Mike Albo visits the new Rogan store on the Bowery for the Times this week. His review contains no verbal gymnastics or hilarious metaphors; it's just a straightforward take on a serious, if a bit chilly, boutique. "Obviously [Rogan's] sober vision strikes a chord: the clothes here are well-conceived, wearable and reflect our contemporary anomie, but they also make you wish the person wearing them would just stop being so intense about everything, throw up his hands and say, 'Oh, what do I know, I am such a total dipstick!'” Albo likes the place, especially because he drops by in the middle of their summer sale and is able to actually afford some clothing. [NY Times]
Label: John Varvatos
Deal: 70% off menswear from spring and summer 2008. (Be warned: It's technically friends and family only, so they might be strict at the door.)
Where/When: Tuesday, July 22nd to Thursday, July 24th. SoHo: Mon—Sat 11am—7pm; Sun noon—6pm. 122 Spring St between Greene and Mercer Sts (212-965-0700); Bowery: Mon—Sat noon—9pm; Sun noon—6pm. 315 Bowery between 1st and 2nd Sts (212-358-0315).
The Week in Racked: More Counterfeiters Hit on Canal, American Apparel Brings the Bling, Two Weeks 'Til Tribeca Whole Foods, Theory MePa Trades Separates for Showtunes, La Perla's Lovely Lacefest, Kate Spade Bags Bleecker St Space, Matter's Little Jewelry Annex, Soho Lab Drops the 'Soho', Tretorn Turns Up in Soho, Stipe Sculpts on the Bowery, Zara Sale is Some Crazy Shiz, Double the Fresh Food for Fidi, Fossil Discovered in Midtown and American Apparel Colonizes NYC.
A tipster has just sent in the first photo we've seen of singer (and artist) Michael Stipe's installation at the Rogan boutique on the Bowery. Pretty freaking cool, right? There are more pieces inside the store, including these bronze cameras. The whole shebang will have its public debut tomorrow; a fancy press-and-VIP unveiling is being held tonight. If anyone reading is attending that event, photos please?
· Michael Stipe to Unveil Sculptures at New Rogan Store [The Cut]
· Now Open: Rogan Braves the Bowery [Racked]
Of all places, Manhattan's first Green Depot environmental living and building store will be opening on Bowery in November of this year. At 777 Bowery, in a spot formerly the Young Men's Institute, this will be the company's sixth location and its flagship, despite already having a home base across the river in Greenpoint.
Construction has just barely begun on the 3,000 square foot space, but when finished later this fall, the place is expected to receive LEED platinum or gold certification.
Green talk from the press release >>
To publicize the debut of her second capsule collection for Payless, designer and stylist Patricia Field hosted a group of writers and fashion bloggers at 306 Bowery last night. While Field answered questions about her collaboration with the shoe retailer, reporters took video and snapped photos, and the flame-haired phenom's two puffy white dogs walked around the space, occasionally barking.
Of course, the conversation did turn to the Sex & the City movie. When pressed to mention her favorite piece from the film, Field disclosed that Sarah Jessica really liked a thick vintage black belt with pyramid studs— so much so that she gave it a nickname, 'Rodger.' But she did try to keep the conversation on the Payless collection: a flat sandal, a ballet flat, a pump and a mule as well as a clutch, all done in metallic shades ($25 to $35). They looked pretty comfortable: Field herself was wearing the flat sandal, and the pumps were extremely popular with the drag queens that hit the afterparty.
· Patricia Field for Payless [Payless]
This is shaping up to be a very busy day for designer Rogan Gregory: this afternoon, without too much ado, his Rogan boutique at 330 Bowery and Bond opened for business and tonight he's being feted at Barneys for the launch of his Target collection (rolling out at the high-end department store tomorrow). A select few were invited to the store's pre-opening bash last night, and the doors swung wide this afternoon; a Racked correspondent dropped in to suss out the scene, and to take some photos of the very dark interior (galleried above). The thorough report:
I stopped by the new Rogan store today, which the nice salesguy said had been open just about two hours. He'd mentioned an opening party the night before, and the space still seemed to be recovering from it (there was a big black trashbag sort of shoved in the back and only about half of the merchandise had price tags attached). It was really dark (read: all black interior) despite the big windows which gave the merchandise a sort of heavenly/spotlighty glow.The DJ booth and the hot Euro customers, this way. >>
Mike Albo of the NY Times on the new Bowery Varvatos boutique: "The street is starting to look like Epcot with a drinking problem, and the John Varvatos store, beautifully styled and reverently decorated, is its high-end Hard Rock Cafe." [NY Times]
BOWERY—The Rogan store going in to the old Bouwerie Lane Theater at 330 Bowery is thisclose to opening. Reports a reader: "Rogan sign up at new store. Very subtle, it is the original Bowery Lane Theater sign, but the 'R's on the sign are now the signature Rogan shape 'R'." [RackedWire Inbox]
HUDSON SQUARE—Fancy-pants boutique Aloha Rag is finally getting around to throwing a grand opening party. The event is scheduled for tomorrow night from 6 to 9pm; drop by for "drinks, music and fun!" [Aloha Rag Staff Blog]
When word leaked from Hamptons-cum-Bowery fashion retailer Blue & Cream last month that they'd applied for a permit to have beach chairs out front of the store on the sidewalk this summer, we felt happy. Visions of Saturday afternoons, Pimm's Cup in hand, reclining on The Bowery in a fabulous lounge creation, danced in our heads.
