Top Shop: It's Gotta be the Shoes

Mission: Nothing's Impossible (in NYC).

These tremendously cool shoes that hearken back to the days of the dandy highwaymen, or at least Adam and the Ants interpretation of them, were up for grabs at New York City's modern day version of Fiorucci, otherwise known as TOP SHOP.  Yes, it's a g*ddamned zoo in there, but my savvy guerilla friend convinced the affable salespeople that these were on the 20% off sale rack (we aren't sure if they were or not) and she pointed out a "smudge" for which they deducted another 10%.  So what would have/should have cost $150, ended up running a cool $86 and change. 

Just don't, step on her blue suede shoes.

Sex and the City: My Movie Review

So I finally saw Sex and the City on the big screen last night with a gaggle of broads. First, we dined at Lunetta (where the Mayrose used to be), drank ate and drank, and then headed over to the theatre near Union Square on Broadway.

The place was packed with 99% women and 1% "other." I have possibly not ever been in a theater with such a raucous crowd!

Anyway, my assessment of the film is this: it is not as smart or funny as the TV show was on HBO. Why is this? There were way too many hit-you-over-the-head explanations and so-called jokes. It was entertaining enough, but simply just not as good as the show was.

However, if asked to give an award to the best character, I'd have to nominate Kristin Davis who plays Charlotte York Goldenblatt. She's almost a modern day Lucille Ball. It's as if she was the only one who really understood the level of camp that this movie was achieving.

Also, one of the main reasons any of us went to this flick was to see Chris Noth be Mr. Big. And what happens? She (Carrie) refuses to speak to him throughout most of the movie! I don't think that I got my Mr. Big fix. And while he looked good, possibly better than he did during the entire final season of the show, it seems as though he needs to work on his on-screen kissing. Or maybe he just really didn't want to make out with Sarah Jessica Parker. Fear of Matthew Broderick?

I kind of look forward to seeing it again on the small screen, because sitting in the second row was a little bit too close for comfort. What other explanation is there for how Smith went from looking 22 to looking 38 in 4 short years?

Domain Home (furniture)

I am on a mission from God, and I've chosen to accept it. Since I live in a rational world, I have determined that there is no way I can afford to buy the kind of apartment I would actually ever live in atop this land mass surrounded by a moat...so I shall make the one I rent a much nicer place in which to dwell.

Translation: I am pimping out my rent stabilized Manhattan shack.

And so begins the story of the Dante Armoire from Domain Home. OK, so it's not really that much of a story. But I have decided to purchase this offering from among Domain's clearance items, which means not only is it cheaper, but then it was also another 5% cheaper. However, in an ad found by Mother Guerilla it noted "free delivery," but when I made my purchase online I was charged $135 for delivery. Which is not free, in case you weren't clear on that point. So I am going to have to make a follow up call on that one and see what I need to do to achieve delivery free-dom.

Anyway, I'm not entirely sure how I am going to fit this grand piece into my bedroom, however it will be replacing three old furniture items that I have been holding onto for far too long. This all in an effort to streamline my bedroom cluttered with disjointed pieces of my youth. I am hoping that my new found feng shui will aid me to achieve and maintain a life full of wealth and happiness. Or at least keep me from cringing at mismatched furniture.

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

New G-Star Store / Club Monaco Sale

I walked past the new G-Star store on Broadway around 20th St. the other day and almost confused it with the Duane Reade that it sits next to. Meaning, the store was very bland, anti-septic and pharmacy-like...and not in a good way (see photos). I didn't go in, so I am providing you with limited sensory feedback, but it didn't entice me, which is what I thought a retail store was supposed to do...

So in the meantime, go to Club Monaco and get stuff on the cheap.

Pearl River - an explosion of Chinese goodnesses

Isaac Mizrahi's guilty pleasure, or so I've read, is the store called Pearl River on Broadway in Soho. It's a bazaar of imported Chinese/Asian goods - from clothes to bags to food to dishes to incense to fancy pens to pretty much whatever you want. I was so enamored with the selection that I bought a full related yet unrelated stash of goods for my friend for Christmas. I would show you what I got, but then I would wreck the miracle of surprise gifts, so instead I provide you with a photo of the bag, which is pretty cool too. Look, there's like fish and stuff.

This large two-story facility makes it seem like the Chinese New Year is every day. By shopping here, you will surely be able to outfit your family, furnish your living room, decorate for a party and then cook a meal -- all for a reasonable price! Who ever said the Chinese wouldn't make good capitalists? They are kung-fu-ing asses and taking names in this joint!

UNIQLO Soho NY - Mob Scene

I went to UNIQLO yesterday as part of a three-stop shop excursion. It just opened on Broadway in Soho and snagged me with its advertising campaign touting $39.50 cashmere sweaters. Apparently, according to the undeniable truth of a November 10 press release:

"UNIQLO, Japan’s most popular apparel retailer and a worldwide leader in casual wear, opened its first global flagship store and the world’s largest UNIQLO in New York City, the fashion capital of the world. Located at 546 Broadway, the 36,000 square foot UNIQLO SoHo NY features the very best of UNIQLO - stylish, high-quality and affordable clothing and accessories, complemented by an unparalleled modern Japanese shopping experience in a stunning architectural landmark."

New York City? "The fashion capital of the world?" I just had to go see what this was all about.

Now I know:

1. It's mobbed

2. Sizes run from zero - 6, with the occasional 8 and less occasional 10 (for women, obviously - they also have clothing for men and children)

3. The styles are basic with an edge; materials basic with less of an edge

4. Did I mention it was mobbed?

OK, so the mobbed part is a given and I can't really bitch. If you go shopping downtown on Broadway on a weekend you are going to be run down by waves of tourists from all over the galaxy. A family of martians even knocked my sunglasses off of my head on the way in! As you probably know by now, the G.S. enjoys a bit calmer retail experience, which may indicate that she is over the hill, which also leads me to my next point...

I am too old and too American (read: I am not petite) to wear most of these clothes. Now that I know it is a Japanese company I feel a bit better about my hulking presence. I need to be coddled by American designers who slap a size 8 label on a size 10 pair of pants to make me feel better.

So UNIQLO is basically the Japanese answer to H&M; a near-department-store-sized facility that pumps out massive quantities of reasonably priced and somewhat trendy but safe fashions. OK, good great fine, carry on then.