EXPANSION PLAN: Saks Completes Its Downtown Scheme With Its Brookfield Place Men's Store

Brookfield Place, the luxury mall in what was once called the World Financial Center, finally has its full complement of anchor stores as Saks Fifth Avenue opened its Men's Store last Thursday, joining the Women's Store that debuted in the complex last fall. Like its female counterpart, the one-level store does not attempt to replicate the men's offerings of the chain's massive Fifth Avenue flagship. While in years past, a separate men's store in the Financial District would have focused strongly on suits and classic haberdashery, not unlike the Barneys New York branch (that chain's first) which anchored the building's retail section when it was originally unveiled in the 1980s. This time, there are sneakers.
Of course, they are designer sneakers, but this Saks is going for the post-suit shopper with a lot of cash. With such limited space, tailored clothing is not totally ignored. There is a distinct section devoted to chain's mostly middle-of-the-road private label collection, but the excitement is a few steps away with a multi-brand department featuring more adventurous fashion. Saks has taken advantage of the store's relatively isolated location to offer several designer labels, like Dries van Noten, Thom Browne and Balmain, to name a few, not usually found uptown where the competition is closer and designers try to avoid blanket distribution. This leads us into a shoe section that is proportionally huge in relation to the size of the entire store. The selection proves that the craze for exorbitantly priced designer sneakers has not yet crested, but, for the moment, more traditional dress shoes still round out the offerings. As int he rest of the store, the emphasis is on the high end which puts it in line with the Women's Store's focus on directional international designers over bread-and-butter brands like Ralph Lauren or St. John.
Whether both stores will thrive in a not yet proven location where they are somewhat hidden from the main shopping concourse without prominent storefront exposure is still an open question. The mall seems to have steady traffic, at least on a weekday with well-paid workers ensconced in offices upstairs for a captive customer base, and between the Oculus stores, Brookfield Place, food destinations like Eataly and Le District and the stores to come in buildings that are yet to be completed, the Financial District may be making good on its promise to become a shopping destination for more than just tourists.

Saks Fifth Avenue Men's Store 250 Vesey Street, Brookfield Place, Financial District

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Shinola, Lanvin, Victorinox, Stella McCartney, Helmut Lang, Persol, Papi & More In This Week's Flash Sales

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

Judith Leiber, Shoshanna, Lanvin, Helmut Lang, Free People, Loeffler Randall, Persol, J Lindeberg, John Varvatos ★ USA, GBX, Lucca Couture, Stella McCartney, RED Valentino, Gucci, T3 Hair Tools, Dita Von Teese Intimates, 7 For All Mankind, Armani Collezioni, Mr. Turk, Austen Heller Footwear, Papi Underwear —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Lanvin, La Blanca, XCVI, Lucky Brand, LoveShackFancy, James Tattersall, Effy Fine Jewelry, TUMI, Joe's Jeans, Taryn Rose, Kerastase, Rochard Limoges —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Shinola, Parker, Ellen Tracy, GANT, Saint Laurent Eyewear, Kenneth Cole, Craft, Le Club Swim, Drifter, True Religion, Few Moda, Jeffrey Campbell, Affliction, PX Men, Crevo, All Saints, Hunter, Halston Heritage, Kate Somerville, NEST Fragrances, Rapidlash, Ron Tomson, Victorinox, GBX, Dakine —join HERE

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: It's Time For Opening Ceremony's Big Brooklyn Blowout + Derek Lam & Fred Leighton

As we mentioned last week, its the off-season for sample sales, but this weekend should cause a but of a stir in the middle of the doldrums as shoppers will be flocking to Williamsburg for OPENING CEREMONY's seasonal sample sale and clearance event. This sale has bounced around Manhattan for years, but it seems to finally have found a steady location at Villain on North 3rd Street in Williamsburg, just an easy L train jaunt away. As always, the sale is expected to include a hefty amount of the SoHo retailer's eponymous collection overstock along with what's left of the store's clearance from Fall 2016 collections. Look for prices to reduce by Sunday, when shoppers with a sixth sense for finding needles in haystacks have been known to come away with hidden gems at giveaway prices. Shop from Friday through Sunday.

