Kickers Shoes - Where Can One Find Them in NYC?

Today I received the following inquiry, and have sent a note to the Company itself for the answer. If anyone else has additional knowledge, please do share it...

hey just thought of this, ms. shopper.

for years i've been waiting to find kickers in the states. they are a classic euro boot that was popular in the '80s in europe. mostly in spain, england, belgium (and argentina) would you have any thoughts on where to find them in the states? i've found them online in the UK, but am wary of ordering them and finding them the wrong fit. you dig?

any thoughts would be helpful.

Up for Grabs - Red Charles David boots, Size 39

I tried to hold onto them, but alas, these fine red leather boots by Charles David are simply too narrow for me. I've only worn them twice, so other than very minor scuffs on the soles, they are in great condition.

So in an effort to connect to the boot-adoring public, I thought I'd try to execute my own low-tech auction, a "meBay" if you will (or even if you won't).

Basically, the person who offers the highest bid by 5 p.m. EST, Wednesday, February 28 wins said boots (U.S. residents only - shipping is expensive!). Just email me your price (schoolied@gmail.com), and I will respond personally to the winner and then we will determine the shipping logistics (I will ship to you for free!).

These size 39s are made (in Italy) of real honest-to-goodness leather, with a 1.5-inch heel with black zippers on the sides not shown in this photo. They are HOT and the two times that I actually wore them, strangers and friends alike commented on them. I just checked online, and new Charles David boots are currently going for $350-$625.

Step right up! Do we have a winna? Yes we do!

Restaurant Week NYC

Have you been so busy at work, you totally forgot that NYC restaurant week is this week? Guerilla Shopper NYC is doing her best to keep you informed of the latest current events around town.

Here's the deal:
NYC Restaurant Week
January 29 - February 2
3-course prix-fixe lunches for $24.07
3-course prix-fixe dinners for $35.00
Beverages, gratuities and tax are additional

Visit www.nycvisit.com/restaurantweek to make reservations!

Pimp My Cell Phone

It drives me crazy that cell phone accessories cost an arm and a leg. To the point where I refuse to buy any. Until now...maybe. My trusty far-flung stringer clued me into CellPhoneShop where they have cell phone covers for as low as $3.30! They offer free shipping on orders of more than $30, and there's a clearance sales of 80 percent going on right now. All brands, styles, makes, models...pimpaliscious.

I Should Go To LOOPY MANGO in Dumbo

I read this yesterday in the New York Times' "Urban Eye" daily email. It certainly sounds loopy. I shall have to visit soon, for inspiration...

SHOPPING
Dumbo and Friends
“If one store best represents Front Street in Dumbo,” Alex Kuczynski says, “it is Loopy Mango,” which has a suitably Brooklyn mix of vintage and new clothing, antiques and jewelry. “A denim utility suit by Deener, brand-new and stiff, was $275 and just the thing someone might need for a Devo reunion party. Next to it, a dusty framed photograph of kittens cost $75.” Plus, Waejong Kim, an owner, is a crochet artist, so the shop has become “something of a destination for crochet fetishists.” Witness the pink-and-green-yarn bathing suit (future Pam Anderson wedding garb?), the crocheted cherry earrings, the dog caftan with matching human outfit. “In the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge,” Kuczynski says, “it all made sense.”

Loopy Mango, 117 Front Street, at Adams Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn; (718) 858-5930.

Shoe are You? Shoe Shoe. Shoe Shoe?

Yesterday marked the launch of Ms. Megan's (the New York City shoe guru) new column, Shoe are You?©. This scintillating little column will get deep into the hearts, minds and soles of fascinating people every Wednesday, so be sure to tune in.

This week’s interview features New York fashion designer Shelly Steffee:

SHOE ARE YOU?©: SHELLY STEFFEE
Sitting at her seamstress grandmothers’ knees, Shelly Steffee has been designing clothes since she was 12 years old. A native Pennsylvanian, she now calls New York home, where her boutique and studio in the Meatpacking district are regular destinations for celebs from Lindsay Lohan to Natalie Maines. . . (click the Shoe are You? link for the rest!)

The photo is of a saucy Ms. Meghan in her West Village apartment, taken by Tanya Braganti

Aaron's in Brooklyn: CLOSED

Well, you heard it from me back in October that Aaron's, the women's designer discount store out there in Brooklyn, had decreased in size by 50 percent and declined in apparel quality and intrigue by about 100 percent. Then, last week I heard from a friend of mine who knows the son-of-Aaron's that the store was closing. Today, I checked online and the website is down.

It is a sad and unfortunate demise of a great, unique store that I learned about from my fashion-forward-father who had been going there since at least the 70s. Every time I went out there - taking a 45-minute train ride each way - I ended up spending hours trying on scores of items. I rarely got out of there for less than $700, but with piles and bags of beautiful, high-quality clothing.

I'm not sure what happened - perhaps it was overtaken by the designer discount behemoths such as Filene's Basement,

There are a lot of stores downtown

A quick pontification generated in an email that I sent to a fellow shopping blogger in the New England area today: "I am stunned when I go downtown (Soho, Lower East Side) with the scores of stores. They seem to open up every other day! However, lots of them are not cheap and potentially a bit young for my mid-30-ness...but I guess I can't really judge until I go and check them out myself, live and in person."

And I shall do so.

She Shopbop.com

I feel a bit guilty about the recent liteness of new shopping tidbits for my adoring public, but among other reasons that I won't bore you with, January is just not a very shopping-friendly month. It's cold (finally), it's right after Christmas (no money), it's too early for Spring, too late for fall...so I've found myself doing more online shopping than I normally ever do.

I've bought CDs (yes I know, I may as well have bought 8-track tapes) on Amazon.com, sheets on SmartBargains.com (1000-thread count for less than $60!) and a top on BlueFly.com. I don't usually buy clothing online, but I had a credit from a Christmas gift that didn't fit, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Then, one of my favorite stringers in the whole wide world who has helped me bring to you the unbelieveable Calypso sale a couple of months ago and the $25 Ghost jeans, has now provided me with a new online shopping resource: ShopBop.com (see pic).

This site has got tons of fashion's bleeding edge brands all in one place. While some of the apparel, which includes clothing, shoes, lingerie, jewelry and sunglasses, is on sale, it is in no way cheap or affordable to the normal working person. Also, the models appear to be a size negative zero, but if for nothing else, the site will give you some new ideas, keep you up to date on what the really cool kids are wearing, and I suppose provide groovy fashion access to people who live in far flung regions of the galaxy.

Check it out and see for yourself!

Shoe Letter from a Guerilla Shopper Devotee

Dear Guerilla Shopper,

The infamous Jimmy Choo boots I referenced in my last letter finally die the shoe equivalent of Art Buchwald's death - they were shoe "hospice" for about a year, knew they were going, and went out in style. By breaking a heel on the show floor of CES, to be precise. I left them right where they came off, for the last time, in a bathroom in a house in Vegas. Tragic, but inevitable. So, the quest for a similar (but of course not identical) pair started last week. I took your advice and went to DSW, where for $150 I got a pair of Kenneth Cole high ankle boots with buckles. They are in no way REPLACEMENTS for said dead Choos, but I must admit, a very affordable and nicely crafted addition to my shoe arsenal. Photo to follow.

Thanks Guerilla Shopper!