Thursday, July 3, 2008

Where to Quick Shop: Manhattan

My recent trip to New York this past week has lead me to change my roster for quick shopping in Manhattan. Whereas in the past I was more about hitting up Soho... like ARC, ReedSpace, etc... I can say that I have now completely fell in love with Lafayette. I've visited all of these stores prior to my visit, but I had exceptionally notable experiences at the following places. With only 4 hours for shopping, this is my list:

1.) Odin- Odin is the shit for the quasi-high end swagger. They carry shit like Commes De Garçon and Schmoove, both of which I was interested in checking out. Although there are many similarities between Odin and Oak, I had a better experience with the kids working in Odin, and Odin has a more notable selection for men. I originally came in looking for an umbrella, preferably a Commes De Garçon umbrella, but to their knowledge, one doesn't exist... however, they told me I could stay and chill for a while -- unheard of for dope stores in Manhattan. I would say if your into the European skinny-jean look, this is very high on your list. So dope. I say 10/10.
2.) Oak- Oak is on Bond off of Lafayette. Oak is more friendly to lady shoppers than Odin. I took two of my girlfriends here and they said they loved nearly every piece in the store. I would say nearly the same for men. The same styles are sold at Oak that are sold at Odin. The shoe selection was weaker this time around since my last visit April. They didn't have any Y-3's this time, at least no attractive ones. Anyway, ladies seem to love Oak, as do I , so I say 9/10 and a spot at #2 is appropriate. I saw many shirts, jeans, and duffels that I loved. Nothing was below $200.
3.) WeSC- The WeSC store has always been a favorite for me. Not only do I have a lot of respect for the Swedish brand, but the people holding down shop are usually super nice. There was a pretty ill sale going down and this season seems to be pretty poppin'. I brought my two lady friends here too and they left with bags... I think Erin picked up a nice red windbreaker and high wasted shorts that were both pretty ill. WeSC is good for everyone from street swagger kids to skinny jean kids... The denim is my favorite thing out of the WeSC catalogue. 9/10.
4.) Union- Union is pretty ill, packing Mishka, Crooks & Castles, and other swagger. I managed to pick up a Mishka duffel for %50 off... pretty nice. The staff is kindof friendly, we talked about Supreme shit for a while... but they're no WeSC and certainly no Odin as far as friendliness. I would say Union is more skate-street based than all of the above. I give 6.5/10.The people at Supreme were extremely shitty this time around. I love Supreme so much, they have such dope shit, but the kids here are too much. I mean, if you work at Supreme, you've obviously got a job that you enjoy... how about you fucking act like it!!! I never stay too long... 7/10 for the merch, 2/10 for friendliness.
For the ladies: Atrium. My two lady friends spent a ton of time in here, and they do have some tight sneakers, such as D&G and Y-3. However, they also have Ed Hardy and Monarchy, both of which I fucking loath. So... ehhh. 6/10.

1 comment:

nik dragovic said...

i agree with everything in this post.
especially regarding ed hardy and monarchy, yuck.