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.

Les Nanas Rules! Pt. 2

Les Nanas (my secret favorite store) strikes again. I got both the "Best Sweater Ever," and the "baddest sweater dress" there this season. I haven't worn the Best Sweater Ever yet, because I am considering framing it and hanging it over my couch. It really shouldn't be touched by human hands.

Marc Jacobs: all over DSW

Attention all shoppers! I visited DSW in Union Square last weekend and was surprised by the vast Marc Jacobs selection - both shoes and boots. There is a lot to choose from and his style certainly makes him a stand-out among most other designers. In fact, I spied the perfect pair of grey pumps to match the suit I bought a few months ago. However, while the shoes were about 42% off retail, the G.S. is still not prepared to spend $400 on a pair of shoes...But for you gals who have that kind of cash, or feel your money is weighing you down, I suggest taking a trip.

AND! Because you are such a loyal reader, I have a little secret for you:
Go up, a few floors higher to the Filene's Basement shoe department, and you'll find some of the same shoes that you saw in DSW. The prices seem to be pretty much congruent, but if you can't find your size in DSW...you have options just a couple floors away. Including the grey Marc Jacobs pumps that I can't afford!

IAN's - Not Your Mother's Store

Remember my 8th grade graduation photo from a few posts ago (see Betsey Johnson)? Well, I continued to out-do myself year after year -- my mother was so pleased (secretly she really was, though).

So for my Senior Prom I thought I'd raise the bar - about seven feet - and get a dress at Ian's on 2nd Ave. near 60th St., not to be outdone by its St. Mark's locale. For those of you not versed in the ways of Ian's...well, it hasn't changed much over the years, it's still catering to the punk-rock-metal-dominatrix-fetish set. And I swear, as a naive 18 year old from the 'burbs, I didn't really get the implications of this stuff, I just thought it would look cool in a motorcycle chick/"Wendy & Lisa" kind of way. So I topped off the black cotton spandex mini-dress with a leather motorcycle cap that I found on Bleecker Street, back when Bleecker was chock full o' head shops. Ah...memories. Anyway, to make sure it was a suitable "outfit," my dear mother found gold piping matching the dress, and trimmed the hat with it. I am laughing out loud thinking about this now - I guess she figured, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Also, I am wearing black high-heeled Kenneth Cole shoes with a faint paisley imprint that I believe I picked up at Marty's. Does this place still exist? (The answer is yes, I found its website, but the inventory looks pitiful.)

So you might look at this photo and think - as others have - "Oh my. That poor, sweet, innocent boy must have been so overwhelmed." Yeah, well, hold your tears for someone else because Mr. Altar Boy is an international rock star/the front man of Dog Eat Dog, currently touring Europe. Lesson: Don't judge a rock star by its tuxedo.

Old Navy - Flip Flops & Tank Tops

Old Navy is good for flip flops and tank tops. I can't get enough of either -- so many colors and styles for a great price. And I really do enjoy going to the store on 6th Avenue in Chelsea - it's like a giant supermarket with clothes and stuff where the produce should be.

I WANT Old Navy clothes to fit me. It would be GRAND if I could create a mini-wardrobe, because the prices are so on target (pun intended). However, I can't seem to get this stuff to work for me. If the waist fits the hips are huge. If the size is right and it's on special sale, I can't get it over my knees. And what happened to their hilarious commercials? After this rant I guess I can assume that they won't be contacting me to replace Morgan Fairchild.

But wait! They also have great kitschy items near check out, including sunglasses, beach towels, necklaces, zany wrapping paper and more. It's just the actual clothes that I take issue with.

Most of all, I hope you, the lucky reader, enjoys a photo of worn flip flops. Artistic though, right? RIGHT?!

Donald J. Pliner - Good shoes, but needs my help

I discovered Donald J. Pliner (DJP) in the early 90s at an outlet in Seacaucus, NJ. By the late 90s, my devotion was cemented at Lord & Taylor when I laid my eyes upon a pair of black leather boots that I was sure had been made expressly for me (see photo, right side). I have considered donating them to Good Will many times, but have not been able to part with them. I get them refurbished every so often, but there's only so much you can do!

I have since purchased a pair of DJP stretchy crepe boots with a silver plate at the heel (see photo, left side), and a pair of black leather sandals for my mother. They look and feel great. That, I cannot deny. However, I have two issues:

1. I am pretty sure that the prices have been jacked up, surpassing inflation, in recent years. This is probably due to growing the brand's popularity, which is understandable from a business point-of-view. However, as a result, they have lost The Guerilla Shopper as a regular customer. I recently saw a potential DJP replacement for my beloved favorite boots, but they cost well over $300...so I just couldn't do it.

2. I have been finding it increasingly difficult to find styles that are "fashion-forward." There's no doubt that the shoes are well-made, high quality and tasteful. But I'm missing that edge that I need. I need to feel like a sexy bad ass goddess with class. Only then can I consider making a purchase of relative monetary value. So sue me (well, don't, actually, I obviously couldn't afford such action).

