The rumors about Maison Martin Margiela's West Village expansion have proved true, as the brand has acquired the storefront next door to its original shop on Greenwich. "The added space now houses the designer's women's lines while menswear has taken over the original shop, and the extra room in both stores allows Margiela to create environments that are ever more surreal. We don't mean 'surreal' in the popular, dreamlike usage ('Meeting Madonna was so surreal') but in the weird, academic, André Breton/Max Ernst sort of way ('Why are the walls lined with egg cartons?') This only creates a greater contrast with the sleek yet eminently wearable clothes the stores sell. As usual, we are left with the question of whether the ladder and paint cans in the corner are left from the renovation or actually part of the décor." [The Shophound; RackedWire]
After yesterday's high-drama sample sales at both Paul Smith and Olive & Bette's, we weren't sure what to expect at Donna Karan's personal warehouse sale in the West Village this morning. Thankfully, the sale was not only calm by comparison, but the prices were amazing. The designer's clothing, vintage pieces, photographs, antiques, jewelry and furniture are selling for $20-2000. Given the fact that this is the Karan's personal collection, one might think that most pieces would cost on the higher end of that range. But, to the contrary, the warehouse (formerly her late husband's art studio) was full of items priced between $5-100.
It's been a while since we checked in on the rising Tribeca Whole Foods, under construction on Greenwich Street between Murray and Warren Streets. How the hell, we ask you, is this outpost going to top the most recently opened Whole Foods on Bowery, what with its sushi conveyor belt, pie station, second-floor skywalk and pommes frites bar?! Well, a Whole Foods spokesperson assured us that this one will be just as good, if not better. Like the Bowery location, it will feature a Fromegerie and second floor eating area. No confirmation on an auxillary beer room or Il Laboratorio gelato station...yet.
The West Village is getting a bathroom, but not the kind you retreat into to powder your nose (or to take a dump). Charming Charles Street boutique The Bathroom is bringing its upscale skincare, candles and body products to Greenwich Avenue between Jane and West 13th Streets. The tiny new shop will feature most of their popular brands, such as Molton Brown, but will be a little swankier, with an expanded men’s shaving section, new candle fragrances, and new brands.
The demi Bathroom, if you will, was scheduled to open earlier in the week. When we visited, however, work was still in progress. They're poised for a weekend opening, should they surmount their current Verizon phone and power system problems. If this second store is as elegant as their first, we have a feeling we’ll be spending as much, if not more, time in The Bathroom than usual.
· The Bathroom [Official Site]
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