The Shophound

A Classic Returns: Picardie Glasses Reappear In Stores As Bistros And Cafés Restock

2009-07-15T06:08:00-04:00

Is it weird to get too attached to a drinking glass?
Well, we have been known to obsess over lesser things, for sure.
A few years ago, brasseries, design aficionados and lovers of arcane French stuff were beside themselves when the famous glass company Duralex ceased production of its famous Picardie tumblers (and everything else they made) due to financial troubles.
Designed in the 1920s and made of durable tempered glass by the 30s, they are suitable for hot and cold beverages. The curvy, stackable tumblers are nearly unbreakable, and when the do shatter, it's in a million pieces, avoiding the danger of jagged edges. Practical, comfortable to hold and pretty, they are the perfect glasses, and were considered a classic example of 20th Century design.
Part of their appeal has also been their low price, but in spite of their democratic charm, Picardie glasses had been staples at upscale stores like Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma and The Conran Shop (but also at Target.com) for years, until recently.
The Shophound managed to score a boxfull in different sizes when C&B closed out of them, figuring that they would eventually be collectors' items, while while anyone trying to replace their stock was forced to turn to eBay, expensive internet resources like Replacements.com, or make do with clumsy, chunky "substitute" styles.
No longer!
Last weekend we spied a whole shelving unit full of the glasses in various sizes at Bowery Kitchen Supply in the Chelsea Market and promptly grabbed some of the largest 17 oz. coolers for a whopping $4.50 each. "We just started carrying these", we were told by a clerk, unaware that there was a colony of drinkware fans pining for their return. Still made in France, they were exactly as we had remembered them right down to the stamp on the bottom.
At Design Within Reach's Tools For Living store in SoHo, two sizes are now available in sets of six for $25, and the sales staff told us that they can't keep them in stock, and a new American company, Duralex USA, has been set up to handle distribution.
Our kitchen shelves can rest easy now, knowing that our little link to the cafés of Paris has been restored.

Cintra Wilson Goes Shopping: Light Under A Bushel Edition

2009-07-15T00:52:00-04:00

Tomorrow's Thursday Styles sends Critical Shopper Cintra Wilson to Marni's new Upper East Side outpost, which is kind of like sending an ardent steak-lover to review a vegan raw food restaurant.
Of course, nobody is more aware of the incongruity than La Cintra herself, who describes her own personal style as "undead Moscow hooker". Remember, this is the woman who nearly became unhinged upon visiting the Dolce & Gabbana boutique.
Ever the sophisticate,however, our shopper understands the appeal of a wardrobe with a lower va-va-voom factor, citing Anne Hathaway as a Marni fan. Still, she remains uncharmed by designer Consuelo Castiglioni's latest efforts:

It would very difficult to make Anne Hathaway look unpretty, but Marni’s fall collection is ready to meet this challenge head-on. The runway looks are just starting to arrive, and, this season, Ms. Castiglioni seems to be reveling in the weird glitz-modern of early-1970s square: wonky plaids in lurid, oversaturated green; strange neck-concealing dickeys. My first thought: “First Lady Jan Brady.”

Ouch. Even better,

If Jackie Chan was in a screwball fight sequence that took place in a wealthy retirement community and he jumped down a Salvation Army donation chute, this is the stuff he would fly out wearing. It’s senile-fabulous: sporty, loud, intentionally clashing and slightly clownish. Much of it can and should be accessorized with white golf shoes and a Phyllis Diller wig.

Just when it seems that Marni is about to crumble under Cintra's scrutiny, she finds the boutique's saving grace, the shoes, "uncompromising craziness and all the raw sex that is sublimated in the clothing", and Marni escapes with only a few scratches.
Critical Shopper | Marni: That Sexy Stuff Won’t Fly Here By Cintra Wilson (NYTimes)
Marni 21 East 67th Street

Today In Enlargement: Jack Spade's Giant Tote

2009-07-14T06:28:00-04:00

The folks at Jack Spade seem to have wound down their bike shop for the season, and the latest attraction at the Bleecker Street store appears to be supersized accessories —really supersized.
Yes, possibly inspired by pop artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, that's a giant canvas tote bag in front of the store, stuffed, perhaps in absence of a bit more structure, with a whole lot of tissue paper.
The Spade staff seems, at least, to know what its customers put in their totes. A closer look reveals a giant pair of iPod headphones.
Dumbo's perhaps?

