Workin' it at ANNA in the East Village

Hi all.  Realized I hadn't posted one thing all year, and well, this year is almost over. Good Riddance!

Anyway, this Guerilla Shopper doesn't shop as much as she did "back in the day." Retail has changed tremendously since I started this blog, with online shopping taking over and so many off-price stores declining in quality or going out of business entirely. I was particularly sad when Loehmann's shut down, as I had recently moved to the Upper West Side and found it to be a great go-to spot for many of my needs. Apparently it still exists online, which I just only found out when I looked up the URL!

Now I primarily shop at three stores...and I even help out at one of them from time to time!  ANNA, 330 E. 11th St., East Village, NYC; meg, with locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn (I go to the ones in the East Village or the newest location in the West Village); and Lingo, 257 W. 19th St., Chelsea, NYC.

So why do I still shop like it's 1999?
I rarely shop online, especially if it's for clothing and shoes, because even the thought of having to ship stuff back and forth annoys me. I spend HOURS trying stuff on in stores, there's little chance something I pick from a web site is going to fit or look like I want it to the first, second or nineteenth time. Additionally, the environmental impact of packing and shipping seems (is) massively wasteful.

But the real reason I have honed in on these three stores is definitely something the Internet cannot provide: a community of LIVE HUMANS that I interact with IN PERSON. I realize this is an old fashioned notion, but I suspect it will be making a comeback.  It HAS to.

I can't tell you the number of awesome women I have met and interacted with at these stores - employees and customers alike. Comedians, authors, filmmakers, musicians -- one woman I talked to a few months ago I soon noticed is on NY1 every other week with Neil Rosen talking about films (I KNEW she looked familiar!). It inspires creativity, discussion, hope, happiness. Better than a book club; better than Starbucks!

And yes, granted, I spend more money than I might if I shopped at H&M or hunted down every last online discount.  'Cuz I'm Worth It.  Aren't you?

xoxo GS

Three Stores I Happened Upon and Really Like

Exquisite Costume: I accidentally happened upon this vintage boutique on a part of Broome St. that I may have never tread on before. I was pretty blown away by the selection, which includes pieces from the 1800s! The pictured dress from the 60s can be purchased immediately off the website for $600.

New York Vintage: I must have gone into this Chelsea-located store before, right? It is amazing! It's not your run-of-the mill vintage store, it's more like falling back in time into the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer dressing room circa 1939 (well, except for the part where they have clothes that are newer than that, but you get my drift). Clean, vibrant, extremely well-organized and flush with thrilling apparel this place is celebrity-status. Literally. Stylists, get your vintage Oscars gowns here. And for those of you who have (top-conditioned) clothes and accessories that you inherited from your grandmother but will never wear or use, you might be able to make some money. Give 'em a call - 212-647-1107.

Pas de Deux: I happened upon this fine boutique on my way to Veniero's the other night, which may be why I probably could not fit into anything! Just amazing clothes from top designers such as rag & bone and Philip Lim, et al. Not cheap, but inspiring to peruse...

New York Times on "Opening Ceremony"

Sorry, hate to ruin this for all you fans of this spot, but don't blame me, blame The New York Times...

Be a Fashion Insider or Just Look Like One

Opening Ceremony, at 35 Howard Street, opened in 2002 by two former luxury retail executives, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim.

Oak on Bond Street

If you can't beat 'em join 'em? I guess we have to relent to the very rich and stylish that Bond St. no longer belongs to the public. Or most of the private. So let's shop at the new clothing store Oak (28 Bond St between Bowery and Lafayette) where Ghost used to be. It's fun for a boy AND a girl.

Urban Daddy gives the down-low:

http://www.urbandaddy.com/nyc/1097/New_York_Oak_Style_NYC/

BCBG Max Azria - 5th 'n' 40th

I have been scoping out the new BCBG Maxazria store on the northeast corner of 5th Avenue and 40th St., which used to house a Pier 1 Imports, if I am not mistaken.

Today there were boxes being delivered, the contents of which I do not know. But a quick peek inside the joint tells me that there's still a while to go until this latest palace of retail therapy opens to the public.

Sizes: Club Monaco vs. H&M

Well by now you all should know that I am a "Club Monaco Ho." I can't get enough of that store. I think it has to do with my undying love of the 80s, which I feel "The Club" regularly invokes. I tend to visit the one down on Fifth Avenue, fly back to the sale section and try tons of stuff on, then allow myself one or two "full priced" items from the front. Even when things don't fit me, I don't curse them for mal-sizing. I feel like the sizes are fair - the bottoms are true, if not a bit generous, and the tops are perhaps a bit on the small side, but I tend to need bigger tops than bottoms, so I should blame my hulking back and not the store.

Then, even though I have sort of dissed it, I sometimes run across (yes, I RUN, like the wind!) the street to H&M where I sometimes find pants worth the mere $35 that they usually cost. However, I find that H&M is a little skimpy on the sizing - I can barely squeeze into an 8, which I can usually do without much fanfare at other stores. Often 10s are even too small.

Ladies, for those not in the know, the cheaper a store is, the more likely the sizes are going to be skimpy. Well, at least when you're dealing with most American, mass-market apparel.

"Racked" Jabs Steve Madden

Racked, one of my favorite fellow shopping/retail blogs, has appropriately jabbed Steve Madden, and his (its?) new store on Ludlow Street: http://racked.com/archives/2007/10/01/now_open_steve_madden_on_rivin.php#more

I am not a fan of Steve Madden shoes. In fact, they annoy me almost as much as Skechers. Why? Because create and pimp cheesy "trend-of-the-moment" shoes in a low budget way that I feel cheapens the women who wear them. I also can't stand the word "Skechers" and will not allow anyone I know to purchase them.

CBGBs - Final Nail in the ...

I suppose most of you have heard that Hilly Kristal, founder and owner of CBGBs passed away this week, finally and sadly succumbing to lung cancer at the age of 75. There had been discussions that the venue would be moving to Las Vegas, and perhaps that could still happen, but without the originator's involvement, it will merely become another Hard Rock Cafe. The fact that not only CBGBs closed, but also a CBGBs store now exists on St. Mark's is the first indication that this will certainly be its destiny. And St. Mark's is becoming Haight-Ashbury anyway, just a capitalist shrine to something that once was. People clamoring to buy a fake artifact in a futile attempt to gain an identity, which actually becomes a group identity among a group that has none.

Watch this clip of Johnny Rotten from his short-lived Rotten Television show for further similar insight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksRndlWvUUI