Sunday, December 30, 2007

The Classic: Painted Jean Jacket

Do you long for the days of yore when many a metal head sported the infamous painted jean jacket? Well, you may be in luck. The young lads above and I had a half-drunken brainstorm that we would bring that kind of sexyback to the masses -- utilizing the unbelievable skill and talent of Nelson DeCastro, the artist of this, the Metallica "Ride the Lightning" jean jacket painted in 1985. Twenty-two+ years later and the paint is still glowing strong!

A renewed trend the kids don't even yet know that they need...or one that should remain in the decade of Reagan? You make the call...I'm taking orders (soon).

Saturday, December 29, 2007

ABC Carpet: No More "Running" Around

I have so much stuff to buy for my new-old apartment to make it the rent stabilized palace that it deserves to be. I heard that ABC Carpet was having a sale, so I headed on over the other day to find that I was mostly overwhelmed by the volume of stuff, and a little bit hesitant about the prices. Especially when I started looking at long rugs - or "runners" - for my hallway that cost $699! Yikes! So I trotted across Broadway to the ABC Carpet rugs/carpets-only store and descended to the basement where they have all kinds of discounted odds and ends of the rug variety. And still I couldn't find anything that I liked or that didn't cost hundreds of dollars.

"My man," I said to the salesman. "I am not feeling these prices." Realizing that I was not going to be a big-ticket customer, he pointed me to a small pile of runners and suggested I might find something there.

And then I did.

This perfect-I-couldn't-have-come-up-with-a-better-runner was near the top of the pile and on sale from $99 to $49!

Moral: There's always a pile of cheap rugs in the back.

Stay tuned for more never-ending tales of housewares trials and triumphs.

GSNYC

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

HOUSING WORKS THRIFT SHOPS JANUARY WAREHOUSE SALE

HOUSING WORKS THRIFT SHOPS JANUARY WAREHOUSE SALE

WHAT: Warehouse Sale – There's no better way to ring in the New Year than with a shopping spree for gently used gems. High-fashion gowns that need a little mending. Kenneth Cole pumps that have lots of mileage left. Gorgeous necklaces that just need a little untangling. Just meander the 1,000 square feet at our overstock warehouse sale, full of clothing, shoes and accessories by well-known designers and brands—you never know what you'll bring home. We provide you an endless supply of shopping bags. You fill them with as much stuff as you can carry on the 7 train. All for a good cause.

BENEFITING: Housing Works, the nation's largest grassroots AIDS service organization, dedicated to improving the lives of homeless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.

HOURS: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

DATE: Saturday, January 12, 2007

LOCATION: 48-49 35th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101(Take the 7 train to 33rd Street)
718.786.6160
Maps and subway directions available at http://www.housingworks.org/thrifts/

PRICE POINTS: $20 per “all you can stuff” medium (provided) shopping bag

METHOD OF PAYMENT: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Cash

MEDIA CONTACT: David Thorpe 646-621-1805 Thorpe@housingworks.org

When you donate to Housing Works Thrift Shops, you do more than offer a new life to your used furniture, clothing or artwork. You help to raise more than $10 million annually in support of homeless men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in New York City. Call the Donations Department at 212-366-0820 for more information or visit us online at http://www.housingworks.org/thrifts/

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Les Nanas: New Year's Eve Dresses








OK, let's make no mistake about it. Black is the new and old black. It makes life much easier because there are so many matchable options in terms of shoes, bags and other accessories. And you can make a wicked dramatic statement if you so choose.
SO! What the heck are you going to wear this New Year's Eve? I have a thought: why don't you try on one of (or all of) the above pictured dresses at Les Nanas de Gramercy? They are all tres cool (to speak French) and will certainly turn heads or at least encourage curious questions from admirers of all genders. Les Nanas also carries a wide variety of jewelry, bags, scarves, belts and so on...so you really may be able to make a whole outfit as a result of one shopping excursion.
I tried on each of the above pictured garments. The black ruffly skirt and its much shorter sister are cause for celebration alone. They are not for the wallflower type, however. Put one of these things on and you better be ready to shake it into 2008.
The other dresses are all uniquely beautiful, using a semi-shiny material that in some ways imitates leather, and then in others, metallic-esque silks. Interesting, and not a trend I have necessarily seen around otherwise. Leave it to Paris (which is where all of the apparel in the store originates).
MC & HNY!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Shiny Shoes at R Bar

I went to see my friends' band at the R Bar last night, fittingly named (well, fittingly named for the purposes of this blog anyway) "Shiny Shoes." And isn't that what we'd all like our shoes to be a little bit more of? Shiny? I mean except if they are suede.

