The Amazing World of B&H

Fashion week isn't just a parade of fashion. It's also, especially for bloggers, time to parade the tech goodies. And if you are desperate for something new, something upgraded, and something involving lots of stuff I don't understand, go to the New York City's best electronics store, B&H. Yesterday I tagged along as George (left, tripod shopping) utilized some coveted gift certificates.

B&H is so widely loved it has a worldwide reputation. The store is big but ridiculously well organized. I wish these guys could drop by my apartment and do a little arranging. B&H has everything and help is everywhere. Every section has floor staff waiting to assist (see George above). And their staff is so well-trained and knowledgeable, it's common practice for them to talk someone out of a pricier item if they think it doesn't fit their customer's needs. It's like a salesperson telling you those $289 jeans look awful on your ass, why not just get some of these $59 jeans that are perfect for your body type? Hahahahahaha, I know, naive, right? Not at B&H.

I pretended to pay attention while George talked to the camera guy about lenses and junk, but really I was distracted by this:

B&H really knows how to extend a shopper's high. When you decide what you want, they don't just hand it to you and let you go on your merry way. No, instead they give you a receipt, and put your box on this crazy conveyor belt! If you're lucky, you can watch it roll away, yes, AWAY from you! This is your time to savor how you felt when you first said yes, I'll take it. And maybe, if you're fast enough, you can chase your package through the store. You know we love something so much more if we have to chase it. I didn't actually see anyone do this, but a girl can dream.

click on these photos and look at the crates on the belt above everyone's head. Rad!

After paying, you go to conveyor belt central (above) and pick up your item. Even better, I've heard rumors of a basement conveyor system that is like the king of conveyor belt set-ups. I did witness a big traffic jam of crates being shunted to the basement. Cool!

More pics:

To distract me from the sight of a #4 Jets jersey (grrrr, it's like Chad never existed),

George showed me these:
Bags! Have you heard of Crumpler? I hadn't. They're supposed to be A+ bags for computers and etc.

Vests! Not as cute as Bebe Design Lab vest, however.

B&H is a no-brainer, but here's some tips: the owners observe the Sabbath, so they close early on Friday and aren't open on Saturday. As you can imagine, Sunday is packed. George has experienced this, and said although the staff is efficient, you will be waiting in line. So if you have to go on the weekend, go early. Or go today, since everyone's at the beach! B&H is also open on Labor Day, from 10am - 7pm.

B&H, 420 9th Avenue between 33rd & 34th. Go here for more information on their New York Superstore located in the 34th Street district.

Old Rhinestone Dog

Man, you give someone a good review, and then they go and do this:


















Old dog, new tricks, you know the saying. The website calls this a studded decal tunic, but in my world studs don't shine like this. This reminds me too much of that Bebe logo shirt. Luckily, the Bebe Design Lab team also did this:










Sexxxxy vest. This shit, ladies, needs to be worn out at night with nada underneath, please. Construction is solid ($98).

How about this beautiful black jacket (below)? Sometimes, we forget the basics when we're obsessing over the newest trends. This is simple, fitted, and wait, a little braiding detail so we don't get too bored.











I likes! Crazy sheer stocking/legging things with buttons up the calf ($49). These are baggy because I tried on the large.





Love the dress shape and color, but the buttons look cheap. And one was already a goner. I can take cheap buttons from a $9 Bitten top, but not from anything nearing $100. Funny, because most of this line is very well made.







Little black dress ($169). It was going in the "studded" fright category, but then I put it on. Fits like a glove and dare I say I don't hate the rhinestone zipper back? Maybe I'll call it ironic?



Let's end with a cute woven hobo, not Design Lab but new in store ($229).



Despite the return of "studs" and rhinestones, I look forward to more Design Lab efforts for fall. Fall Tara Subkoff for Bebe is not in stores yet.

Bebe, 1 W. 34th @ 5th Avenue

A Trench Story*

Could this H&M short trench be the one?

By Divided, and $59.90. Cute, but do I want a short trench? Thank god S is cutting my hair tonight. Hello, wine hangover.


















Umm, what's up with that button in the back? It's weird. But I have a bad button history. That's for another day.














I wish I could afford a classic Burberry, because I want to look very Julie Christie ala "Heaven Can Wait" mourning by the grave. As I remember it, she wore this trench:



















And was all bereft over Warren Beatty. Who she dated for a long time. For you younguns, here some more photos from warrenandjulieforever.bravehost.com. Seriously.

Warren worked some major fur in his prime. That's Julie hidden under that crazy bear-like coat. I love her hair.
















More from "Heaven Can Wait." I know, panned by the critics, bad remake, blahblah but I'll always love this film thanks to Julie.














Here's Julie hot with an adorable cap AND Francois Truffant on the set of Fahrenheit 451 drinking wine. Now don't you want to be her?















H&M, 34th & 6th @ Herald Square

*Remember when fashion people used to always say "____ story?" Like a plaid story, or a velvet story. Maybe they still do, I wouldn't know because I have a pile of magazines and WWD's I haven't touched in weeks. Had to wrench my September Vogue out of Jeffrey's hands after he (GASP!) unwrapped it "for me." Yeah, right.