While nobody would be blamed for saving their pennies for that sale, there are still a few other worthwhile events happening this week. Today the 22nd, NORMA KAMALI is having another one of her signature one day sales at her midtown boutique with most items priced from $50to $100. Contemporary outerwear newcomers THE ARRIVALS are closing out their Crosby Street pop-up shop with a sale on all of its stock through Sunday the 26th. Look for wear-now savings on coats and leather jackets for men and women. DEREK LAM will be finishing off a three day sale through Thursday the 23rd at Clothingline in the Garment District featuring both his main and 10 Crosby collections. 260SampleSale is featuring its seasonal ROBERTA ROLLER RABBIT sale at its home base on Fifth avenue, and stylish sportswear from GERARD DAREL and FIGUE at its Greene Street satellite location pin SoHo through Sunday.

Finally, if you aren't into trekking out to Brooklyn this weekend but you still have money burning a hole through your wallet (and we mean heaps of money), diamond specialists KWIAT and vintage master FRED LEIGHTON are taking over Soiffer Haskin's ample showroom this weekend from Saturday through Tuesday the 28th. These are two top names in the jewelry business, so along with some discerning bauble collectors, you should expect a high-security experience, so expect to check everything except your wallet, and make sure you have proper I.D.

As always, keep an eye on our SALE ROLL sidebar at left for updated locations and hours along with any late-breaking sales. Next week The Shoe Box starts its epic clearance, and later on, cult hosiery label Wolford will be offering its wares.

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Moncler, Givenchy, Jimmy Choo, Rebecca Taylor, Calypso, Armani & More In This Week's Flash Sales

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

Christian Louboutin, Temperley London, Bagatelle, Joe's Jeans, Karen Walker Sunglasses, Derek Lam 10 Crosby, Susana Monaco, Calvin Klein Underwear, Giorgio Armani, John Varvatos ★ USA, Tom Ford Eyewear, Mosmann Australia, Furla, Prada, Rebecca Taylor, Josie Natori, Mikoh Swimwear, Givenchy Accessories, Kenneth Jay Lane, Schutz, McCarren & Sons, Toscano, Sandro, Moncler —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Anne Cole, Lafayette 148, SPANX, Keen, Urban Decay, Guerlain, Jimmy Choo, Mariposa, TailorByrd, BabyBjorn, Jack Rogers, Vilebrequin, CHARLES Charles David, Sophie Catalou, Letters by Zoe, FINE by Superfine, Amorium —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Gucci Jewelry & Sunglasses, Vince Camuto Collection, Joe's Jeans, Religion, Aldo, NYDJ, Nine West, PUMA, Calypso St. Barth, Onia Swim, Jack Rogers, Shahida Paredes, Burnside, Philip Stein Watches, Dolce Vita, Wildfox, Few Moda, Stella McCartney Sunglasses, Quiksilver, Creative Recreation, Peter Millar, Mitchell & Ness —join HERE

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: Signs Of Sale Life With Ralph Lauren Home, Want Les Essentials & More

The dead of winter is also the dead of the sample sale season, so think of the next few weeks as a time to rest your wallet and save up for when the schedule starts heating up again later in the springtime. In the meantime, there are a few bright spots happening this week.

The folks at 260SampleSale have been keeping their venues well stocked even during the slow months. A their 260 Fifth Avenue home base, Italian footwear label BRUNO MAGLI will be in residence through Sunday the 19th offering 75% off luxury shoes for Men and Women. Downtown on Greene Street, online multi brand retailer THE LINE will be offering its final clearance goods at 75% off including designers like Manolo Blahnik, Proenza Schouler, Altuzzara and more through Sunday.

Staring today, Wednesday the 15th, the Want Agency  is holding its seasonal clearance sale in SoHo on Wooster Street featuring its core brand, WANT LES ESSENTIELS de la VIE, as well as SWIMS, TOMORROWLAND and MAISON KITSUNÉ.