I've been to this venue before, and while it is definitely not one of my favorites, it supplied a good space for SS to rock out - and actually sound better than perhaps I have ever heard them. But that was probably because of their awesome bass player and his lightening-fast fingers. Go Jeffy GO!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

WSJ: Latest Luxury: The Store Concierge

For those of you who have more money than you know what to do with:

Latest Luxury: The Store Concierge --- Retailers Kick It Up a Notch To Coddle Affluent Clientele
By Ann Zimmerman
20 December 2007
The Wall Street Journal

Dallas -- Not long ago, Mark Krug, a concierge at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, dealt with a panicked hotel guest who had arrived at 10 p.m. in an irreparably ripped pair of pants.
The executive had an important business meeting the next morning and needed new slacks to match his suit jacket. Mr. Krug knew exactly what to do. He dialed the cell phone of the concierge at the Dallas store of luxury retailer Barneys New York. The concierge, Gary Jackson, who goes by the name Jackson, opened the locked store, scooped up some potential selections and brought them to the hotel by 11 p.m.
"It made us look good and it gave Barneys fantastic customer loyalty," say Mr. Krug. "I call what Jackson does 'making magic.'"
In the race to attract customers, luxury emporiums are doing what the best hotels have done for decades -- installing concierges. Customer service has always been the hallmark of luxury retailers. But Barneys New York (a unit of Dubai World) and Nordstrom Inc., in particular, have kicked it up a notch by stationing concierges at several of their highest-profile branches to fulfill an array of customer requests that have nothing to with shopping -- for example, obtaining seats at the best restaurants or arranging admission to the hottest clubs. In return, the stores say they gain new customers and foster deeper loyalty in their old ones. It is another way for retailers to set themselves apart in a world where even the best stores often carry similar brands.
Seattle-based Nordstrom, for instance, has concierge desks in eight of its 101 stores. They are in stores in the largest cities and serve in part as a local chamber of commerce, providing information about the city's sites, best restaurants and other areas of interest. Among other tasks, they also deliver merchandise to people's homes or hotels at no charge.
Saks Inc. has concierge service in stores in its biggest cities and tourist towns. The concierges will give customers water, take returns or help answer questions about bills and for the best customers can arrange extra-special services. A valued customer of the Manhattan Saks Fifth Avenue, for instance, uses the store's visual team to decorate her home for the holidays, according to Suzanne Johnson, general manager of the store.
The stores with concierges say the service is available to any customer, regardless of how much they spend. But clearly, the extra mile is expended on the customers who are best known to the store. Several of the concierges say not all customers know their cellphone numbers, for instance, for getting last-minute favors.
For sending them business, restaurants, hotels and clubs often comp the concierges. But the programs aren't without their risks. Mr. Jackson, the Barneys concierge in Dallas, recalls calling the VIP manager of a new private club to get a store customer on the guest list. The manager called him the next day to tell him the customer had drunk too much and started a brawl. "I made it clear to the customer I wouldn't be rebooking him in the future," he says. "Their behavior reflects on us as well."
Barneys's concierge program started about a decade ago in its store on Manhattan's Madison Avenue. Taylor Piedra, a former sales associate for Barneys, pioneered the program and now trains the others, who work in Boston, San Francisco, Dallas and its soon-to-open Las Vegas store.
Stationed right inside the entrance behind a custom-made teak and leather desk, under a sign saying Concierge Services, Mr. Piedra is sort of a ringmaster and tour guide. Like hotel concierges, he has sources that provide hard-to-nab theater tickets. And he knows exactly who to call to get his best customers into the newest, hottest restaurants.
One recent day, he gets an email from Lisa Jurick, a customer from New York's Long Island who has heard that the Waverly Inn restaurant in Manhattan's West Village only takes reservations two days in advance. Then she tells Mr. Piedra she wants reservations for two weeks hence for "five peeps." Mr. Piedra makes a note of it. "He is the love of my life," says Ms. Jurick. "When I want something, I want it now and Taylor makes it happen and with such calm."
Mr. Piedra's services are free, and Ms. Jurick says she never tips him, but does give him lavish Christmas presents. Last year, it was a Philip Stein Teslar watch, which retails for more than $1,500.
While Mr. Piedra doesn't do any direct selling, he drives sales nonetheless. His computer has bookmarked a currency converter, to help foreign customers figure out just how much money they are saving on their purchases with the dollar being so weak. "Finding out the exact savings can clinch a sale," says Mr. Piedra.
When Kevin Dyson became the general manager at the Manhattan Barneys, he asked Mr. Piedra what exactly a store concierge did. Mr. Piedra replied that he dug for answers to customer questions and didn't quit until he found them -- "like a ferret, but an elegant ferret."
During his stint, he has had to answer some far-fetched questions, once including where to find a real hippopotamus jaw. Mr. Piedra, who didn't ask why the customer needed it, found a little taxidermy store in Soho that had one.
Mr. Jackson, the Dallas Barneys concierge, plays a different role. He serves as the store host and has been essential to help building clientele at the year-old store. Barneys's previous attempt to crack the Dallas market failed in the 1990s. Jackson stocks beer, wine, champagne and the best customers' favorite liquors. He remembers every customer's name like a good bartender and is out every night finding the new chic watering hole. "Every restaurant and club in Dallas wants our customer," he says, whose background includes designing furniture and jewelry.
He has become something of a celebrity in town, invited to 50 events a month. An out-of-town customer once corralled him to squire his daughter, a local college student, and her out-of-town guests around town to the newest in nightspots.
Last week, a TV actress was shopping in the store when a man who pretended to know her threw his arms around her and kissed her. Mr. Jackson intervened. The actress was upset that the man had gotten his cologne scent on her and asked for a disposable wipe to get it off. Jackson searched all over the mall until he found one.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Adrienne Landau (fur!) sale