Jack Spade 400 Bleecker Street between West 11^th & Bank Streets, West Village
Previously: Today In Switcheroos: Jack Spade Ditches Fruitcake for Cycling

Impending Departures: Say Bye Bye To Beau Brummel

2009-07-14T06:19:00-04:00

Here's yet another signpost of the current economic climate. Longtime Manhattan men's boutique Beau Brummel is finally throwing in the towel after decades in New York. Over the years, the store has occupied various locations around Manhattan both up and downtown, but in recent years consolidated its business in a single store at 347 West Broadway between Broome and Grand streets where it maintained a fully stocked bar along with its usual stock of European menswear.
That menswear is now 75% off, and may go even lower before the end arrives. So far as we know, the drinks will remain on the house.

Hollister Update: Hunks Installed

2009-07-13T12:54:30-04:00

Click to view larger image in a new window.
You know you want to.

Though the store doesn't open until Thursday, the semi-clad doormen have arrived and apparently will be serving as advance-men for the big event.
They told us it was going to be "Awesome."

Footwear Up & Downtown: Onesole Lands In SoHo & Stuart Weitzman Expands Up And West

2009-07-13T10:26:27-04:00

There is something a little bit upside-down about this report.
First, Onesole, the novelty interchangeable shoe brand has taken over the West Broadway space that was briefly occupied by watch Boutique SubChrono. Think of a Bermuda Bag (if you are preppy enough) for your feet where a cloglike sole can be fitted with an endless variety of sandal tops creating mules or ankle straps or what have you. You can wear them with your Topsy-Tail unless your hairdo is already fitted with a Bumpits!. Yes, they sound a little infomercially to us too, but they appear to be hugely popular —among whom? We have no idea.
On the somewhat more sophisticated side, Stuart Weitzman will be opening his third Manhattan boutique this Fall on Upper Broadway in the 70s not far from Barneys Co-op. Weitzman is clearly taking advantage of more favorable rental conditions as his label continues to excel at interpreting contemporary shoe trends at somewhat gentler prices than Manolo and Louboutin as well as fuller size ranges. This looks like a solid move, but wouldn't the more stylish Stuart Weitzman be rather more at home on West Broadway than Onesole, which might fit in better with Upper Broadway's fairly eclectic mix?
We take it back. Weitzman is probably preferable in both locations. We're pretty sure that Onesole is somewhat misplaced down the street from M Missoni and a block from Chanel. Everyone loves to knock SoHo as a big mall, but We don't think is has gotten quite that bad...until now.
Onesole 438 West Broadway between Prince and Spring Streets

Has The Sartorialist Backlash Begun?

2009-07-13T09:47:20-04:00

We're all fans of The Sartorialist, the little blog that (with a few well placed connections) has become the latest chronicler of record for individuals of striking personal style. Since launching the blog, photographer Scott Schuman has found plummy work with Condé Nast publications and even inspired department store windows, so it was only a matter of time before someone aimed a critical (if still affectionate) eye at him.
That someone turns out to be Refinery 29 whose blog, Pipeline, has taken a good long look at The Sartorialist and deduced a clever formula for attracting Schuman's attention and immortalizing yourself in the online annals of style.
Read and learn.
Oh Snap! Our Step-By-Step Guide To Getting Shot By The Sartorialist By Christene Barberich & Piera Gelardi, Design by Joshua Covarubbias
The Sartorialist (Official Site)

Abercrombie Under Pressue: A First Look At Hollister

2009-07-13T07:23:41-04:00

WWD has the first glimpse inside the new "Epic" Hollister flagship set to open Thursday in SoHo (It's the big event of the week, so expect to hear a lot about it between now and then). Included in an interview with A&F CEO Michael Jeffries, we can see the dramatic cast iron staircase that will presumably be a centerpiece of the four-level, 40,000 square foot store. Jeffries promises a lavish interior composed of surf shacks with video screens throughout the store bringing beach footage to SoHo. Think of it as California by way of Columbus, Ohio. As usual, there will be no less than two shirtless models in board shorts to greet customers at the front door, and plenty of nubile "salesmodels" inside (fair hiring practices be damned).
Like any CEO, Jeffries is all smiles and good news, though Abercrombie & Fitch's same store sales numbers continue slump in the double digits across the board, including those at the Fifth Avenue flagship, and a variety of analysts chime in with their (mostly predictable) observations that while the company is finally starting to respond to its slowing business, it may not be doing enough to offer newness and otherwise adapt to customers' changing tastes and demands.
Jeffries confirms that the Hollister brand's international expansion hinges on the success of this new flagship, but don't expect any opening day promotions. It'll be full-price all the time at the flagship stores, because, really, who's looking for a sale these days anyway... right?
A&F Stays on Message With Global Strategy (WWD)
Hollister (Official Site) & Ride The Wave (SoHo Epic Store Site)

Business Troubles: Scoop On The Ropes?

