ALEXANDRA JACOBS GOES SPA-ING: Union Square Pampering Edition

In today's Thursday Styles, our Critical Shopper Alexandra Jacobs visits not an actual store, but the new Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa on Union Square. Though there was once a time when the Arden spas also included substantial designer apparel boutiques, it has been decades since you could shop for clothes behind the signature Red Doors that are still part of the famous cosmetics brand's logo. Instead, our shopper goes for the Spa treatments, and shows that it's hard to find a whole lot to say about them beyond "That felt good" or "That tickled".

Cradled by warm blankets, my flesh was pressed and rolled until it was as tender as chicken under brick. A final touch: Ms. Streete, like Dumbo’s mother, pulled my ears straight back to my head.
“Ahrrrrrrrrrgh,” I murmured gratefully.

Not quite as fascinating as a store full of actual stuff you can buy, for sure, but considering the endless siege of punishing weather New York City has seen over the past few months, buying clothes seem somehow beside the point —for now anyway. If there was ever a time to go somewhere to get waited upon hand and foot, this Winter has been it.

Critical Shopper: A Clubhouse for Women of Worry By Alexandra Jacobs (NYTimes)
The Red Door 200 Park Avenue Sounth at 17th Street, Union Square

ALEXANDRA JACOBS GOES SHOPPING: Beauty Baby Edition

It's been a whole month since we last heard from a Critical Shopper in the Thursday Styles, so it looks like Alexandra Jacobs is making up for lost time by cramming two reviews into one column. Call it a Fashion Week special. She starts off at the new Marc Jacobs Beauty store on Bleecker Street, which is also the old Marc Jacobs Accessories store. Her main complaint is that the designer's brand new makeup collection seems to have a disturbingly juvenile preoccupation, suggesting that in trying to make a youthful, cool cosmetics line, he has come up with product names that sound like they are made for children. In fact, the customers she happens to come across are still in braces, so she may not be at all off-base. Most notably, however, we are pretty sure —no, we are positive— that when she describes the new line as "cannily of the moment in its transgender marketing" she really means to say "pan-gender marketing" which would refer to the fact that certain products, including lip balm and concealer, are designed to be used by men and women. Of course, transgender marketing does make it sound more daring, but that would mean the line is pitched to an extremely specific segment of the cosmetics market consisting of girls who were once boys and vice versa. Though certainly worthy of attention and respect, we are not totally sure that this is a large enough group to ensure the kind of sales volume and profits that Marc Jacobs and his backer LVMH have in mind.

That's not all. Our shopper also swung by celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe's DreamDry blowout bar where for $30 plus tip she got a pouf-y Veronica Lake inspired do that "drew some perplexed stares walking on Avenue of the Americas". Whether that's a plus or a minus depends, we suppose, on how one feels about Sixth Avenue.

Critical Shopper: Beauty in the Eye of the Dreamer By Alexandra Jacobs
Marc Jacobs Beauty 385 Bleecker Street at Perry Street, West Village
DreamDry 35 West 21st Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, Flatiron District

BEAUTY TAKEOVER: Marc Jacobs Makes A Switch On Bleecker Street For His New Beauty Line

It's been a while since Marc Jacobs has upset the arrangement of his Cluster of West Village shops, but passersby may have noticed that what was until recently his Collection Accessories store at 385 Bleecker Street is in the process of being transformed into the first store for his upcoming Beauty line. It's not unusual for the designer to shuffle around the contents of his five fashion boutiques in the neighborhood as needed, but they have been reasonably settled in recent seasons. That will change with the launch of his signature cosmetics line coming on Friday. Though it will initially be exclusive to Sephora stores, select Marc jacobs stores will also carry the line including this about-to-be-transformed location. We're betting on an opening this weekend as the line launches.

SUPER SOLDIER SKIN CARE: Kiehl's Introduces Captain America's Moisturizer

Admit it.
You would love to have the same, smooth, youthful skin as a genetically enhanced superhero who has survived decades of being frozen in an arctic iceberg with barely the slightest wrinkle on his brow. Never mind that he is a fictional character who never ages, Kiehl's has engaged Captain America himself to help launch its latest product, Facial Fuel “Heavy Lifting” Firming, Lifting, Anti-Wrinkle Moisturizer for Men ($40).Yes, at some point in the future, our attention will be completely monopolized by Superheores. Kiehl's is just getting a jump on things.

While the Kiehl's brand has a remarkably high proportion of male customers already, many American men are still resistant to skincare that goes beyond soap and water —even one that has been created specifically to treat their thicker, rougher skin like this one. Starting today, every Kiehl's purchase will include a special limited edition comic book, "Captain America: Transformation & Triumph" (pictured above) created with Marvel Custom Solutions that features 12 pages of Cap battling his classic foe Cobra at Kiehl's original East Village store, while supplies last, of course (Read it online HERE). In addition, you will likely be seeing images of Captain America all over Kiehl's counters in department stores this summer. Whether or not this marketing partnership will get the Comic-Con crowd to venture into the cosmetics department remains to be seen. They have not, after all, been known for their fastidious grooming practices, but perhaps Captain America can change all that, which might be a superhero-sized accomplishment itself.
Your move, Superman.

