Today's Street Scenes subject is Salvatore, shot on Duane Street between West Broadway and Church Streets in Tribeca. Feel free to vote on whether you like or dislike his outfit below—your choices are 'Perfection!,' I feel strangely ambivalent about it,' or 'Who Did This To You.'
[Photo by Krieger]
Salvatore is wearing Dolce & Gabbana pants (half of a suit), a vintage shirt, a vintage Ralph Lauren belt and Dolce & Gabanna glasses. His favorite store is What Goes Around Comes Around.
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]
Ralph Lauren celebrates Pride on Bleecker. [Photo via 24gotham/Racked Flickr Pool]
Local
· Isabel Marant marked down at Curve [Fashionista]
National
· Fear: man leggings [The Cut]
· Wave of the future: energy-producing curtains [Gadget Lab]
· Steve & Barry's bitten by recession, may close stores [WSJ]
· People hankering for 3G iPhones [AppleInsider]
· A peek at Wal-Mart's new logo [5 Blogs Before Lunch]
· eBay forced to shell out to luxury companies [NY Sun]
· Review of men's Spring 2009 collections from Paris [NY Times]
Today's Street Scenes subject is Dean, shot on Mercer Street between Prince and Spring Streets in Soho. Feel free to vote on whether you like or dislike his outfit below—your choices are 'Perfection!,' I feel strangely ambivalent about it,' or 'Who Did This To You.'
[Photo by Krieger]
Dean is wearing a Ralph Lauren vest, a vintage t-shirt, A.P.C. jeans, 3.1 Phillip Lim sandals and a pin he bought in Paris. His favorite store is Barneys.
Upper East Side: Opening men's-only stores really is popular these days. J.Crew's doing it, Ralph Lauren's doing it, and now luxury retailer Hermès is getting in on the action. As was reported this morning, the French brand is planning to open an outpost just for the gents in 2009 to be located directly across from their current UES location at 691 Madison and 62nd Street. It will be typically upscale, offering the coveted neckwear and suiting, with an "entire floor...dedicated to Sur-mesure and Demi-mesure services, an extensive department for customization and made-to-measure items." Traders: Those bespoke binges at the Wall Street store were noted.
· Hermes to Open Men’s Store [DNR]
· Hermes Adds Men's-Only on Madison [WWD, subscription req]
· Now Open: Hermès [Racked]
We're powering the blog down for the holiday weekend. See you around these parts on Tuesday.
WEST VILLAGE—You knew that Bleecker Street menswear boutique l'Uomo would be replaced by a Ralph Lauren store, but it seems certain now that it won't be any ordinary Ralph Lauren store. Writes a Racked commenter, "In case you don't already know, the old L'Uomo space will be transformed into an exclusive Purple Label shop." Fancy. [Racked Comments]
NEW YORK CITY—One of those sketchy over-the-counter aphrodisiacs you often see near the cash register at corner delis just killed a local man. Be on the lookout for a "product sold at sex shops and neighborhood stores under names including Piedra, Love Stone, Jamaican Stone, Black Stone and Chinese Rock. It is banned by the Food and Drug Administration, but shipments from overseas suppliers still occasionally slip past customs." Apparently, the man ingested a brand made with toad venom. [NY Post]
Well, it's official: L'Uomo at 363 Bleecker is closed, with even the sign cut out of the awning. Despite the store's 25+ years at the spot (before the SNL short Lazy Sunday brought nearby Magnolia Bakery renewed fame!), L'Uomo lost its lease to make way for the block's third Ralph Lauren. Still no sign of RL progress, but the fact that they're paying $50,000 more per month than L'Uomo did should get them moving real soon.
Check out the new digs, only one block away. >>The newly-relaunched Gridskipper has a full reveal of Ralph Lauren's just opened East Hampton Rugby boutique. As you would expect, the store "features enough rugged prepster product to suffocate a small boarding school child." Special bonus touches include "a fully-functioning vintage foosball table, vintage overstock sunglasses (were $4.95, are $49.95) and a rugby shirt signed by the Rugby team, including Mr. Lauren himself." [Gridskipper]
For all the sandy Hamptons coverage you can take, check out Gridskipper at the Beach, revving up this Thursday.
While Memorial Day weekend is the real green light for the beachgoing masses, Racked's eager and well-tanned correspondents are already on the Hamptons scene. Today, we have word that Ralph Lauren's Rugby store has just opened at 32 Main Street in East Hampton. Although you'll have to wait 'til Thursday for the big G'skip at the Beach reveal, we've got a tantalizing teaser for you: Above, a tote only available in the East Hampton shop, made from a salvaged sailboat sail ($295). Will it be the bag of the season? A very important question, people.