Math is Hard

Something was amiss in my subway station last night. First, from seemingly out of nowhere, I was almost hit by a missile that looked suspiciously like pigeon droppings. I investigated and saw a couple pigeons up in the rafters having a good time trying to mess up evening commutes. Are we safe nowhere?

Then, when I got on my train, I noticed something screwy with the Venus Williams Powerade Zero ad:

Seven, Six, Two, One











Two, One, Three











Three, Five, Four











Five, Four, Zero!











That must have been one hung-over sign installer. Let's review, because math is hard: seven, six, two, one, three, five, four, zero! Not your usual countdown, but hey, I'm open to mixing things up.

And did you notice the dress Venus is wearing in the ad? Her very cute Wimbledon dress? Here's a better shot from latimes.com:

Venus, when playing, almost always wears her Eleven line from Steve & Barry's. I don't know what's going to happen with these celebrity lines at Steve & Barry's, but all of the Eleven I bought when it debuted has stood the test of time. And I like Venus' sporty aesthetic; it really is practical, comfortable, and looks good. However, I have yet to see that dress in store. I'll look a little closer next time. Before Steve & Barry's closes its doors for good, I recommend checking out the Venus Williams collection.

Steve & Barry's, Manhattan Mall level 2, 6th & 33rd

Cheating

I've been very bad. After dropping off the man at grad school in a whole other city, I drove away sobbing, navigated my bereft way to a big box retail strip mall from hell, and cheated.

It was less than 1 hour since I dropped off my guy, and less than 48 hours since I was in Herald Square. But I walked right into Target and Kohl's with nary a second thought and bought up other, non-34th Street retailer's drastically discounted diffusion lines (now there's a mouthful).

I'll blame Target on eeps. She wrote about the ridiculous markdowns on the Rogan line, and I couldn't resist. Perfect casual clothes and it's organic! Rationalize, rationalize. Actually, I got everything online, but ordered all the wrong sizes so had to reorder and then return to the store. Whew. Naturally while there I had to pick up a few things for the apartment, and voila! More money for Target. In case anyone else out there is considering buying Rogan for Target and is 5'10+ and a size 6-8, buy the mediums. I highly recommend the white sleeveless hoodie and the zebra silk tops and dress.

I'll blame Kohl's on my housemate, Erica. It seems that every time we walk to the subway together I'm complimenting her cute dress, or bag, or dress again, and she says "It's my secret, Vera Wang at Kohl's!" Well, a girl is sometimes pushed too far and has no option but to try something a little different.

Kohl's required some major clearance rack digging (Vera's fall merch looked OK, but I was not paying full-price). Of course, without man in tow I was free to dig for hours. If you go, look for the adorable long, satin shorts, the satin skirt, and don't miss the accessories. I picked up a couple of cute headbands (left, how Vera is that headband?) and was tempted by the scarves. As for sizing, it'll run slightly big for you petites, but it was right on for me. I was easily fitting the 6's. Vera's line is better made and designed than a lot of diffusion lines, but price points start at $40. Some of her bags were tempting, but too $$ for this trip. This was my dirt cheap, sleazy cheating jaunt.

I did spot, in Vera's fall collection, a white blouse that looked exactly like this:

One of Philip Lim's Gap Design Editions shirt! Diffusion line stealing, has it come to this? I mean, I cheated a little, but I paid for it.

Lucky in Bags

More photos from Macy's Herald Square. Here's what always catches my eye when I'm on the first floor (Broadway side):

Lucky Brand bags

Colorful, fun, and retro. That's some kind of blue.


























Junior Drake bags
Practical and chic year round bags; I'd be hard-pressed to chose between the gray and the brown.













And look what I found on the Junior Drake website while trying to find a better picture of the brown bag (sorry!):


You can call this a "laced belt bag," Junior, but we all know it's a fanny pack. And I want one. I've seen some very chic versions of this round town, and have been seriously reconsidering the possibilities of the fanny pack. I'd insert a picture of #1 Fan here, but she has not followed up on my request for a photo of her all fanny-packed. She's a smart one, #1, because her version is pretty damn awful. Think I know what to get moms for Christmas.



Macy's Herald Square, 151 W. 34th btwn Broadway & 7th

Weekend Shoe Love

At Macy's Herald Square, my love for Marc Fisher endures. They're usually around $89, on sale about $69. But Mr. Fisher, where are your fabulous boots for fall? Make me some now, please!

pretty, pretty spectators, work shoes and patent brogues







Mr. Fisher loves dual-tones and he plays nicely with fabrics, too







a sexy oxford, the best kind








I also appreciate Macy's Hale Bob's; always fun, never dull.

animal prints and feathers, of course!








a perfect satin shoe, check out the little bow








Their Sam Edelman gives fringe lovers lots of love.

click on the right photo, I was so distracted by the fringe I almost missed the fabulous shiny purple flat













And some great Vince Camuto short, peep toe suede boots for $148.95. Unfortunately, by now I was getting weird looks and an attentive salesman asked "Is everything Ok?" "Fine, just taking pictures of your pretty shoes!" Unfortunately this response just elicits more suspicion.

how do we feel about peep-toe boots, people? They require more brain coordination in the morning, and I will not be able to utilize mismatched socks. There could also be some winter toe-maintenance involved. Lord, soon I'll be shaving my legs in December, the horrors.



Macy's Herald Square, 151 W. 34th between Broadway & 7th