of Studio 54, Area, Pyramid, Palladium, Twilo, Jackie 60, and beyond. In 2006, she moved her store to the still-gritty Bowery, and during her decades as a cutting-edge retailer, Field has supported many an outrageous indie designer, launched her own House of Field label and provided day jobs and nighttime outfits to more fierce ruling New York drag queens than we could begin to count. Hers has been a store like no other —a funky and fantastical celebration of style for customers who have been fearless, eclectic and just a bit kinky. It's the kind of place you can count on if you have decided that you needed a pair of  shiny patent leather leggings, a crystal festooned showgirl outfit, or maybe just another feather boa. When Field started garnering acclaim for designing costumes for Sex and the City, her store became something of a tourist attraction as well, spawning a satellite store in SoHo The TV and film work she started during the 1980s has only been growing steadily since. Field is not closing the store due to a rent hike or some other real estate pressure. She owns the now highly desirable space herself, but running a retail store for five decades can exhaust even the tireless, and the time she gains will allow her to take advantage of the opportunities that have come her way that she has had to turn down in recent years. We may still see her shopkeeper's touch at the occasional curated pop-up shop like the one currently found at Dover Street Market. “I’m going to miss my clients, the face-to-face time with them, the most. I make people look beautiful and feel happy, and I’ve been fortunate to make a career out of that,” Field tells the New York Daily News. While she will leave a niche that will be very difficult for someone to come and fill, her work as a costume designer, currently for TV Land's Younger and multiple film projects, continues to go strong, and faithful customers can look forward to next Spring when Field will empty out her stockrooms and warehouse for a blowout closing sale that should be as good for people-watching as it will be for bargains, if not better.

‘Sex and the City’ costume designer Patricia Field closing store (NY Daily News)

HOLIDAY OASIS: TRNK Joins Bespoken For A Serene Holiday Shop

As any New Yorker knows, shopping in Midtown between Thanksgiving and New Years can be a trial. The combination of Holiday shoppers and high season tourists can make simply walking up Fifth Avenue a sidewalk-rage inducing experience. Of course, finding quieter, out of the way places to shop can be its own challenge, but the curated men's lifestyle website TRNK and the sophisticated menswear label Bespoken have joined forces for a Holiday pop-up shop that will solve thee problems and make you never want to set foot into a department store again. . . at least for a while anyway.
Part of the reason why the shop is such a pleasure is that it is discreetly tucked away at the Bespoken showroom on the seventh floor of the East 57th Street building that houses its related brand, Turnbull & Asser (Bespoken co-founders Sammy and Liam Fayed's father Ali Al-Fayed has owned Turnbull & Asser for the past three decades or so). Discreetly but not inconveniently tucked away away from the bustle below, the showroom has been transformed by TRNK's co-founders Tariq Dixon and Nick Nemechek into a cozy lounge where everything is for sale combining the best gift picks from their Holiday offerings and the Bespoken line. That sleek walnut and brass bar cart can be yours for a mere $1,650, but not everything extends into the four-figure realm. There are cleverly designed desk accessories, wool throws, barware and even the rugs can be yours. Everything is skillfully chosen to complement the Bespoken clothes on display including sumptuous sweaters, knitted cashmere caps and a particularly appealing shirt in lofty brushed cotton with high-tech taped seams. The shop will be open to the public through Christmas and private appointments can scheduled by email or by phone. Of course, if you can't make it in, most of the merchandise can be purchased through the companies respective websites as well.

Bespoken x TRNK Holiday Pop-Up Shop through December 25th at 50 East 57th Street, 7th Floor, Midtown 646.684.3934

See a closer look at the shop after the jump

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: Strong Sale Shopping With Diesel, Tory Burch, Isaia, Ovadia & Sons, Ralph Lauren & More

With the Holiday Season chugging along, this is a solid week for sample sales with big names over the door.
So here we go. . .

Yesterday's shoppers got a surprise early opening from TORY BURCH's weeklong sale at Clothingline originally scheduled to kick off today. Generally, that suggests that they have an abundance of stock to move, which is always a good sign. All sizes and all categories including clothing, footwear, handbags and accessories are promised through Sunday.

Another surprising late entry is DIESEL at C21-Edition running through Sunday in the Financial District. Didn't we just have a pretty sizable Diesel Sample Sale a few weeks ago? Yes we did, but in case you missed that, there's another. Discounts of 75% are promised. Men's, Women's and Children's collections are promised including denim, shoes and accessories, but we don't know if the luxe Diesel Black Gold line will be included or exactly how much the assortments will differ from what was at the last sale. The savings look good,  however, so you can't go too far wrong if you are a Diesel fan.

