Shan't Miss Deal: Gap

At Gap, these wide-leg pants are $22.99. Say it, OMG, and run go get yourself some. There's khaki, navy with a light pinstripe, and a brown that I think is kind of ugly. But the price is really lovely. And they're perfect for work in any kind of office, conservative (pinstripe! and not jeans!) or hip (really wide leg!). The pics don't really do them justice as I buy mine on the big size for extra length and you can't make out the cute wide leg so well. But trust me, you're going to be so happy for so little money.


Gap, 60 W. 34th btwn 5th & Broadway

Celia is In

I tried on every piece of Celia Birtwell for Express today at Manhattan Mall. Please see below for how they look on a non-model person:









I highly recommend the blouses with the big bow ties. The fuchsia is a knockout, and I love the retro-cool mix of prints on the other blouses. I'm also very nostalgic for the dresses. Spirited, feminine, well cut and so for a 20's-something hippie chick. Or those of us who fondly remember our carefree grunge years (ah, mosh pits, crowd surfing, and plaid shirts over Contempo Casuals dresses, does it get any better?).

In my book, a print blouse belongs in every closet, and we all love bows these days, right? So what's not to love? The price; I do wish it was lower. Will Express have a hard time moving these now that the recession has come out of the closet? I hope so, as I'd like to pick up one on sale and not for $79.50 (blouse), nor $129.50 (dress). But we all know Celia's collection sold out in a morning at Topshop in London, so wait at your own risk.

Express, Manhattan Mall level 1, 33rd & 6th Ave.

Xmastime's Brand New Clothes (and shoes)

Xmastime is in dire diet straits. To keep his head up & out of the Atkins morass, I took him to Foot Locker on 34th Street to shop with the pros, Melissa and Stella. From the erudite horse's mouth:

I'll tell you what, being paraded around Foot Locker and having three pretty girls throwing clothes at you is not the worst way to spend a Friday morning. Thanks to Trish, Melissa and Stella, I felt part "Pretty Woman," part "King Ralph" and then another part "King Ralph," cause people think they're being complimentary when they tell me that John Goodman would play me in a movie about myself. Thanks a lot.

We careened about the store and anything I looked at, or one of the girls thought would be cool, was grabbed with an "ooooohhh, cute!" As the piles of clothes grew bigger and bigger, I had no guilt about the girls carrying it all around. [pictorial proof below] Because my showing up at the store over 20 minutes late already let the girls know they were dealing with a true H-list celeb, and they had better show some R E S P E C T.

THINGS I'M GONNA DO NOW THAT I'M A CELEB:
-send food back to the kitchen in restaurants
-go to restaurants
-appear on "The Surreal Life Season 8" alongside Hip Hop Harry, Leona Helmsley's dog, Eliot Spitzer, and, of course, this guy:

We also tried on shoes. I had no idea what they're doing with shoes now; the girls tried to get me into a pair [Nikes, right] that sync up to your iPod through some sort of chip in the insole. Not only do you create a playlist for exercising, but you designate a "GO GET 'EM!" song that automatically kicks in when it senses you're lagging. I would assume everyone's choice would be the theme from "Rocky," no? Amazing - you slow down, it cranks in to fire you up. I wonder what song kicks in if it realizes you're neck-deep in the Pizza Hut buffet? Curious.

Melissa also gave us some interesting facts, like the best time to try on shoes is the afternoon, when your feet are at their widest. I was about to make an off-color joke, but before I knew it I was in the middle of an "Estrogarium," which is a word I just made up that means "being surrounded by women talking about weight and dieting." Have you witnessed this? Seriously, every woman I've ever known is an expert on the human body and honing it down to a perfect working machine. I've also learned that if there's more than one woman in the room and you just wanna get the heck outta there and go watch the game, mention "diet" and they're off and running. You can slip away unnoticed. Their eyes LIGHT up, don't they?

"I'm doing South Beach."
"Really? I'm eating sand. One handful a week, it's AMAZING!"
"I tried that, didn't work. I had my stomach removed; I just let water sink into my skin like a frog."
"Wow, how's it going?!?!"
"Hey, I'm over here."
"You look AMAZING!!!!

The final hour was a frightening blur of collecting clothes and trying them on. I loathe trying on clothes. Brutal. But there's something intoxicating about popping out of a room in a new outfit every three minutes and having girls clap, say how great you look and take pictures. It woulda been nice if my gay friends had hipped me on to this earlier. What else do they do that I would find pleasurable? Will Wikipedia later on.

Heck, I turned away more clothes than I've bought in the last ten years. Thanks to Foot Locker I came away with shirts, shorts, and 2 pairs of shoes - some gym shoes for me to work off the stubborn last 4 pounds (cough) and some Chucks. Unreal. But even better, thanks to Trish, Melissa and Stella, for once in my life shopping was actually fun. Of course, now I'm such a spoiled celeb I will be expecting similar treatment everywhere I go.

Thanks, Xmastime, for what was obviously a highly successful shopping excursion. Foot Locker on 34th Street not only has an impressive selection of workout gear, but also tons of great casual wear. And Xmastime proves that it's the perfect place to take the guy who doesn't like to shop. Or just never shops. And what else did he learn? Wear nice socks and get a pedicure before trying shoes on in public. Hmm, pedicure, I think I know where we're going next...

more pics

Xmastime contemplating shoes:


and modeling his shoe choice, New Balance 922, $165.