Kiehl's (Official Site)

GIVEAWAYS: Here's What Happens When FRESH Gives Away Stuff from A Truck

A big-ass line, that's what.

Yesterday afternoon, The Shophound was on our way to Paragon, minding our own business when we were faced with a long line of mostly women trailing down 18th Street. it turns out that they were all waiting for Fresh's Beauty Cleanse Pop-Up Truck which was distributing the Fresh Beauty Cleanse Kit containing soy face cleanser, a BluePrint Spicy Lemonade, and a card for a free mini sugar lip treatment, in a Fresh tote bag.

Today, the truck will be parked on Bleecker Street and West 11th street from 11 AM to 7 PM, which happens to be right in front of the Magnolia Bakery.
Because there aren't enough lines on that corner.

This Saturday, it will be making its way to the Hamptons for the Super Saturday event, and then, who knows?

Queue up at your own discretion, and bring a book. It could be a while.

FRESH (Official Site)

BEAUTY CONTESTS: It's An Early Halloween As Kiehl's Puts Mr. Bones In The Spotlight

One of the peculiar charms of Kiehl’s Since 1851 stores is Mr. Bones, the teaching skeleton/brand mascot that dated back to the company's early pharmacy days when he was used to illustrate ailments to customers. Now the beauty and treatment brand is celebrating him by partnering with 13 celebrities to create their own versions of Mr. Bones (pictured above) that will be on display at area Kiehl's stores for six weeks starting this weekend. In exchange for their participation Kiehl's has donated $200,000 to organizations benefiting Children, the Environment, and HIV/AIDS causes worldwide of their choosing. At the end pf this year, each Mr. Bones will be auctioned off to further benefit these charities. Included in the list of skeleton decorators are Alicia Keys, Jeffrey Costello & Robert Tagliapietra of Costello Tagliapietra, David Chang with Steve Keene, Desi Santiago, Frank Kozik, Kenny Scharf, Nathan Sawaya, Olek (Agata Oleksiak), Padma Lakshmi, Tats Cru, Timothy White, Terry Richardson and Zach Galifianakis.

To promote the project, Kiehl's is launching a host of events in stores and through online various online platforms to ensure that everyone gets a chance to win win one of 206 prizes —one for every bone in the skeleton.

In Kiehl's stores, visitors who participate in a complimentary skin care consultation or 20-minute facial,  or make a purchase will get a chance to draw a specially marked Kiehl’s packette sample out of a box and win a prize ranging from Kiehl’s gift cards ($25 to $500) and full-size Kiehl’s products, T-shirts, and a dermatologist visit with Kiehl’s consulting dermatologist Dr. Adam Geyer.

On Twitter, visitors to participating Kiehl's stores who Tweet their check in or photo of Mr. Bones and include #MrBones and #KiehlsGives, can win prizes that include a $500 Kiehl’s gift card.

Visitors to Kiehl’s Facebook page will be able to create their own Mr. Bones, save it to the Kiehl’s gallery, and enter to win more prizes including a $1,000 Kiehl’s gift card.

The seven area stores that will be showcasing Mr. Bones include the original Kiehl's pharmacy on Third Avenue in the East Village as well as locations on Columbus Avenue, Lexington Avenue, West 14th Street in the Meatpacking District, Roosevelt Field Mall, Garden State Plaza and The Mall at Short Hills, so get out and shop, and find a fancy skeleton for a good cause.

Kiehl’s Since 1851 (Official Site and on Facebook)

SCENTS IN SPACE: ODIN Creates A Pop-Up Environment For Its Fragrances

   Click all images for a larger view in a new window

We weren't quite sure what to expect when we were invited down to Odin New York, one of our favorite stores in the East Village (or anywhere, really), to preview a special pop-up store for Odin's Fragrance and Home Fragrance lines in the concept shop next to the mini-chain's original East 11th Street store. After all, don't they sell those things at Odin all the time anyway?

When The Shophound got down there yesterday evening, we immediately understood the point of the whole venture as we encountered a striking environment inside the tiny retail space. Working with the Odin team, the innovative design firm, Snarkitecture created a deceptively expansive installation using plaster casts of the brand's fragrance bottles precisely positioned and suspended to form a pristine and unexpectedly serene setting for the product lines (pictured above). We also got a chance to finally meet Eddy Chai, one of Odin's co-founders, and discovered that their fragrance partner is a former co-worker of ours from way back when The Shophound was just a fledgling sales associate.

The installation opens to the public today, May 1st, and will remain for six weeks. The first 50 customers who make a purchase from the award winning fragrance collection during the first week of the concept shop with receive a plaster cast bottle as an artifact from the shop (which also happens to make an excellent if quirky paperweight). The next week, customers will have to settle for an Odin New York x Snarkitecture tote bag decorated with a rendering of the installation.

