Fabulous Michael Kors at Macy's Herald Square

More shoes today: This one I shot late last month, but I can't stop thinking about these perforated Michael Kors boots.

So perfect. Dare I say "transition boot?"


Macy's Herald Square
34th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue

From the Archives: Koster and Bial's Music Hall on 34th Street

Let's start the new year with a history post on a vaudeville venue that predated Macy's Herald Square's flagship location. Written and researched by 34th Street Partnership's archivist Anne Kumer, this post also appears on NYC Circa.

Throughout the late 1800s Manhattan's Theater district crept northward towards along the city's Great White Way towards Times Square. Herald Square was home to several music and dance halls including Koster and Bial's. The theater's former location was a bit south at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 23rd Street. Two days after closing the 23rd Street location, John Koster and Albert Bial opened a new music hall with the same name on 34th Street between Seventh Avenue and Broadway.  On August 28, 1893 the hall opened its doors to the public, eight years before Macy's would buy the property, demolish the building, and build their famous flagship store.

Exterior of Koster and Bial's on the north side of  West 34th Street between Seventh Avenue and Broadway, 1896. Image: MCNY

Interior of the 34th Street Koster and Bial's Music Hall, 1896. Image: MCNY

Strobridge Lithographing, 1896. Image: LOC

A popular vaudeville venue with varied stage performances, Koster and Bial's hosted burlesque and acrobatic acts, as well as a whole host of musical performances.

Fannie Leslie [1896]. Image: NYPL

Trick horse of Emile outside the music hall's 34th Street entrance, 1896. Image: MCNY

Among the many dancers who made regular appearances at the venue, was "La Carmencita," also known as "The Pearl of Seville." Carmen Dauset was born in Seville, Spain in 1868, and began performing at the age of 12 in 1880. She made her American debut at the 23rd Street Koster and Bial's in February 1890, but performed several times at the 34th Street location.

The dancer as portrayed by painter William Merritt Chase, 1888. Image via

One of a few portraits painted of the dancer by painter John Singer Sargent, 1890. Image via

The theater was also the chosen location for the first exhibition of Thomas Edison's Vitascope projector on April 23, 1896. Originally invented by C. Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armant, and called a Phantoscope in 1895, the two inventors both claimed the invention as theirs after dissolving their partnership. It was soon sold to Thomas Edison, in what sounds like a similar situation to the Emile Berliner gramophone incident in the late 1870s. The Edison Manufacturing Company renamed the machine the Thomas Edison Vitascope, and continued manufacturing it.

The first theatrical exhibition of a a film projection machine, the Vitascope. April 23, 1896 Image: LOC

Edison's company went on to produce 100s of "actuality" films -- watch them -- documenting real life scenes with little or no narrative. Here is a film of Carmencita made in 1894, most likely with one of Edison's previous camera inventions: the kinetograph or kinetoscope:



Almost since the day it opened, the theater was plagued with financial and management issues. On July 17, 1901 Macy's announced the purchase and future demolition of the property to make way for the flagship store at 34th Street and Broadway. Three days later, Koster and Bial's held their last performance on the rook garden, ending with a chorus of performers and loyal customers singing "Auld Lang Syne."

You can still find a plaque commemorating the Hall's existence just outside the 34th Street entrance to Macy's.

Other Sources:
-Snyder, Robert. The Voice of the City: Vaudeville and Popular Culture in New York.

From the Archives: Saks and Gimbels on Sixth

Today our 34th Street archivist, Anne Kumer, shares some retail history of the district. This post also appears on NYC Circa.

A few short years before the ground broke for Penn Station, construction was underway in Herald Square for a retailer new to the city: Saks. The company, founded by Baltimore merchant Andrew Saks, chose Herald Square as the location for its first New York store in part because of its proximity to the Sixth Avenue elevated train and rumored Penn Station. Along with Macy's and a little later, Gimbels, these major stores would soon redefine Herald Square as a retail hub of the city.

View from Greeley Square, looking north at Herald Square, around 34th Street and Broadway, 1901. Image: MCNY

The Saks building was designed by architecture firm Buchman & Fox, the same firm that would later design the World's Tower building on West 40th Street. Though Saks and Macy's were more or less neck and neck with their store construction and opening announcements, Saks still managed to open its doors just five weeks before Macy's in 1902. Unlike Macy's, a store composed of several departments, Saks in the early 1900s sold only clothing, making it not quite a true department store. Around the same time, one avenue over, Benjamin Altman was purchasing lots on Fifth and 34th to build his new store B. Altman & Co.