Xmastime, with empty arms.

And again, empty arms.

Then the group shot, with empty arms.

Ha, tricked him!

Men, Xmas didn't approve of these chucks (left), but the girls loved their textured look. You choose.

Xmastime shows us the difference between his brown shirts.

And then the standard male model poses:

 

Casual Xmastime;

Nice golf stroke;

 

The classic bear;

And the deep thinker.

Foot Locker, 120 W. 34th btwn 6th & 7th

Rei & Celia

What a joy to see the H&M press release for the Rei Kawakubo collaboration yesterday. After Cavalli it could have gotten scarier, like hmm, I want to say Versace here but not after her fall collection. So let's go "complete other spectrum scary," which would be...St. John? But that's just crazy talk!

The Commes de Garcons designer (photos of iconic designs above) is an inspired choice, and one that will be eagerly anticipated. She is one of fashion's most influential designers, so what will she do with H&M? Certainly, with her reclusive nature, she won't be hanging out on an escalator watching as insanity unfolds below her? Doubtful. I'm hoping this collection will be in one of the H&M's on 34th Street.

Speaking of inspired choices, Express in Manhattan Mall will have Celia Birtwell tops and dresses in store on Monday (right, one of her popular dresses from the Ossie Clark days). Lovely bohemiam prints just in time for spring, perfect. Prices will be a little high for Express ($79.50 and up), but I'll be shopping. Her collection for Topshop sold out in hours, and from what I saw online, the Express items (left) look even nicer. I wouldn't miss this.

Commes de Garcons designs from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Miyake, Kawakubo & Yamamoto: Japanes Fashion in the 20th Century."

Express, Manhattan Mall level 1, 33rd @ 6th Avenue

Steve & Barry's = $8.98

Everything in Steve & Barry's in Manhattan Mall is $8.98. Space is limited in the store (looks like big renovations), so I'd recommend shopping during off hours. During lunch and peak hours it will be crowded. Still, those checkout kids are fast.

Here's what you should pick up:













Bitten goods. Dresses and denim jackets for $8.98 is a bargain. That disco pink bodysuit is the most Carrie item I think I've seen SJP do for Steve & Barry's. It fits surprisingly well, although yes, it rides up. But show me a bodysuit that doesn't. The black and white dress are the same style, very cute and nice feminine details (pleated, swingy bottom). And buy that denim jacket small and tight (you can take the girl out of the heavy metal club....)

Also get the EleVen sweatpants. They are soft, long (remember, Venus is tall) and wash well (I bought these months ago). And they are $8.98! There are also lots of T's and long sleeved shirts, but it looks like most of the pretty sweatjackets are gone.

Then pick up a pair of Steve & Barry's cargo shorts for your man. Because it's going to get warm and they're $8.98.

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

Drugstore Cruising

I dropped off a prescription last week and did what while waiting for it to be filled? Shopped, of course. I love drugstore cruising almost as much Target roaming. And I perused Duane Reade's aisles for how long? Exactly "20 minutes," the magical pharmacy waiting time.

When you drop off your prescription, they will never say "just a few minutes!" No, it will always be "20 minutes," that nebulous time that keeps you in the store so you can spend not just $20 for your meds, but another $30 on snacks, makeup and entertainment. And it is magic, because as soon as you finish cruising every aisle, arms full, and sit down on the gross plastic chair, they call out your name.

Here's what I got:
-Organic chocolate bar, veggie chips, energy bar (hadn't eaten all afternoon)
-water to wash down gross energy bar
-Neutrogena alcohol-free toner (after reading that skipping the toning step of cleansing is to aestheticians what dangling babies off hotel balconies is to almost all of humanity)
-cheap, dark blue nailpolish
-Physician's Formula Organic Wear "Soft Green Organics" concealer stick

Here's what I cruised:
Trashy novels, trashy mags. Resisted buying trash.

Strange, out-of-place item:
Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals starter kit! Price was no lower than Sephora.

Best buy of the trip:
Not the antibiotics, which were woefully ineffective (resistant plague). And not the toner which I keep forgetting to use, which reminds me why I never buy toner. My favorite buy (beside the chocolate bar) was the green organic concealer. All my drugstore makeup is now going to be Physician's Formula Organic Wear. This concealer helps hide my red, problematic skin, and goes on smooth and light so it doesn't cake.


Drugstores in the district & conveniently located right by my doctor @ 34th & Park:
Duane Reade, 4 Park Ave between 33rd & 34th
Irmat Pharmacy, 2 Park Ave between 32nd & 33rd

Good Gap

Here's my favorite new European Collection item from Gap, the mandarin collar pullover. Bought it Friday day and happily communed with it later that evening.

I think my sleeves are shorter, or it could just be my abnormally long arms. And I should have taken a picture because it's so much cuter live & on person than this picture. Chic, a great spring piece, and it really does look kind of European. $38 and well worth it. I wore it with skinny, high-waisted dark blue jeans and the duo-tone Pierre Hardy* flats, right. Which were the happy recipient of a gushing "I love your shoes!" from a stylish hipster girl. Thanks, Pierre.

*looks like the silver gladiators are sold out online, but there were a few sizes in the store on 34th the other day

Gap at Herald & Greeley Squares, 34th & Broadway