Odin New York Fragrance x Snarkitecture Pop-Up 330 East 11th Street Between First & Second Avenues, East Village

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH: Flora Shepelsky Is The Wig Queen Of The Upper East Side

There's no "Critical Shopper" column this week in the Thursday Styles, so The Shophound went hunting for one of our other favorite shopping related columns, and found a new installment of New York Magazine's "Ask A Shop Clerk" feature. Now monthly instead of weekly, the column, which should really be called "Ask A Shop Owner" these days, is currently featuring Ms. Flora Shepelskly of Design by Flora (at right). While it sounds like it could be a store for anything, this is actually a wig store, and by that we do not mean some tacky, stack-'em-high-sell-'em-cheap outfit like you might find on 14th Street. No, Ms. Shepelsky appears to be a deluxe, high end perruquière whose wares range from $1,850 to $10,000. She carries 500 wigs in her shop with another 1,200 in her New Jersey showroom and another 1,200 in the basement. With nearly 3,000 wigs to choose from, what's the most popular color? Russet red? Honey blonde? Nope. Mousy brown, Who knew?

New York asked her about changing attitudes toward wig wearing, and she had this observation to share

NYMag: Why is fake hair still taboo?
Flora: Years of bad wigs have given it a bad rap. It’s sad that fake teeth and fake boobs are okay, but if a woman puts on fake hair, she feels ashamed. My mission is to show people that a hairpiece is nothing to be embarrassed about.

Time was when a stylish wig-wearing woman would rather die than admit she had to wear fake hair, but now, in the era of Wendy Williams, Sherri Shepherd and, hell, the enduring RuPaul, we seem to have entered a new age of Wig Pride in which, for some women, the question isn't whether or not your hair is fake, but how good of a fake is it?

There's at least one thing The Shophound and Flora Shepelsky agree on with no reservations. Toupeés are always bad. She will happily outfit a cross-dresser (as she refers to the transgendered, or any other gentlemen who choose to dress like ladies), but has no time for men who want to hide their natural hair loss. "My husband is balding, and I make him shave his head," she says. As she should.

Ask a Shop Clerk: Flora Shepelsky (NYMag)
Design by Flora 243 East 78th Street between Second & Third Avenues, Upper East Side

NEW IN STORE: MUJI Skincare Hits The U.S.

 

Generally, Fashion Week is all about any number of publicity minded entities fighting for attention, so there is something refreshing about the fact that, this week, Japanese retail chain MUJI has quietly launched its skincare line in all four of its U.S. stores which just happen to be in New York City (as well as in the online store).

 

The well-priced line which includes an organic collection of lotions, moisturizers and toners as well as one for sensitive skin is thoughtfully packaged in both regular and travel sizes, typifyng the chain's philosophy of useful and practical design.

The Shophound is starting to think of Muji as an old fashioned variety store filled with modest but frequently perfect items, often coming to the rescue when we are exhausted looking for the perfect thing from desk items to storage and shelves. It is always worth a browse in one of their shops if you haven't been in there in a while, even if it's just to pick up a few of their great pens and notepads.

Muji Skincare (Muji.us)

HOLIDAY SHOPPING: A Gold Star For SPACE NK ★

As the Holiday season winds down, we all have a few people we still need to pick up gifts for, and sometimes that means setting aside some time to shop around looking for inspiration. A couple of days ago, while gift hunting on Columbus Avenue on a busy weekend afternoon, The Shophound wandered into SPACE.NK.apothecary thinking, "Lets give this one a shot," and boy did they ever deliver.

It may not surprise you that, as a non-lady, The Shophound is not extraordinarily well-versed in the beauty products that keep so many women happily obsessed. We were certainly familiar with Space.NK, having posted about it several times and occasionally been asked to cover the U.K.-based retailer's openings and events. We knew enough about the place to expect special items and brands that won't be found at every Sephora, but as with many beauty and cosmetics stores, we were walking in there essentially clueless. That didn't remotely matter to the razor sharp sales associate who did everything short of take us by the hand to find just the right gifts we needed at the price we were hoping to pay all beautifully wrapped in less than 20 minutes. What a refreshing change from the all too common experience of arriving at the register holding an item or two and being faced with the usual question, "Did anyone help you with this?", which, if you need to ask it, almost always guarantees a response in the negative. By contrast, earlier in the day we visited the similarly themed Bluemercury on upper Broadway with the same goal in mind, and left the store without so much as a second glance from the staff.

Our only disappointment with Space.NK was that the best service The Shophound has received since we don't know when was in a store that at best we will probably only shop in every now and then at most. It almost makes us sorry we don't wear makeup, but perhaps we can make up for it by sending them some of our readers who do. It's been a while since we have left a store with such satisfaction at having paid full retail, so we can happily add Space.NK to the list of store we wholeheartedly recommend.

★ SPACE.NK.apothecary 217 Columbus Avenue between 69th and 70th Streets, Upper West Side
also in SoHo, the Upper East Side and in both Manhattan Bloomingdale's locations