The completed Saks building at West 33rd Street with its competitor Macy's one block north at West 34th Street, 1902.Image: MCNY

Saks and Macy's coexisted, offering consumers slightly different inventories -- Saks was an upscale clothing-based retailer, and Macy's catered to the general consumer with a large variety of merchandise-- until 1909, when another large retailer, Gimbels, joined the fray. Founded by Adam Gimbel in Vincennes, Indiana, Gimbels built its first large store in Philadelphia, PA, before constructing a New York branch just one block south of the Saks store, on Sixth Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Streets. Three large department stores in a row + public transportation = retail district.

Gimbels store at Sixth Avenue, between 32nd and 33rd Streets, 1912, thirteen years before the Gimbels Traverse was built. Image: MCNY

Model wearing a Gimbels dress, 1914. Image: LOC

Similar to Macy's, Gimbels was a large department store and family business.  Adam Gimbel had several sons, many of whom worked for the Gimbels Company: Isaac Gimbel became President in 1894, and was the driving force behind the store's expansion to the New York market; that same year, Ellis Gimbel took over Public Relations and advertising for the company. In 1921, he started the first Thanksgiving Parade in Philadelphia, PA, three years before Macy's began its iconic parade in New York City.

The company purchased Saks in 1923, and one year later, created the Saks Fifth Avenue brand, and opened its first store. The 34th Street location was kept open, and the Saks 34th brand was created. High end retail was moving farther north along Fifth Avenue, and the building's out-of-date construction (it didn't have escalators) were key factors in the decision to close the store in 1965.

Looking north from Greeley Square with the Gimbels and Saks buildings on the left, [1965]. Postcard: Anne

In 1967, discount retailer Korvette's moved into the Saks building. They "modernized" the facade, as seen below. Founded in 1947 by Eugene Ferkauf in a small store on Fifth Avenue and West 47th Street, Korvette's expanded quickly, with 2,684 stores in operation by the mid-1960s. This decade also saw a general rise in the national presence of discount retailers.

Same view as above, [1969]. Postcard: Anne

Gimbels stayed open until 1986. When it finally closed, it was cited as the store with the largest shoplifting rate of any in the country, largely because of the Gimbels Corridor. Originally built as a convenience to shoppers, the underground passageway connected the store to Penn Station a couple blocks away, and provided shoplifters with an easy escape. By the 1970s, the corridor had a horrible reputation and was the scene of more than a few gruesome crimes. This very opinionated description from a NY Post article pretty much sums it up: "In the midst of teeming Midtown, bare-bulb fixtures like those in mines marked a path through a Calcutta-like sprawl of diseased, predatory humanity."

After Gimbels closed, the building was renovated, and in 1989, reopened as A&S Plaza, and is now the home of JC Penney and the Manhattan Mall. Next door, the Saks building, now the Herald Center Mall, is slated for yet another makeover.

Havaianas Collection Preview

Luckily, a girl can get Havaianas at Macy's, because I was at the preview about a month ago and their collection is a total riot of colors and designs. What is not to adore about all of these comfortable and chic flip-flops?

I know, Mickey Mouse or Muppets? Hard to choose, but that Muppet sole is irresistible.

A couple of bloggers I'm always stoked to see: above is Amy of Midtown Girl and John of John Simon Daily, perusing the flip-flop bar. We also went home with a pair of shoes from Havaianas new Soul Collection. I chose the ballerina espadrille and it's all I've been wearing on weekends, and often on commutes. As you may have surmised, this is one comfortable espadrille.

Also, don't miss their new graffiti collection launched last week. So much Havaiana to love, and just in time for summer.

Fashion Star Episode #9: The H&M Buy

Don't get me wrong, the Kara Laricks trench coat at Macy's is a totally buy-able piece. I'd get both the red and tan if American Express and my husband, who abducted my American Express card, would let me. Sadly, neither are in the mood to comply these days.

Ronnie's white pantsuit didn't do it for me so much, namely due to the fit of the pants (too short for my long inseam). But honestly, the jacket didn't blow me away, either. I thought the length of the jacket looked awkward on TV, and felt the same way in-store.

