New APC Store in West Village, NYC

One of my favortite labels, APC, is opening a new post in the city's West Village.  Not sure where it will be, but Greenwich Street seems like a fine spot.  Lot of lovely boutiques have opened up in the past year and half including Zero Maria Conejo, Maison Margiela (!), and Odin. Can't wait to see the finished store!

APC and me have a long love affair.  I remember receiving their catalog in 1996 after seeing an item I liked of theirs in Sassy magazine. This was a time pre-online stores and pre-internet proliferation.  It was when only about 10% of the population had internet access and it was dial-up AOL.  The biggest thing going on was chat rooms-- and online shopping? What's that?  It's when Sony's website was in Times New Roman 18 point font and that was the coolest thing you could come up with for a website.

So it was such a special treat to get this APC catalog in.  It was stark white with bold and simple black intitals. I coveted everything single item in it from their box-pleated minis to their sweet, floral blouses insprired by gamine schoolgirls. APC was the uniform I wanted, but it was hard to find (there was only one store in the US and in Paris at the time).  How shopping has changed since then! The internet has made labels much more accessible.  Even luxury labels like Marc Jacobs, who once created websites that were no more than giant lookbooks, are finally giving online shops a go due the stagnant economy.  Exclusivity is less important, democratization rules.
http://www.apcjournal.fr/

Rag & Bone takes over Den

Den, Odin's concept store in the East Village finished up their insane summer sale just in time to introduce a new installment of the store's rotating designers. Rag & Bone's fall collection for men and women is in-store now.

Rag & Bone's David Neville and Marcus Wainwright design in the city, but manufacture their clothing in North Carolina in a factory known for its quality, "We believed and always will, that jeans represent history, authenticity, and fundamentals. We wanted to fuse these elements together with all the clothing we set out to design and to produce collections that reflected the same qualities that we saw in classic work wear."

I love androgyny and like that women can easily shop in both genders of Rag & Bone's clothing. Their pieces crisp, boyish, military-inspired, and their separates fit easily into your existing wardrobe. One of my favorites is their white tuxedo shirt (above).

Den is located at 330 East 11th Street (btwn 1st and 2nd).

New Boutique Alert: Den

I had a preview yesterday of the East Village's newest boutique, Den, set to open this week. Odin owners, Paul and Eddie, will open shop next door to Odin's 11th St. location. Den is a concept store housed in a former massage parlor notorious for its happy endings. The owners cleaned up well and replaced the pepto bismol pink walls with fresh paint and dark woods.

Den will carry one label's collection only for a limited time. Swedish jean company, Cheap Monday, will kick off the store's opening with their full collection of men's and women's clothing. Expect this label to sell fast because it's dirt cheap and has a hipster cult following. Cheap Monday's best selling skinny jean retails for only $65. Don't worry if the jeans sell out, there are plenty of satanic skull-printed dresses and sneakers abound.

Cheap Monday will take over Den until July. Future collections will exhibit for one month and one week. I'm patiently waiting for one of my favorites, Karen Walker.

5.23.07 UPDATE: Den will open Thursday, May 24. Happy Shopping!