2009-07-10T09:41:17-04:00

Scoop, the popular contemporary chain appears to be hitting a rough patch these days with a bunch of distressing challenges. This week, the SoHo Flagship store was hit by a protest from former employees who are suing the company for overtime pay and other questionable business practices including "promoting" stock and security workers to management positions without appreciably changing their duties, but restructuring their pay to a weekly salary, thus exempting them from potentially lucrative overtime pay. Many are West African immigrants who were fired over purported documentation issues, which they dispute.
And why should such a successful chain be so chintzy?
According to the lead story in today's WWD, vendors and factoring companies are growing impatient with Scoop which has been running behind on its payments to suppliers for several months. Factors are a quiet, usually rarely heard from component of the fashion industry who approve retailers' credit and help facilitate wholesale transactions. They are often the first to raise the red flag indicating that a retailer is in trouble. Vendors are often less willing to trifle with a long term retail relationship, and many are continuing gamble on shipping goods to Scoop, though the article seems to suggest that upcoming Fall deliveries may be held up.
While many still associate the now embattled store with its highly visible founder, Stefani Greenfield, she actually left the company last year, and the chain is now owned by Billionaire Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Companies. With such big backing, many are wondering why the relatively small chain (only eleven stores) is evidently so undercapitalized. Many observers (including this one) feel that Scoop, though it still carries appealing items and popular labels, has become formulaic since Greenfield's departure and has lost some of its luster and industry leadership. Its website suspended e-commerce over a year ago, and a promised redesign has yet to happen, although the actual stores also continue to occupy some of the most desirable retail real estate.
Will this month's misfortunes scuttle a once white-hot chain? Time will tell, but we are guessing that Billionaire Ron Burkle (we understand that 'Billionaire' is actually his real first name) is not ready to write off an investment made only two years ago, but eyes will now be on Scoop to see if the Fall goods that are arriving in other stores now start materializing on its floor as well.
Scoop NYC Feels Credit Squeeze by Lisa Lockwood (WWD)

Off-Price Online: Final Sale Hits Gilt Groupe

2009-07-09T12:02:25-04:00

We suppose that this is a sort of de facto sponsored post, but we figure this is information you Shophounders appreciate appreciate anyway, so it's all good for everyone.
Gilt Groupe (which we know a lot of you out there love) is running final sales this week, which means that whatever is left from their designer sales gets marked down even more to discounts from around 70% up to as much as 90% off.
These final sales can be hit or miss, as we all know, and it's always good to be ready to click decisively at Noon sharp, but there are gems to be had if your nimble fingers are fast enough. The Men's Final Sale started yesterday, Women's Final Sale starts today, Thursday the 9^th, at Noon, and tomorrow brings an Accessories Final Sale and Children's Final Sale. Each sale offers merchandise from as many as 50 designers.
If that's too much pressure, it's still worth marking your calendars over the next few days for an exclusive group of electronics accessories from Incase available only at Gilt, Oliver Peoples for Men and Women this Sunday evening, and Thom Browne, Marc Jacobs Handbags, Frye and Charriol early next week.
Click HERE for your invite

Today In Renaming: British American House Goes Russian Italian

2009-07-09T08:09:09-04:00

Longtime New York retailer British American House is finally changing its name mainly because almost nothing it sells is either British or American anymore.
The century-old company is being renamed Pravda Abbigliamento e Calzature dal 1908 (if that's a mouthful, you can probably just call it 'Pravda'), which translates from the Italian as "Pravda Apparel and Footwear since 1908".
Before you think the name is a blatant attempt to court Russian born customers, know that the store's owner is named Philip Pravda, representing the fourth generation running a family business that stretches back to 1908. The Italian part refers to the fact that, for decades, the shop has sold mostly Italian made suits from labels like Canali and Belvest.
OK, the red star is pretty Russian looking, but with a name like Pravda, it's tough to resist that reference entirely.
British American House Changing Names (WWD)

Blog Spotlight: Bagatelle's Wrapping Reminiscence

2009-07-09T07:49:14-04:00

We have to admit that pretty often these days The Shophound feels a little bit blogged out, and occasionally relieved to find a reason to delete something from our prodigious RSS feed list. Sometimes it seems like we see the same stories slavishly repeated over and over and over from one blog to another (like anything regarding Marc Jacobs' personal life, for example). It's no small pleasure to find a blog with a unique focus, which happened yesterday when we came across "Bagatelle: An on-line museum of shopping bags... and other things money can't buy".
A blog about shopping BAGS?
It's better than it sounds. More than just creating a budding compendium of graphic design and corporate identity (trying to remember what the old Bonwit Teller bags looked like?), Bagatelle's author, Coco, often uses the bags, ribbons, boxes and even business cards as an opportunity launch into another often unrelated but no less amusing story, like this post about Bergdorf Goodman's iconic paper sacks,

In spite of the fact that I applied for a job there when I was 19 and was turned down (I ended up working for Macy's), I'm proud to say I've never let bitterness or hurt stand in the way of walking into BG's as if I own the place. (Although I was a little embarrassed, when, after they broke the news to me that I wasn't hired, I was discovered rocking back and forth in the shoe section, yelling, "You are lying, Chino! Make it not be true! Please, make it not be true!!!" I guess all hindsight is 20/20.)

