Well, I’ve now spotted two young ladies wearing these cherry red wonders, and each time I’ve experienced the visual equivalent of eating a pink Starburst. Lucky for us, the second time I didn’t just smile dazedly; I approached my well-heeled friend and asked her where, oh where had she purchased her shoes? “At a store on North 5th in Williamsburg,” she told me.
And that’s exactly where I found them, at Otte on 132 North 5th Street. It seems they’re quite popular—they have only sizes 6 and 10 left. But of course they’re selling out. Being that they’re by Tara Subkoff, they’re not only adorable but comfortable, too. And being that they’re by Tara Subkoff, you can also find them online at easyspirit.com.
It’s spring, and all these rainy evenings add up to plenty of time indoors to transition our wardrobes! I know, the fun never ends. But seriously, dusting off the spring/summer attire is a great way of seeing what you have and, equally importantly, what you’re missing. For my part, I discovered that while I have quite a few spring-y tops and some sweet sandals, ballet flats, etc., I do not have the right bottoms (skirts, pants, etc.) to connect the two. But I reckon it’ll only take two highly versatile bottoms (yet each stylish in its own right) to make it easy to wear the rest:
** Denim cut-offs: Does the thought of paying $143 for denim cut-offs make you feel dirty, too? Let’s cut off our tired old Sevens (like mine from ‘02) and spend the money on food instead.
In case you’re looking to throw money away, I would be supportive of doing so on the stylish Boys Gone Wild short by Chip & Pepper:
Don’t be jealous of my abs. Just kidding. The picture is from (and the shorts are available for purchase on) shopbop.com.
** White trousers: Yes, I wanted these a year ago, and I have yet to purchase them! White pants would go with everything—from espadrilles to peep-toe heels. But beware: few things are as obvious as cheap white pants (see-through city!), and if you want to keep them brilliant white, don’t expect to ever sit on the subway (or anywhere else, for that matter) again.
These pants are by tfny, pictured in the window of LF on Court Street.
…and get ready to note some exciting sales coming our way!
First, go to the Built by Wendy Spring Collection Party!
Grab a glass of wine while you exercise a 20% discount on all Spring collection items.
4/27 (6-9)
46 N. 6th St., in Williamsburg (718-384-2882)
Delman shoes sample sale
Save 50%!
5/2–5/5 (10–7)
730 Fifth Ave., near 56th St., 8th fl. (212-399-2323)
Theory sample sale
6/5-6/9 (10-6 on Monday, Wednesday & Friday; 10-7 on Tuesday & Thursday)
261 W. 36th St., between Seventh & Eighth Aves., 2nd fl. (212-947-8748)
Tory Burch sample sale
6/13-6/16 (10-7 on Tuesday & Thursday; 10-6 on Wednesday & Friday)
261 W. 36th St., between Seventh & Eighth Aves., 2nd fl. (212-947-8748)
Apart from my alerts, you can always find out about local sales in New York magazine. Yes, I was raised to turn up my nose at New York magazine. But with such great daily sale info, who can afford to be a snob?
Spring Street Natural is located on the corner of Spring and Lafayette.
For a while now, I’ve wanted to haul myself out of bed and identify the best spots for watching the best-dressed people go to work (instinct tells me they may include the Starbucks on Astor Place, some place in Union Square, maybe a spot in the West Village…). I haven’t been able to rise-and-shine sufficiently early, but last week I did take advantage of the blissful spring weather by lunching outside at Spring Street Natural.
Now maybe this is a big DUH, but the corner of Spring Street and Lafayette (where Spring Street Natural is situated) is an incredible place to people-watch. Everyone looks amazing: loads of I-wouldn’t-have-thought-of-that outfits, a general stylish scruffiness, with a few $3,000 handbags thrown in. Here are a couple of things I noticed and admired:
** Masterful layering: Who would’ve thought of throwing a white ribbed racerback tank over an almond thermal long-sleeved crewneck? Not me, but I sure will now. (Makes sense when you think about it: why hide that sexy racerback?)