· Rugby [Official Site]
MEATPACKING—Earnest Sewn's next pop-up concept has been revealed: The denim store's collaborating with the designers of Ruffian. "From May 27 to June 9, designers Brian Wolk and Claude Morais will take over Earnest Sewn's back room project space to showcase their fall collection. For the two-part collaboration, Ruffian will use the premium denim from Earnest Sewn and fashion it into tailored garments, while Earnest Sewn mixes Ruffian's custom-designed European textiles and adds their own unique denim expertise to create the ultimate luxury jean." [FWD]
ONLINE—From a Racked source: "Just a tip that the Ralph Lauren private sale will be starting online on 5/15—if people search for Ralph Lauren (Google, yahoo, or MSN) on the first day, there will also be an extra 15% coupon code floating around. Shop well!" [RackedWire Inbox]
Some Midtown store owners weren't thrilled at the effect the Pope's visit had on their bottom line. "'Our Fifth Avenue store was open, but it was totally blocked,' said Robert Siegel, chairman and chief executive of Lacoste USA. 'The police wouldn't let people move by the store for about five hours, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., [Saturday] and wouldn't let people in that area with any shopping bags or backpacks.'" Barneys, Ralph Lauren and Saks were also affected a bit, though 'many exhilarated shoppers visited [Saks] after the Mass.' [WWD, subscription req]
Ever since the confirmation that West Village Men's institution L'Uomo lost its lease in favor of yet another Ralph Lauren store on Bleecker Street, we've been anxiously awaiting news of the fate of L'Uomo and what Ralph Lauren brand will take the space. Well, we've got the half of it: L'Uomo will be relocating only one block up Perry Street to 2200 square ft at 271 West 4th Street. Celebrate with 50% off their current stock of Italian designers at their soon-to-shutter Bleecker location, and grab us a Moncler jacket.
· Dealfeed: L'Uomo [Racked]
· The Rumors are True: Ralph Lauren to Replace WVill's L'Uomo [Racked]
· Ralph to Take L'Uomo Space [DNR]
HARLEM—Starbucks has cast its gaze upon Harlem. The coffee chain is moving into massive condo building Soha 118 at 118th and Frederick Douglass. Writes a tipster: "Not sure if this is blog worthy, but F. Douglass now has a 'Bucks on the way. It will occupy Soha's SW corner of retail space. They also have a dry cleaner—50% off to get new business and a Chase bank. Still waiting for the Harlem Vintage wine bar to open. This area is REALLY changing fast." [RackedWire]
MEATPACKING DISTRICT—One of the last bastions of grime in the Meatpacking District, BBQ joint/bar The Hog Pit, will be shuttering in January. The impending closure can be attributed to lease woes. According to an email that owner Felisa Dell sent to our friends over at Eater, the landlord's found a tenant that'll pay top dollar for the space: Ralph Lauren. [Eater]
Today's Street Scenes subject is Sam, shot on Canal and Baxter Streets in Chinatown. 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.'
[Photo by Krieger]
Sam is wearing an Etro hat, a Burberrry trench, RRL pants, a Gilded Age shirt, Bass shoes and a vintage bag. His favorite store is Opening Ceremony.
[Photo of the Rhinelander Mansion via PropertyShark]
Retailers seem to have finally realized that men actually do like to shop, and that they need more places to do so. Just a few days ago, it was revealed that J.Crew execs are planning a men's-only boutique in Tribeca. Now, news of an in-the-works men's-only Ralph Lauren boutique has surfaced. The preppy American design house has decided to turn its Rhinelander Mansion store into a menswear shop, which will open sometime next year. Of course, that means that the women's and children's lines have to go somewhere else, so Lauren will open another flagship store across the street at 888 Madison Avenue (currently home to a Ralph Lauren "lifestyle boutique"). According to WWD, "The new 27,500-square-foot store will house Lauren's world of women's and women's accessories, as well as his home collections." The Times has a history of the building at no. 888, which was once owned by a Vanderbilt; Ralph Lauren will do a complete tear-down and rebuild of the structure. While that is happening, merchandise will be rerouted to a temporary space at 1055 Madison Avenue and 80th Street, opening when 888 Madison closes on March 28. Whew. You got all that?
· Ralph to Convert Rhinelander to Men’s Store [DNR]
· Second Polo Flagship Coming to N.Y. [WWD, subscription req]
· From Palatial Home to Retail Palace [NY Times]
Recently-opened Kate Spade boutique on Fifth Ave and 20th St. Femia, 02/23/2008
Local
· Men stabbed at diamond store [NY Times]
· Boutique Girls Love Shoes relocates on the LES [Word Up!]
· FreshDirect giving certain Bronx residents a discount [NY Daily News]
National
· Apple introduces long-awaited updated MacBooks [Gadget Lab]
· JC Penney already discounting new Ralph Lauren line American Living [IHT]
The tag for Ralph Lauren's new line for JC Penney, American Living, features an eagle grasping an American flag in its claws. Look closer, and you'll notice that the clothing is made in China. [Graphicology]
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