Continuing with the saga of Brooks Brothers' Black Fleece store coming to the West Village, we dropped by hoping to spot any more movement and were disappointed again. Back when Thom Browne's Brooks Brothers label nabbed the space away from Village fixture Nustraty Afghan Imports for $45,000 a month, we held our breath watching the signage come down and the space go dark.
The Nusraty Afghan Imports storefront at Bleecker and Christopher Streets has sat empty since the store shuttered in August, waiting for the arrival of the fashion-forwards Brooks Brothers line Black Fleece. Now, after two months of quiet, something is finally starting to stir over there. In the window, there's a sign announcing the change and promising a fall opening. Hey, it could happen.
· CMJ Music Marathon Day 1 [The Life Vicarious]
· Progress Report: Nothing Happening in Nusraty Space [Racked]
Strolling up Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue in Midtown, it's quite apparent that retailers are sighing with relief for the arrival of fall; the temperatures are dropping and thus all the summer window displays can finally be replaced by the more opulent fall windows, with their pricey leather jackets and fur coats. From Brooks Brothers up to Burberry, we gazed in at the new stock and noticed a recurring theme: suits and more suits, capped off by a statement coat looking like the compost pile character from Fraggle Rock.
Thank god for Barneys New York, whose no-nonsense Moncler windows reminded us that yes, it is perfectly fine to get through the season with a sensible coat and without swathing ourselves in shades like "persimmon" and "gamboge." Viva Simon Doonan.
· Brooks Brothers "Adopts" Central Park Benches [Racked]
· Barneys Gets Tailored [Racked]
Joining a host of other retail anniversaries this year is Brooks Brothers, who are celebrating something a little offbeat but very endearing: their 140th year of clothing Central Park's "Gatekeepers," who are basically like urban park rangers.
To celebrate, BB is doing their part for the park by boasting the "Adopt-a-Bench" program, where for $7,500 ($25,000 for a handmade rustic bench), you too can have your name on a little seatback plaque. Brooks have already got quite a few of the benches to themselves, including two they seem to have borrowed for their window display at 666 Fifth Avenue, but with their lease up here in February, they may be sleeping on them soon.
· Brooks Brothers and Central Park [Official Site]
· Bye Bye Brooks [Racked]
Comme des Garcons' upcoming H&M collection is just the newest jewel in Rei Kawakubo's collab crown. Past partners of Comme read like a plan for world fashion domination: first Rei goes after street artists like Kaws, then takes over preppy sporting brands like Lacoste and Fred Perry, and now the time is ripe to conquer the world (aka Louis Vuitton and H&M).
In response to the news (taken badly by many) that another high-end boutique would be setting up shop on Bleecker Street, a commenter writes: "To place all of the new stores on Bleecker into a lifeless category is foolhardy, especially since such stores are creating more pedestrian traffic, a proxy for street life, on a stretch of Bleecker that previously got little attention. The magnetic appeal of Ralph Lauren, Brunello Cucinelli, and Marc Jacobs have synergized well with independent Bleecker restos such as August and the remaining antique shops on the street. While some shopowners complain that the influx of luxury retailers has prompted landlords to demand higher rents for the storefronts, many more shopowners praise the increase in traffic driven by the uber-luxe chains for increasing sales across the board for everyone in the area. That said, stop bemoaning the arrival of every new shop on Bleecker." [Racked Comments]
No. 351 as Nusraty (left) and as Black Fleece (right and below) [renderings via WWD]
The little rumormongering item we posted back in May about Brooks Bros. and their plans for a freestanding Black Fleece boutique at 351 Bleecker Street (Black Fleece being their newish Thom Browne-designed line) has turned out to be correct.
Despite being vehemently denied by the store's owner's son, who jumped into the comments to write: "I'm the owner's son (Nusraty Afghan Imports, Inc.) and in fact this is a RUMOR! My father has been at this location for over 29 years!!!," the move was confirmed today by WWD. They report that the store, the first of its kind, will open in mid-October. Why did the suits at Brooks Bros. choose Bleecker? "Because there's 'a charm, sophistication and historic atmosphere to the neighborhood that lends itself to the spirit of Black Fleece.'"
· Rumormongering: Black Fleece Replacing Nusraty Afghan Imports on Bleecker? [Racked]
Every since we heard the news that Black Fleece, designer Thom Browne's collection for Brooks Brothers, would be getting its own Bleecker Street store, we've been dying to find out just where those fitted blazers would land. As far as we can tell, a prime candidate is the 850-square-foot space that currently houses Nusraty Afghan Imports (351 Bleecker/215 W 10th), which is profiled on retail leasing company RKF's site now. When called for comment, the owner of Nusraty Afghan Imports said his store might be closing in a month to be replaced by another (yet-to-be-named) shop, but that "things are still up in the air." Sounds...less than promising. If anyone out there does knows more, do hit up that tipline.
· 351 Bleecker St [RKF]
· Experiments in Retail [Racked]
The rendering above shows what 345 Adams, a government-owned building that's fallen into disrepair of late, could look like after Muss Development has its way with the first two floors of the historic structure. Why is this important? Well, because this space is now being shopped around to big name retailers like Apple, Brooks Brothers, Uniqlo and H&M. That's not to say that those companies have signed (or will sign) leases, of course. Reports The Brooklyn Eagle:
Regarding Apple taking the corner space at Willoughby Street, [broker Robert] Greenstone said, “It’s so right for them it’s not funny.” And he ticked off a half dozen reasons why—from the building’s location across from Borough Hall to its proximity to seven colleges and universities, the area’s four brownstone neighborhoods, the 14 subway lines nearby, the Marriott’s 1,100-car parking garage, not to mention the prominence of the space at a prime corner and the elegance of its interiors. “It’s magical and one of the few spaces anywhere in Brooklyn that has the ability to draw the kind of buyer that Apple wants,” he said.
Brooks Brothers is planning to open a boutique for its Black Fleece collection, a collaboration with hot menswear designer Thom Browne, in the West Village. "Just a day after passing along his Friends & Family discount, our favorite salesperson had too much champagne and instead of spilling his wine he leaked the news Brooks Brothers is opening their first standalone Black Fleece boutique later this year—as was hinted at in DNR last fall—bringing Thom Browne's next collection to Bleecker Street and continuing to develop the neighborhood as a testing ground for designer concept shops." The projected opening date and the address of the store are currently unknown. [The Life Vicarious]
Today's Street Scenes subject is Akbar, shot on Mercer Street between Houston and Prince Streets in Soho. Feel free to vote on whether you like or dislike his outfit—your choices are 'Perfection!,' I feel strangely ambivalent about it,' or 'Who Did This To You.'
Akbar is wearing a Borsalino hat, a Brooks Brothers tie, Allen Edmonds shoes and a jacket and pants from Loutie. His favorite store is Brooks Brothers.
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In response to the news (taken badly by many) that another high-end boutique would be setting up shop on Bleecker Street, a 
The little rumormongering 
