Thursday, December 21, 2006

More 80s Tales: Allan & Suzi / NaNa Shoes

So I'm feeling another little 80s retrospective coming on (scene: foggy dream sequence) - New York City Style.

Back in the days when Father Guerilla used to take me to buy prim and proper dresses at Betsey Johnson on the Upper West Side, we would sometimes meander around the hood, back when Columbus Avenue was all the rage, and not yet Westchester Suburbia South. Those journeys would sometimes bring us to Allan & Suzi at 416 Amsterdam Avenue, where I'd try on latex dresses and such. I never quite understood why we got such strange and puzzling looks by the salespeople, but in retrospect I'm pretty sure it was because I was NOT A TRANSVESTITE.

Next door was Na Na where you could find some cheap, but stylish, punk rock shoes. I bought some wicked, extremely pointy patent leather boots for $15. They finally gave out on me, but I have since replaced them with a similar (in look, not price) pair from Donald J. Pliner (see pic).

Anyway, stay tuned for future 80s postings. I have a couple more good ones up my sleeves. Oh, and I'll tell you where I got those on the cheap too.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm about two years late in seeing this post....but a belated thanks for the shout-out on Na Na. I'm one of the owners...built that store...and have some fond memories of our stint in NY (did you ever check out our Soho store on Prince St?)...maybe we'll do it again some day!

Guerilla Shopper said...

Why hello there Sr. Na Na. I don't think I went to the store on Prince St. And while I feel like shoes have improved this decade (since the 'shoe-poor' 90s), there's always room for a contemporary sendup to the 80s. I encourage your return to the big Island. And if you do, let me know!