Here’s Lo-Down contributor Jessica Delfino’s weekly roundup of shops, sales and new collections to keep your eye on.
#KiplingHoliday Tour (57 Greene Street) Do you like holiday sweets, custom gift wrap, special performances, flash tattoos and more? Because if so, that is what you are promised if you attend the #KiplingHoliday Tour at 57 Greene Street starting Thursday, November 20th and rolling on for three full evenings.
Kipling is known for their hip, colorful handbags, backpacks, totes, luggage and accessories and are based out of Antwerp. If you RSVP and print it out, you will receive a free gift upon your arrival. If Twitter is your thing, check out @kiplingusa.
Events will also take place in LA on December 5th and 6th and in Orlando, Florida on Devember 19th and 20th. That’s a tour, alright! I am looking forward to it because I dig Belgium and all the wonderful weirdness of that part of the world.
#KiplingHoliday Tour at 57 Greene Street is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, November 20th through Saturday, November 22nd.
PinkyOtto (49 Prince Street) is the success story of a Pratt Institute designer, Ryo Liu, and her eye for “edgy yet elegant fashion,” creating dresses, skirts and shirts that resemble what might happen if a roll of Starburst were to collide with a bag of lace. Bizarre yet interesting cuts for the business casual-ette and the night princess alike, PinkyOtto’s clothing are youthful and fun with a big girl / professional edge. Prices are in the $78 range for pants and around $98 for shirts and sweaters, dresses in the $128 range.
I happened by and didn’t find anything on the particular day I stopped in, but I could envision returning for a special occasion. Online, they have a “cost per wear” calculator where you can estimate how many times you’ll wear the item and what that will equate in dollars per wear. For a pair of $118 pants I estimated I’d wear 50 times, turns out I’d pay about $2.36 per presentation. Interesting concept, lovely store.
PinkyOtto is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. 7 p.m.
The Diesel Sample Sale (151 Wooster Street) is where models go to hang out, apparently. The room was packed on a Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. with the most beautiful people in New York City. You’d think that would be too early for the model set to be jamming out to a DJ set of the coolest music I’ve never heard, but it was not, in fact.
Upon entering, I was invited / forced to surrender my coat and purse to a coat check area. There are no dressing rooms, so women were clambering for the two mirrors, climbing over each other like monkeys to try on soft tee shirts, day-glo-red parkas and of course, jeans.
If you want to add a few beautiful, well-made articles or accessories including purses, hats, gloves, belts and even under things to your wardrobe for a fraction (75% off) of their normal prices, this is your big chance.
Drop by this Saturday, November 8th for the final date of the sale, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cash, Visa, MasterCard and Amex are accepted. I suggest getting there early to scavenge through whatever happens to be left.
Fjall Raven (38 Greene Street) is a story about the time REI and IKEA had a baby. High quality, some what eclectic outdoor wear, gear and accessories in not quite camouflage colors with funny names can be found here for men, women and kids. Take for example, their Fjallraven Kanken backpack, which comes in a double rainbow of colors including muted taupes, browns and greys and expanding to purple, orange and more.
The story goes, once upon a time in a forgotten era known as the 1950s, a 14 year-old known as Åke Nordin from Örnsköldsvik in Northern Sweden basically hated his current hiking back pack situation, so he decided to make his own, using his mom’s sewing machine. The Sami people, a very back pack savvy crew, dug his sack and asked him to make them one, also a tent and some other things.
Fjall Raven is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Filson 1897 (40 Great Jones Street) Along the same lines, Filson features quality outdoor style clothing in an L.L. Bean-esque vein with a guarantee that it will last. Since 1897, the C.C. Filson company has stood by that promise, delivering durable clothing to rugged Gold miner types back in the day and continuing all the way up to modern eras to outfit hipsters while they drink lattes and write screenplays.
But can someone tell me what the obsession is with hipsters and flannel? Are vests and warm hats really necessary while purchasing indie records at thrift stores? Maybe so. Maybe so. Stop by Filson 1897 if you’re a writer–or alogger–who needs a quality sweater handmade by Cowichan tribal members ($490) as well as a wide assortment of other clothing and accessories for men and women.
Filson 1897 is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Send your tips about upcoming sales and new collections to: tips@TheLoDownNY.com
Jessica Delfino is a comedic musician who has lived and performed in the LES for like, forever. She first fell in love with beautiful clothing as a kid when her mom let her dress up in her vintage stash. Jessica was called “One of NY’s 50 Most Fashionable People” by Time Out NY. Check her out at here. She’s also @JessicaDelfino on Twitter.