Finally, the colossal RALPH LAUREN HOME sale starts up on Thursday the 16th at Metropolitan North Pavilion featuring tons and tons of stuff. Look for plenty of the designer's furniture taking up most of the space as well as his top bed and bath and tabletop collections. Home accessories and gifts are also usually featured as well as antiques and select gift items. Past sales have also included decorative items from the Ralph Lauren visual merchandising warehouse as well as bolts of raw decorative fabrics at deep discounts. Serious shoppers should be advised that shipping is available on site by an independent operator not affiliated with either Ralph Lauren or Soiffer Haskin, who is presenting the sale.

Keep an eye on our SALE ROLL sidebar at left for times and locations as well as any late-breaking events. In coming weeks, look for sales from Derek Lam, The Shoe Box and more.

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Tom Ford, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Gucci & More In This Week's Flash Sales

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

Diesel, Wall + Water, J.Lindeberg, Hanro, Naked Cashmere, Oscar Blandi Hair, Canada Goose, Jared Lang, Seychelles, Gucci, MARC by Marc Jacobs, Maurizio Bedding, Waterford, BergHOFF —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Balenciaga, Tom Ford, Nakamol Chicago, Calphalon, Tommy Bahama, Under the Nile Babies, Stuart Weitzman, J.McLaughlin, STEVEN by Steve Madden, Chloé Fragrance, Lagos, Michele  —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Joie/Soft Joie, Lagos, Etienne Marcel, Hobo, Rogue, Hudson Jeans, Robert Graham, Frye, Meghan LA, Good Man Brand, Zanerobe, MOTHER, Franco Sarto, Lana Fine Jewelry, Sincerely Jules, Kenneth Cole New York, MCM, Junk de Luxe      —join HERE

FLAGSHIP FLASH: Apple To More Than Double The Size Of Its 5th Avenue Flagship

We have known for months that Apple was planning a major renovation for its busiest 24-hour flagship store on Fifth Avenue, but now comes word that the refresh will include a doubling of the store's size from 32,000 to over 77,000 square feet —and it's going to take a while. Apple's current store incorporates what was once a below-grade open-air plaza in front of 767 Fifth Avenue, better known as the General Motors Building. one presumes that the renovation will capture basement, or possibly sub-basement space that is beneath the GM Building itself, which should be an elaborate feat. None of the changes are expected to be visible from the street, and the view of the signature "Cube" entrance should remain unchanged. As earlier reported, Apple will be temporarily taking over a substantial part of the former FAO Schwarz store in the GM Building along West 58th Street (pictured above) while renovations proceed, but it is expected to be there until well into 2018, meaning that it will be a while before the space's next designated tenant, Under Armour, is able able to take over and build out its own store.

(Commercial Observer)

TRANSFORMATIONS: Raf Simons Has Introduced A New Logo For Calvin Klein

Three iterations of the Calvin Klein logo from the original (top), the early 1990s tweak (middle) and the new Raf Simons update (bottom)