We think you've hit on something here Coco.
We're anxiously waiting for a nice post on all those famous Bloomingdale's bags from the '70s and '80s. Consider yourself tasked.
Bagatelle: An on-line museum of shopping bags... and other things money can't buy (Official Site)

Today In Karma: Kira Plastinina's Return Draws Angry Protests In Los Angeles

2009-07-09T01:55:48-04:00

Some Russian Heiresses really have nerve.
You may have heard that Moscow teen queen designer Kira Plastinina has surprisingly reopened her two Los Angeles Stores under a new Russian based holding company and modified name. Regular readers and New York shoppers will recall that the dairy scion's seven month old American chain closed abruptly just before Christmas last year following a speedy Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing which left most of her employees and not a few creditors high, dry and really pissed off. Many fashion blogs including The Shophound hosted a string of comments from rightfully enraged and disappointed former employees detailing all sorts of bad behavior from management, and those folks have not been quick to forget or forgive.
Perhaps Plastinina thought she would quietly reopen the two stores whose leases she retained as K. Plastinina, but WWD reports that one of the liquidated company's creditors, a construction firm that built eight of the original stores, picketed the Robertson Boulevard shop last Friday. Tom Rectenwald Construction is reportedly owed $2.5 million by Plastinina, and will continue picketing until he is paid —which, we're guessing, could be a while.
Perhaps Karma works differently in Russia
Kira Plastinina's Return Draws Protestors by Anne Riley-Katz (WWD)
Previously,
Shutdown Fallout: Kira Plastinina Staff Left High And Dry
Shutdown Fallout II: Kira Plastinina, It Gets Worse

Moves On Bleecker: It's Official (Almost) Marc Takes Biography Bookshop

2009-07-09T01:22:45-04:00

We have been speculating over the fate of the Biography Bookshop space for a while, and the building's owner has confirmed to WWD what many suspected: Marc Jacobs will be moving in to open an as yet unannounced new concept store. Jacobs President Robert Duffy hinted several months ago that there were expansion plans afoot on Bleecker Street, but offered no specific details, and the company is still mum on the topic. Reportedly, the designer's lease on the enviable 500 square foot corner shop at 400 Bleecker will begin in February 2010, which suggests that a new store will be open next Spring, making a whopping six freestanding stores for Jacobs in the West Village —four of them on Bleecker.
As for the bookshop, as reported before, it will be moving further east on Bleecker and renaming itself Bookbook.
Marc Jacobs Set for Another Store on Bleecker by Sharon Edelson (WWD)
Previously, Extended Relocations: Biography Bookshop Transitions Down The Street

Project Runway On Sale: Champ Leanne Marshall Makes Her Bluefly Début

2009-07-08T17:35:18-04:00

The most recent Project Runway champion, Leanne Marshall has finally made it to Bluefly today with her exclusive collection, and it's 20% off on day one.
We're not really sure if something actually can be 20% off if it has never been offered at "full price" to begin with, but we digress.
The tiny capsule collection looks good —based on the elegant creations Leanne came up with at the end of the season rather than the tricky, overly artsy things she made at the beginning (can you actually remember back that far?).
Leanne is not the enthusiastic media figure that her predecessor Christian Siriano is, so the PR dial for her has been set a little bit lower. Bluefly is featuring an "interview" with the charming designer by a bedraggled looking Kelly Cutrone of People's revolution and "The Hills" fame, who makes sure to plug her own upcoming show on Bravo, confirming to all who her number one client really is (hint: it ain't Leanne). But here we are talking about Kelly. We shall speak of her no more.
Back to Leanne. The collection, made from organic fabrics, ranges in price from $98 to $990 for a strapless silk gown. It looks pleasingly salable without being boring, and though she hasn't been able to whip up Siriano's frisson, it shouldn't last too long on the web page, so start your clicking.
Project Runway will finally return with its Lifetime début on August 20^th.
Leanne Marshall on Bluefly (Official Site)
Kelly Cutrone Interviews Leanne Marshall (Fly•Paper)