I know fur is bad and horrible and we should throw red paint on anyone who wears it, but I have had a recent inexplicable interest in it. So sue me.

So...from yesterday's New York magazine Best Bets Daily:

Mink jackets (now $2,000), fox-trimmed cashmere stoles (now $500 to $750), and fur scarves (now $100 to $250) are on sale at the Adrienne Landau showroom.

When: 12/18 and 12/19 (9:30–6).
Where: 519 Eighth Ave., at 36th St., 21st fl. (212-695-8362).

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Daffy's: Baby Gift

OK, so I realized that I can't really talk about what Christmas presents I am buying or the places I am buying them in, or else those who I am buying for will know what they are getting (assuming that they read my blog on the regular)! But what I will talk about, because I'm pretty sure that they don't read this blog and their newborn baby certainly does not (yet), is the fantastically cute and well-priced gift I bought in anticipation of everyone's favorite party: THE BRISS...

I should probably buy the kid a plane ticket so that he can get out of Dodge, but instead I bought him a wee winter coat (that resembles the one pictured above) by miniman at Daffy's on Madison Ave. And I had a 10% off coupon! Rejoice!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Bad Gorilla!

Yes, yes, I apologize. I have been a very bad Guerilla Shopper, especially during the biggest shopping season of the year! But I have been moving myself back into my new-old apartment and it is taking up almost all of my time. However, there shall be some good tales of new furniture and electronics shopping experiences for you to learn from...

Friday, December 14, 2007

Win a Gucci Bag

Thought y'all might like to be interactive and show your love of fashion, ability to write comedy, and interest in winning a Gucci bag...

Flypaper is having a super fun CAPTION THIS contest for their "Nothing to Wear" campaign.

Leave a comment on this post captioning the "Nothing to Wear" print ad below -- be as funny, sarcastic, or serious as you like! - and we'll award the one we love the most with a fabulous Gucci bag to strategically place over your parts. Hey, one comment for a Gucci bag priced at over $1,000.... easy enough!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Catherine Angiel (jewelry)

OK, so advertising can work. The 1/8 page ad that Catherine Angiel took out on page 112 of the latest issue of New York magazine made me look up her Web site, and now I want a "renegade" grafitti necklace that says "Guerilla." I don't know if they can be personalized, but if anyone wants to hook me up, I'm free to discuss. :)

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Christmas Lists from Guerilla Mom & Dad

I have not yet purchased a single Xmas present. But the orders from Mother and Father Guerilla are in. See what a demanding life I lead?:

MOM
I'm thinking I could use some black leather dress gloves - the ones lined in silk not cashmere. I have the other kind but they look somewhat bulky for really dress occasions or in warmer weather. Size 7 1/2.

