Sunday, November 05, 2006

New Store on G.S.' Radar - pa: personal affairs

This weekend I travelled up to the great white north: The Upper East Side. I was on a quest for a designer outlet that I used to stumble upon, but instead I came across a great new find -- a small store called pa (personal affairs) on E. 80th St. There's also a downtown location on E. 7th St. that I haven't visted yet.

A very comfortable setting and a friendly, encouraging saleswoman creates a stellar shopping experience. The clothing designs are structured, yet feminine; wearable, but fashion-forward. I especially loved the jackets and coats: fall and winter; wool and quilted; black, brown and khaki. Unfortunately, they didn't have my size in the things I liked best. However, by the time I came home, the saleswoman had already called their downtown store and left me a message letting me know what sizes were available there. This is not only "old-fashioned" service, it's just plain old good business!

Additionally, a sales rack featured some fun purple and reddish cords for just $35 a pair! They didn't fit me properly either - I think my body type falls in some "in-between" size - but I will certainly make a trip back soon. Good service + fun clothes + sale rack = a G.S. recommended shopping stop.

Aside: I also ventured into a couple of resale shops that featured top designers such as Gucci and Chanel. I do not recommend these shops for anyone truly seeking a bargain, nor anyone trying to avoid major salesperson attitude, but I found myself particularly taken with the jewelry in Tamaras on E. 81st St.

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