His dress at H&M is a different story. This is a fantastic day piece, every girl should run to the nearest H&M and buy if you can. It's work-appropriate and sexy in that stark, menswear way.

Also fantastic at H&M: Orly's jackets and her pants, which, even with the side pockets, are super slimming. Go ASAP if you want the yellow jacket as there were only a few left in 6, 8, and 10 this morning.

Kara's dress: OK, honestly, Kara, I wouldn't call it sexy, either, but I love it!

Next week, for the finale? I was surprised Luciana didn't make the cut, and I think Orly is just hitting her stride, and John Varvatos put a plug in for Ronnie. But today I was kind of snoozing over Ronnie's pleats and folds. They are starting to feel one-trick-pony like Nikki's maxis. I find Kara to be a much more interesting designer, so I'm standing by my pick! Go, Kara!


H&M Herald Square & Penn Station
34th Street at Sixth Avenue, and 34th Street at Seventh Avenue

Macy's Herald Square
34th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue

Fashion Star Episode 7: Sarah is Not Our Fashion Star

Only three episodes left! What are we going to complain about when Fashion Star is gone? I'm starting to get depressed. Sarah was eliminated last night, which normally would make me really depressed, but the whining had to end.

Who's my pick to win? Well, my track record is crap because I was a fan of Sarah's early on, but I'm thinking Kara or Luciana. Ross should have been gone this week, Nzi-me-me has been designing blahs, and Nikki seems unable to produce anything beyond a maxi. She was second in line for most annoying. Really, a mini-skirt is such a wild departure for a designer?

Luciana is more commercial, so Vegas odds would most likely be on her. And her H&M dress this week (above) is a stunner. Lined, well-constructed, nice fabric, this one is a steal at $39.95. Please ignore the fact that I can't zip up the side on the size 10. I'm in total H&M size 12 denial. I AM NOT A 12, I AM AN 8! Or sometimes a 10.

Now on to Macy's, where I'm always an 8. Relief. Ronnie could be the wild card as week after week he's quietly upping his game. Last week's swimsuit was a bold move that resulted in a very cute item. This week's gown really shows off his skill: the detail in the back and the slit in the front are just the right amount of architecture and wow.

I'm expecting the drama to be amped up next week. But I expect that every week and am always left wanting more. Perhaps that's their trick. Next week I'm in Des Moines, Iowa, on vacation (Spa Grandma), so I'm going to track down a Macy's there and see if they carry Fashion Star. If not, see you Week 9!


Macy's Herald Square 34th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue
H&M Penn Station 34th Street and Seventh Avenue

From the Archives: Their Last Voyage

In this post, 34SP's archivist Anne Kumer shares some 34th Street-related history.

Everybody is talking about the Titanic right now, and some are even just learning that yes, it DID actually happen.

One of three sister ships -- the other two being the RMS Olympic, (launched in 1910) and the RMS Britannic (launched in 1914) -- the Titanic was the largest passenger ship afloat. At the time of its maiden voyage from Southhampton England to New York City, US on April 10,1912, the RMS Titanic was guaranteed unsinkable.

Titanic launching from Southhampton. Photo: National Geographic

A few days later the ship collided with an iceberg, and on April 15 sank, taking with it 1,517 passengers and crew members. Among those were co-owner of Macy's department stores Isidor Straus, and his wife Ida, as well as John Jacob Astor IV and his pregnant (and much younger) wife Madeleine Talmadge Force Astor.

The "Macy's corner" at 34th Street and Broadway, [1910-1915]. By this time the store and neighborhood were bustling with activity.

When offered a spot in one of the ship's few lifeboats, Ida Straus said something to the effect of this: "We have lived together for many years. Where you go, I go." Or maybe this: “I have lived with him for 50 years - I won’t leave him now." She stayed on board with her husband and they perished together. After their deaths, her fidelity and loyalty were celebrated in the press, as well as with several memorials and positive portrayals in plays, music, and movies. (Ha! You thought I was going to link to the James Cameron movie but I didn't!) Below is one of several piano pieces composed in 1912:

Isador and Ida Straus rendered on this commemorative piano piece from 1912. Image: NYPL

Macy's had a plaque made, dedicated, and placed in the store's entrance on 34th Street, just west of Broadway in 1913. Also, three years to the day after the ship sank, a monument was dedicated to the Strauses at Broadway and 106th Street near their former home in New York City, in a small park named after them one year earlier.  It's still there.