Stylish gentlemen have been saving up all season for the ISAIA sample sale that launches today at 43 Wooster Street in SoHo through Saturday. It has now become a regular stop for people looking for sophisticated Neapolitan hand-tailored clothing. While there is usually a selection of casual sportswear pieces, shoes and accessories, the suits are where the action is. They tend to start out extremely expensive, so even with a deep discount, they remain pretty pricey, but they are a worthy investment if you have a penchant for finely tailored off-the-peg clothing.

That line down the sidewalk you may be seeing today on Fifth Avenue in NoMad is for the Contemporary crowd-pleaser ALICE AND OLIVIA at 260 Fifth through Monday. There will likely be some competition to take home the best party dresses for the Holiday season that are designer Stacey Bendet's stock in trade, so prepare for a motivated crowd. Shoes and accessories are promised as well for a full range of assortments.

Burgeoning mens' label OVADIA & SONS will once again open its SoHo showroom on Wednesday and Thursday for its seasonal sale. Look for mostly samples (with a smattering of stock pieces) from the brand that has evolved from traditionally inspired classic tailoring to a more directional and sporty aesthetic over time. As always, a selection of vintage and antique items will also be included along with shoes and accessories. Definitely a sale where early birds are rewarded.

Finally, RALPH LAUREN will return to Soiffer Haskin from Friday through Monday with his top luxury labels including Purple Label Collection and Black Label for men and women. RRL denim and sportswear is also often included, but not officially announced this season. Usually the offerings are pitched towards the more basic, classic side of the collections, but Lauren's luxury basics are generally worth investing in. Shoes and accessories are also expected to be offered.

See the SALE ROLL sidebar for locations and other details, and keep an eye on it for the inevitable late breaking sale additions. Next week, make time for JOHN VARVATOS, JOIE and more.

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Isabel Marant, Adidas Y-3, Tom Ford, Oliver Peoples, Mulberry, Persol, Billionaire Boys Club, Diesel

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. Shop well!

GILT GROUPE

Oscar de la Renta, Stella & Jamie, Gucci, Lanvin, Trina Turk, Anna Beck Jewelry, Isabel Marant, Love Moschino, Tumi, PinkBlush Maternity, Zanerobe, Thomas Earnshaw Watches, Frederique Constant Watches, Billionaire Boys Club, Adidas Y-3, John Varvatos, Maceoo, Oliver Sweeney, Ivory + Mason, Jonathan Adler —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Vince, Lancôme, Paul & Shark, Elie Tahari, Baume & Mercier, Cullen, Kitchen Aid, Samuel B. Jewelry, Joyfolie, Mara Hoffman, Christian Dior Watches, Sethi Couture Jewelry, Tom Ford, Delsey, Hudson Jeans, Splendid, Nicole Benisti, Nespresso, Portolano, KidKraft, Robert Rothschild, Madura Home Decor, HOBO, Persol, Free People, Steinhausen Watches, Tailorbird, Christopher Radko —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Oliver Peoples, Diesel, Frye, Velvet by Graham & Spencer, AU Naturale Cosmetics, Jack Spade, Oakley, ZAC Zac Posen, MARC by Marc Jacobs, Adidas Y-3, Moods of Norway, Aldo, The Body Shop, DKNY Fragrances —join HERE

MY HABIT

Burberry, Hale Bob, Mulberry, Isabel Marant, Yummie by Heather Thompson, Chetta B, Noir Jewelry, Sophia Cashmere, Isaac Mizrahi, Umbro, Original Penguin, Timberland, Belstaff, Hardy Amies, Thirty Five Kent Cashmere, Puma, Gola, Religion, Adidas Watches, Rotenier Jewelry —join HERE

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: UNIQLO To Team Up With Liberty Of London This Spring

Remember that Liberty of London collaboration with Target a few years ago? When the pop-up store they opened near Bryant Park had lines wrapped around the block and it sold out so fast that they had to close two days early?
Well, get ready to revisit that moment as the iconic British textile company is set to have another go at fast fashion when a new team-up arrives in Uniqlo stores worldwide this Spring. The collaboration as part of Uniqlo's LifeWear program is meant to combine classic British style with the chain's focus on technical innovation including collections for women, men and children. This will give Uniqlo a full lineup of designer collaborations with at least one more installment of the sellout Uniqlo and Lemaire line, ongoing programs with Inès de la Fressange and Michael Bastian and possibly some more from the well-received Carine Roitfeld collection. We don't yet have an official launch date for Liberty of London for Uniqlo, but you will know it has arrives when you see the stores festooned with floral prints and the purple loge pictured above.