And then, late last week, we came across the harsh reality of how the situation's actually playing out (above right). Guess we'll shell out for that Napeague share after all.
· Blue & Cream to Get Beachy on The Bowery [Racked]
· The Bowery Gets Its Blue & Cream [Racked]
Boxes of merchandise inside the soon-to-open Rogan store on the Bowery. Photo via Racked Flickr Pool
Local
· The joy of a beard trim at Freemans Sporting Club [Material Interest]
· Tour of Yorkville "survivor" Schaller & Weber [Jeremiah's Vanishing NY]
· Vintage store opening on Seventh Ave in Park Slope [Brownstoner]
National
· Luxury...gas masks? [Haute Concept]
· Best Buys to rise in the place of a few CompUSAs [Engadget]
· Stores can't wait for consumers to get their stimulus packages [NY Post]
· Starbucks to really cool it with the new stores [Reuters]
· Marchesa designers get picky about their titles [NY Post]
· In praise of online shopping destination La Garconne [Tell All]
· Urban Outfitters' plant store Terrain "amazing" [Oh Joy!]
Rogan has been breaking some hot news lately, and our checkup on the progress of his second New York store at 330 Bowery at Bond shows that a May opening is imminent. Originally rumored to be opening this month, the store has only one thing in place so far: its jet-black, coffin-esque interior. The space was formerly the Bouwerie Lane Theater/Jean Cocteau Repertory, which up until early 2007 cranked out Off Off Broadway productions twice a year. However, a gander at the building's Wikipedia entry shows that the property is returning to its original purpose: "the storage of fabrics."
· Rogan Gregory [Official Site]
· Rogan for Target: Plan Your Buying Strategy Now [Racked]
· Rogan for Target for Barneys [Racked]
· RackedWire: Deets on Rogan's Bowery Shop[Racked]
· BREAKING: Rogan Bowery-Bound [Racked]
Last night celebrities and rock stars convened on the Bowery for the grand opening of the John Varvatos boutique that's risen in CBGB's old space. A group of activists also showed up to protest the 'co-opting of culture to sell overpriced luxury goods,' and Jeremiah's Vanishing NY documented the whole messy, sad affair.
[Protesters] Rebecca, Billy, and their posse chanted "Down with $800 pants!" Not everyone agreed. Heated exchanges ensued. Arturo Vega, Ramones artistic director and designer of their logo, got into the fray. He had just been telling the documentarian, "It's natural. Everything dies and transforms. The excitement is still here. The tourists will come. In there, you're closer than ever to rock 'n' roll." Now he got up in Rebecca's face...Basically, the screaming match consisted of Vega shouting that Varvatos is a great guy and this store is the best thing that could happen to the CB's space and what would have been better, a fucking bank? a fucking Starbucks?There's no other option, apparently.
Billboards are a-changing downtown. Calvin Klein switched up his resident ad space on Houston Street earlier this week, and now, there's a newcomer to the 'hood a few blocks down between Elizabeth Street and Bowery from our friends at Grand Theft Auto. The video game behemoth has recycled their painted billboard of the lollipop-sucking lady from the corner Greene and Canal Streets a few months back. It's big, it's busty, but at least it's not the scary dude.
· Grand Theft Auto IV [Official Site]
· Billboards: Grand Theft Auto Terrifies Canal Street [Racked]
· Billboards: Grand Theft Auto Revs Up Canal Street [Racked]
Because Manhattan's Bond Street shall want for nothing, the tiny cobblestone block can now add chichi hair salon to its list of luxury amenities. Downtown hair maven Eva Scrivo has opened her second full-service salon at 50 Bond (next to the upcoming residential development 48 Bond—you know, the one with the lap pool visible from the sidewalk). The salon, situated between Bowery and Lafayette Street, opened today, and the 3,000-square-foot space is a stunner. High ceilings are complemented by mid-century antique chandeliers and glossy wood floors, and when you first swing through the doors, rows and rows of hair products are positioned neatly along the shelves. Eva Scrivo carries a full assortment of hair products from Kerastase and Bumble and Bumble, hairbrushes from Denman and famous London brand Mason Pearson and their own hairband line ($45-110).
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