The Straus Memorial on its dedication day, April 15, 1915. Photo: Library of Congress

The Straus Memorial on its dedication day, April 15, 1915. Photo: Library of Congress

Designed by Augustus Lukeman, the monument's female figure was created in the likeness of statue model Audrey Munson, also known as "Miss Manhattan," and who deserves her own blog post, maybe with Evelyn Nesbit. (They're classier Lindsay Lohans of the early 1900s, except with possibly more affairs and less cocaine -- or maybe not!)

Audrey Munson with Buzzer the cat. Photo: Library of Congress

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the crash, and the tributes and books are still coming. The National Geographic has never-before seen photos of the shipwreck taken during a 2010 expedition to the wreckage site.

Bad screen shot from this Before and After slideshow. This image shows the Straus suite.

 Other sources:
-Titanic Historical Society
-Titanic Facts
-National Geographic has never-before seen photos of the wreckage. They are stunning.
-Isador Straus obituary.
-Straus Historical Society in Smithtown, New York 
- A nice little Macy's history slide show called Macy's Milestones and the very long, very detailed wikipedia entry on the department store.
-Macy's history on the department store's website
-New York Times

Dance, Facebook, Win!

There's a new fitness brand in town called Ideology, and Macy's is celebrating with a contest.

Turn up the volume, guys, and get dancing: Macy's is hosting a Facebook contest called "It's Your Move!" The best mover and shaker wins a $1,000 shopping spree and a trip to L.A. to attend a taping of Dancing with the Stars.

Follow these four easy steps to victory:

1. Click here -> http://www.facebook.com/Macys?sk=app_100480853407798.
2. Pick from the selection of songs.
3. Upload yourself dancing to the song (all types of dance are welcome!)
4. Submit

Deadline for entries is 3/15 so get out those tap shoes. Seriously, I need an excuse to buy some as my toddler got a pair for dance class. Mommy/daughter duo, ha, beat that!

Why, you ask, all the dancing contest stuff, Macy's? Because Dancing With the Stars' Cheryl Burke is the face of Macy's new fitness brand, Ideology, and she'll be picking the winner of "It's Your Move." How cute is this fitness line? I don't usually think that about an entire line of workout clothing, but I can with this one. Be sure to click on the blue top and check out the detail. Also, it's $34, totally well-priced. I'm so tired of trying on $125 yoga pants and matching $75 tops.


Macy's Herald Square 151 W. 34th Street

You Can Still Get Karl Lagerfeld at Macy's Herald Square

Aren't you glad the Kaiser is still hanging around the second floor of Macy's Herald Square? There are plenty of pleather shorts for 25% off because it's all 25% off. Go shop now before the Giambattista Valli takes over Impulse.

This was shot before Fashion Week. I don't remember seeing that jacket on the floor yesterday.

I'll be honest: I have an old post in my drafts saying not very complimentary things about this collection. It will be filed under the very NOT fashionably correct title "Ranting about Karl Lagerfeld." Today I leave you with this: go get those pleather shorts. Also, I really like the flower print blouse.

Lagerfeld for Macy's at the Herald Square store yesterday.

If you look online, there's not much Lagerfeld left, and almost none of it is on sale. You will, however, note that the sleeveless, hooded, faux-croc vest is on sale. The model looks adorable. But I order you to slowly back away from the vest and DO NOT look back... 

 Does faux croc ever not look like plastic?  

Wouldn't you rather get the pretty floral dress? If this is one of those moments where you say to yourself That Doesn't Look So Bad, email me please and I'll send you the photo I'm too vain to publish. The rest of you can go pick out pretty Lagerfeld for what? 25% off!

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

I've Got BCBG Fever

When I saw a rack full of snake print clothes and pleated maxi skirts in the BCBG Max Azria boutique at Macy's Herald Square, I ran screaming "BCBG!!!" around the department store.

The line outside Macy's this morning for the #Someday Justin Bieber perfume launch and personal appearance.

OK, not really. Those were crazed Bieber fans you heard screaming outside Macy's Herald Square today. But I did spend half an hour in the dressing room spinning around in this amazing, pleated black skirt. I've got the fever for all of these pieces.

BCBG Max Azria boutique at Macy's Herald Square
2nd floor, 34th Street and Broadway