So I'm on the fence on DJP, but not ready to throw in the towel yet. I still get a rush when I see that a store carries the brand, so there is hope.

Loehmann's - Questionable

I've mentioned Loehmann's a few times already, but I haven't yet provided my insights into the discount department store located in the old Barneys spot on 7th Ave., mainly because my mother told me, "if you don't have something nice to say, come sit next to me." OK, I actually stole that line from Olympia Dukakis in Steel Magnolias...and now that I've rendered myself completely uncool, let me continue.

Loehmann's is fantastic in theory. The ground level floor offers an accessories/jewelry section, a handbag department and a shoe boutique. One of the upper floors offers a huge selection of European and other ecclectic designers. They have some cool styles and interesting brands, and I have bought a few things there over the years, including the pictured Stella Forest sweater, which is nice, but wasn't that cheap.

That's IT! I don't think that the prices are low enough. I was shocked by the 'tag on some leather gloves the other day. $50? Thanks, I'll go to Old Navy or Daffy's. I also have a really hard time finding anything that actually fits me.

They do offer a shopping card through which you can earn points and get special coupons for additional discounts, but somehow I rarely come out feeling like I won. I want to win!

In fairness, when dealing with these kinds of discount department-type stores, you do have to accept that sometimes you score BIG, and other times you come up empty-handed. However, I shall still stand by my gut (unfortunately it's always standing by me), and implore the good people of Loehmann's to impress us with a new pricing strategy.

Financial Times: how to spend it

Do you read the Financial Times? It's the pink newspaper that is not The New York Observer. It's also the daily newspaper with the highest demographic in the world, i.e. its readers are global moguls with average incomes of like $47 billion. And they read it to figure out how to make even more next year.

I read it most everyday for my day job -- it's actually a great paper. But the best part is its weekly weekend magazine, "how to spend it." Aside from recommending exotic vacation spots and where to find the best cigars and cognacs, it features some of the most astounding couture, with styling and photography that rivals the top fashion books (or so I've heard, I hardly ever read women's magazines, believe it or not).

Like spending a day in Barneys and Bergdorf's, I merely read this insert to find out what is happening in the world of high-end fashion. I will not likely ever be able to...I mean want to - I have my principles, of course!...spend so much money on clothing. However, it is one of the sources from which I form my ideas about what looks and which designers are driving fashion. It arms me with a mind's eye of what I should be looking for as I cruise town as a (wo)man with a mission.

In the edition pictured above, an embroidered lace dress by Alexander McQueen tickles my fancy. And it only costs 4,190 GBP, which, when you take into account the strength of American currency, tranlates into something like $57,000.

Success at the Clothes Swap

I just returned from my friend Miss Meghan's apartment where she hosted a great clothes swap among friends. Everyone brought their cast-offs in hopes that they would find something better -- seeking new inspiration, for free! There were mountains of great stuff, people, food and drink, and when the dust settled, we each brought a bag of "unwanteds" to Housing Works, which is more than a thrift store, it's a non-profit that benefits homeless people living with AIDS and HIV.

So aside from doing some good works for the community, I was happy to have found a new home for my Isaac Mizrahi (pre-Target) purple velvet pants that I bought in the late 90s, and in exchange, picked up tons of stuff for myself: shoes (see pic. - Anne Klein!), jewelry, a handbag, brand new tights and more.

I also met Jason Campbell, editor of the JC Report, the online fashion mag the reports on global fashion trends...before they become trends.

And perhaps best of all, it forced me to go through my closets and drawers, and really ask myself, "am I EVER going to wear this again?" and "Why did I buy this P.O.S. in the first place?"

Fiorucci - remember?

Since I already began an 80s retrospective, I thought I'd go with that theme for a while...
There was Betsey Johnson, Benetton was new (or seemed that way), Guess? hadn't gone mass-market yet, AND there was Fiorucci...right there near Bloomingdales -- I believe it's a Diesel store now.

And while some of you may know that Fiorucci reopened downtown (and quickly closed again), it was in vain, because there is no way to recapture the 80s-Madonnaesque-retail excess of the 80s. High-end, but not. Artistic, but accessible. Trendy, and then some.

Spanning two floors, Fiorucci offered the curious tourist T-shirts and sweatshirts emblazoned with the "duo-cupids wearing sunglasses" logo. But this is where we separate the boys from the men. As in, I never bought one of those. I went for the real deal.

Now I admit I was looking at this, and likewise recalling it, from the perspective of a 13-16 year old girl. But humor me! The only evidence I have from that store are the pink rhinestone hearts you see pictured here. But I maintain vivid images of a black short-sleeved sweatshirt that didn't have a numeral printed on the back, but the word "FIRST." I still think this is genius. Then, I recall bright blue wool "skinny pants" (as the kids are calling them these days) that could probably only have been adorned by my sophmore-in-high-school frame. It was the first place I ever saw - and bought - fluorescent orange nail polish. And then there was the black "jumpsuit" (for lack of a better word) with a drawstring, made from T-shirt material.

Anyone who knows me knows that, for better or worse, all of this still influences my choices to this day! Good thing parachute pants weren't my thing...