There is always a highly anticipated reveal at every Fashion Week, which has only been accelerated by the revolving doors in front of so many major designer labels. Runway followers will anxious to see if the Monse designers can save Oscar de la Renta, as well as if Carolina Herrera can recover from her battle with them. The biggest news on New York, however, is the debut of Raf Simons as Calvin Klein's new creative director. While Simons' long running men's collection gave a much needed boost to New York Fashion Week Men's last week, His debut at Calvin Klein is the big news, and while the designer has kept his activity pretty quiet, he has started to hint at how he will remake the iconic American label, starting with a simple signal that he is reviewing every detail; a new logo.
Readers of early delivering March magazines like Vanity Fair may have noticed a pair of new ads for jeans and underwear that departed dramatically from the brand's signature sexy aesthetic. Rather than close shots of sexy models, tha ads show long shots taken of models from behind as they survey major artworks at the Rubell Family Collection museum in Miami. The most striking change, however is the logo in an all-caps sans serif font that subtly signals a major change (pictured on the bottom in the image above).
Calvin Klein's familiar logo has been remarkably consistent over the previous decades of the company's existence. Ralph Lauren, whose business began at relatively the same time, has cycled through several logo iterations for his various collections over the years, by comparison. Nearly 40 years old (pictured at the top in the above image), the crisp, modern font of the Calvin Klein mark has aged remarkably well, and has only been significantly altered once, in the early nineties (middle logo in image) with a subtle tweak of its proportions by the graphic maestro of that moment, Fabien Baron. The logo has remained otherwise untouched until this past Friday, when Simons' new version has made its debut not only in magazine pages, but on the top of the homepage at CalvinKlein.com and on the brand's Instagram and Twitter pages. Created in collaboration with noted graphic designer Peter Saville, it is officially meant to be "A return to the spirit of the original. An acknowledgement of the founder and foundations of the fashion house."
The last time such a well known logo was changed was when Hedi Slimane decided to rebrand the prêt-à-porter collections at Yves Saint Laurent as simply Saint Laurent, with a label based on the original Saint Laurent Rive Gauche logo that caused an ongoing uproar among fans of the brand. It's not likely that Simons redesign will cause as much drama, but it will serve the same purpose to delineate and officially identify the new designers' vision from that of his forerunners. It may not be the only labeling and repositioning move that Simons has in store. Just a couple of weeks ago, Simons made waves with the discovery of an otherwise unknown new division, Calvin Klein by Appointment, opening to the public the company's custom division which had previously only been available to actresses in need of red carpet attire. The division was announced on social media and with a special group of ads in the Sunday New York Times photographed by longtime Simons collaborator Willy Vanderperre. Those ads also carried a different font, one that reflected the original logo before the 90s era tweak. Part of Raf Simons' new responsibilities at Calvin Klein is to unify the company's disparate design directions under one strong aesthetic. The new men's and women' collection lines will finally be unveiled together next week, possibly with more information about how Simons will be revamping Calvin Klein's offerings.

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Mary Katrantzou, Timo Weiland, Rizzoli, Emporio Armani & More On Flash Sale This Week

Here is your weekly sampling of some of the designers and 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

Mary Katrantzou, Marabelle, Cosabella, Timo Weiland, Antonio Maurizi, Saint Laurent Paris Eyewear, STEVEN by Steve Madden, Prada, Annie Bing, Marissa Webb, Linda Farrow Luxe Eyewear, Donni Charm, Nicole Miller, Vince., Ron Tomson, Emporio Armani, Salomon Shoes, Rizzoli Books, Mepra Tableware, Wedgwood by Vera Wang, Mauviel Cookware —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Trina Turk, Arche, Jay Godfrey, Ray-Ban, Alice & Trixie, MARC by Marc Jacobs, Samuel B., Taylor, Nine West, Breville, Zutano, Kosta Boda, Orrefors, Thomas Pink, Free People, Bon Vivant Cigars,    —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Splendid, The Sak, Suslo Couture, RVCA, Jack Mason Watches, Maaji Active & Swim, FitFlop, Michael Kors Sunglasses, Bailey 44, Pam & Gela, Belstaff, Autumn Cashmere, Vince Camuto, Base London, Current/Elliott, Aquatalia, Equipment, SmashBox, NuFace, Morphe Brushes, Supersmile, Lindbergh, Dockers, Threads 4 Thought —join HERE

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Christophe Lemaire's Next UNIQLO U Collection Arrives In Less Than 2 Weeks

Image: Uniqlo.com

Collaboration watchers have another date to mark on their shopping calendars. The second season of the Uniqlo U capsule collection from its dedicated Paris studio led by designer Christophe Lemaire will be available at Uniqlo.com after 9 PM on February 15th, arriving in selected stores the next day. As usual, most U.S. Uniqlo stores will have a limited selection, but the exceptions include the North Michigan Avenue location as well as the three Manhattan flagships on Fifth Avenue, 34th Street and in SoHo, which will all carry the complete collection for men and women. For Spring, fans can look for the same clean-lined luxury basics aesthetic that has marked all of Lemaire's work with the chain. The collection is now meant to represent Uniqlo's most innovative materials and manufacturing techniques, so expect more cutting edge textiles along with silhouettes that incorporate current runway trends like wider legged pants and boxy, oversized knits. Women's swimwear will be a new addition, arriving later this season, along with a greater shoe offering and more workwear-inspired denim pieces including jeans and outerwear. Have a look at the full collection Here, and see a few more lookbook shots in the gallery after the jump.

Image: Uniqlo.com

(Uniqlo)