I might like medium blue denim jeans, no adornments, hip hugger style ok (maybe the best fit) can be straight leg and boot cut (whatever that means). Now I'm on a roll. If you have some castoffs that would fit the bill, I'd be most happy with that too.

DAD
Belt – Brown and/or black. Woven leather. Size 36. Could be expensive but price is no object.

After shave lotion or balm (not cologne). Some new expensive designer kind. Not flowery smelling.

That’s all I can think of and have room for.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Diane von Furstenberg: Sale starts today

I have been a bad Guerilla Shopper recently. My life has been otherwise occupied with less enjoyable errands and such. However, I did see this weekend that Ricky's on 27th St. and 3rd Ave. is literally on the verge of opening to the public. I also thought you might be interested in the following from last weeks' New York magazine Best Bets:

Diane von Furstenberg dresses, coats, and sportswear are 45 to 75 percent off; gowns and beaded dresses are now $300.
When: 12/10 (noon–6); 12/11 (9–6); 12/12 and 12/13 (10–7); 12/14 (9–5); 12/15 (10–3). Where: 260 Fifth Ave., nr. 28th St. (212-725-5400).

Friday, December 07, 2007

Greenpoint Artist Studios: Open to Public, Dec. 15

The artists at 649 Morgan Avenue will be hosting Open Studios on December 15th from 6:00 - 10:00 pm. Ike Designs jewelry will be open from 8-10pm, in studio B16-3 on the lower level.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Puma Loakes Clyde: Available ANYWHERE in NYC?


Does anyone know if these bad boys are available anywhere in NYC? I think not, but thought I'd throw it out there...

From "Retro To Go:"

What do you get if you ask a sportswear firm to design footwear alongside a traditional shoe company? The Puma Loakes Clyde.
Part of the bespoke collection available from Oki-Ni, the shoe is based on the classic Clyde trainer from 1972, but re-interpreted by longstanding British footwear firm Loake. Premium grade calf leather is used for the upper, with each piece cut by hand. There's also a brogue-style toe, Clyde sole and a hand-polished finish.
And there's just 100 pairs around. If you want one, they retail for £180

Seth Godin on What People Want

Thought this blog entry from Seth Godin back in August of 2006 was relevant to the shopping experience of today...and I do think it's true -- for most people, but not for you, the devoted Guerilla Shoppers. You want more than this:
What people want
The same thing everyone else is having, but different.
A menu where the prices aren't all the same.
More attention than the person sitting next to them.
A slightly lower price than anyone else.
A new model, just moments before anyone else, but only if everyone else is really going to like it.
A seat at a sold out movie.
Access to the best customer service person in the shop, preferably the owner.
Being treated better, but not too much better.
Being noticed, but not too noticed.
Being right.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Pillows and Woodbury Commons

I just got an email from a long-lost (well not that long, but somewhat out of touch) friend, who just became reacquainted with Guerilla Shopper: THE BLOG. She gave me a couple of good tips for today:

My friend makes some really nice pillows. If you want to have a look, go to http://www.sylvie-pillows.com/events

I went to Woodbury Outlet for midnight madness/black Friday, I thought all of this was a legend but No!!!I scored two good deals though: Longchamp leather travel bag for $320 (tax included), retail price $900/$1000 and a really nice max mara coat for $600. The worst was to come, we took the bus back at 3h20am and arrived home a 6h45am...what a ride!

Monday, December 03, 2007

Some Sales:Balanciaga & Portolano

From New York magazine's Best Bets Daily (Friday)
You can easily spend a month's rent in the Balenciaga store, but for one week cut back on the financial bloodshed and save 40 percent at the sale.
When: 12/1–12/7 (11–7).
Where: 542 W. 22nd St., nr. Tenth Ave.
(212-206-0872).

Portolano Sample Sale (yes, another one)
15 West 37th St, 11th Floor
Monday, December 3 - Friday December 21
10 a.m - 6 p.m.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

New Ricky's on 3rd Ave and 27th St.

There is a new Ricky's soon opening on the southeast corner of 27th St. and 3rd Ave. where the horrendous Jennifer Convertibles used to be. And across the street from one of the better joints in town: the Rodeo Bar.

They were still in construction mode when I walked by the other day, but it seems imminent! Make up and hair products galore for MEMEME! Oh the neighborhood with no name is going to be so happy to see me return!