** Unexpected socks/tights: A girl with a black bob wore brown leather t-strap heels exposing matte slate trouser socks, paired with ankle-length black pants. Another young lady wore black wool-blend bermudas and black equestrian-style boots—with her delicately rolled royal blue knee-highs exposed at the top! Finished with a lacy mustard-yellow top, she was a bon bon for the eye.
Aside from the great vantage point, Spring Street Natural has some good eats, too. My smoked salmon club sandwich with organic turkey bacon was tas-ty (though I’d skip the fries—they’re fried in some un-lard-like oil and the ketchup isn’t Heinz so why bother?). Snag a table outside, order up some food, pop on those shades (so the eye can roam freely) and gawk away.
Who will ever forget the scene in Sex and the City when Carrie peers at a pair of shoes in a store window and purrs, “Hello, lover”? I certainly won’t. But I will admit that I don’t often fall in love at first glance with shoes in store windows. So imagine my surprise when it happened…in the window of Arche!
Now I don’t know about you, but when I’ve thought of Arche, I’ve typically thought of a reasonable option for the pushing-60 crowd. You know, shoes for the hip old biddies of the West Village. But then I saw these platforms in the Arche window on 62nd and Third. What lines! What colors! I was smitten.
It turns out that they’re not Arche brand shoes, but are by designer Francoise Didelle, part of her new FD line. The MAD shoe (shown above) comes in three buttery suede colors. They’re comfortable, too, and not just ’cause they’re platforms: all FD shoes are made for women who “appreciate style and comfort.” Ain’t nothing wrong with that.
Shop for Francoise Didelle shoes at Arche stores and online at lesshoes.com.
The aforementioned Florida wedding experience also revealed the popularity of the clutch. A great many ladies, myself included, stowed strap-free bags in the crook of the arm while gorging on mini crab cakes with mango salsa and tossing back Bellinis. We all looked oh so elegant, if I do say so myself.
Now I had known that I wanted a clutch for the wedding, but as I am a Practical Girl, I wasn’t going to shell out for a bag that would only serve me for the one occasion. But the day prior to my departure, I ambled into Frida’s Closet.* My original intent was to peruse the shop’s awesome printed tees, but–lo and behold–I discovered a bin by the door (pictured above) holding a great many fabric clutches and wristlets. Not only did they come in a variety of textures and colors, but, since talking money is so gauche, let’s just say I could buy one for the price of a movie ticket. Practical Girl threw caution to the wind, and you should too, if you can catch them before they’re gone.
*Frida’s Closet is located at 296 Smith Street, near Union Street.
Now you know I’ve extolled the virtue of mixing patterns and colors before. Well, I happened upon an excellent execution at a wedding in Florida last weekend. Navy pinstripe + two plaids (blue & white windowpane and diagonal pink & green) = awesome. Here’s a picture so you can revel in this fine young man’s success, as I did.
Know what I like to see when I walk into a sample sale? Bins. Bins usually indicate quantity, variety, and low price, all at the same time. I’ve purchased Built by Wendy shirts and dresses out of bins for $5 each. Last year’s Calypso warehouse sale had tons of bins, and I enjoyed recognizing various shirts and skirts as Calypso bin finds on girls all over SoHo last spring and summer (an admitted drawback of the quantity feature: lots of anything means lots of people buy them).
Sadly, this year’s Calypso sale did not offer any bins (I don’t count a basket of belts), though I will say that there were some good deals, one being a studded satin tank in about 6 luscious colors for $55, with an additional 10% off at the register. But cute tops aside, nothing screamed, “YOU GOT ME, YOU LUCKY BASTARD!” I’m finding that a lot with sample sales. Perhaps my standards are too high? Am I too cheap? Or maybe it’s just that the industry has changed…
Whatever the reason, it doesn’t really matter. I’ll always go to most of the sales I hear about in the hopes that I’ll walk in and stumble across a bin, many bins, containing just what I’m looking for/what I never knew I wanted. It’s the sample sale shopper’s pot of gold, you know?