The Shophound

TODAY IN IMPORT CHAINS: Camicissima's Commodity Clothes

Just after Thanksgiving, the Italian men's shirt chain Camicissima opened its first American store on Madison Avenue in midtown, and after the holidays, Fashion Week and some blizzards, The Shophound finally made our way to check the place out.
Will the stripped-down specialist's fast-fashion bulk approach to businesswear take America by storm? It's hard to argue against a flat price of $49.90 per shirt and four for $99.90 (There's certainly no point in buying three shirts with that system.) The obvious question is are these shirts worth just under $25 each, and, as far as we can tell, you could do a lot worse for the price. While we can't endorse the black or navy blue dress shirts, the bulk of the assortments seem to be comprised of classic styles in the kinds of whites, blues and stripes that form the backbone of the American business wardrobe. The shirts appear to be made well enough, though the cotton fabrics aren't the finest we have ever felt. Camicissima doesn't quite compare to UNIQLO when it comes to the price/quality ratio, and we don't expect that they will be stealing any customers from Charvet or Turnbull & Asser. For someone with limited resources, however, who needs appropriate clothes for work, however, the store could be a boon.
The shop couldn't be more straightforward. It's a minimal box with shirts tidily stacked by size as if in a supermarket. When we stopped in, the small store had just been hit with a big new shipment, and we imagine that they are probably doing a brisk business in 4-unit bales of white shirts. At those prices, who cares if the laundry ruins one?
Camicissima 509 Madison Avenue At 53^rd Street, Midtown
Previously:
Upcoming Imports: Fast Shirts From Italy Coming To Madison Avenue

A HOUSE IN DECLINE: Lohan Is Out At Ungaro, But Not Before Madison Avenue Boutique Is Shuttered

Yesterday, bloggers and journalists were tweeting incessantly about Lindsay Lohan's absence from the  Emanuel Ungaro runway show in Paris where she was supposed to be the "Artistic Director". Ungaro officials finally admitted that she was "not involved" with the collection, leaving current designer Estrella Archs to artistically direct herself according to WWD. Lohan's commotion causing appearances at several other designers' shows earlier in the week suggested as much, and the actress confirmed the news later in the day at the Kenzo show claiming that because of "legal things going on" she couldn't discuss it further.
It's not like any of this should come as a surprise to anyone, since her participation in last season's show turned the once celebrated house into a laughingstock, but we suspected that contracts were keeping the label from making an official announcement that they had separated themselves from the actress.
Back here in New York, there were rumors floating around about a month ago that the end of season clearance  at Madison Avenue's Emanuel Ungaro boutique was actually a store closing sale, though management denied it to inquiring press. Yesterday, however, The Shophound took a walk down Madison and stumbled across a darkened and empty Ungaro shop, so, yeah, the boutique is definitely toast.
Archs' latest Lohan-free effort for Ungaro is reportedly an improvement over her unfortunate début last November, but it remains to be determined whether or not she has the chops to overcome the past few years of creeping decline at the house. Perhaps its owners should cut their losses and let the label rest for a few years before reviving it (especially since hardly anyone is selling it anymore). After all, if a brand like Vionnet can be left dormant for decades before being revived, there may yet be hope for the Emanuel Ungaro label.
Lindsay Lohan No Longer Involved With Ungaro (WWD)
Click HERE to view the Fall 2010 Emanuel Ungaro collection at Style.com
Previously:
More Unsurprising Departures: Ungaro Said To Be Shuttering Its Madison Avenue Boutique

LONG AWAITED NEWS: Lanvin Coming To Madison Avenue

Lanvin's comin'!
Of course, for the past few years, this has been more a question of when than if, but serious shoppers who were annoyed that über-desirable French luxury brand Lanvin could have opened boutiques in Bal Harbour and Las Vegas before they came to New York can simmer down now. The label that designer Alber Elbaz has catapulted back to the top of the fashion heap will finally be opening a 4,000 square foot women's boutique this year near the corner of Madison Avenue and 69^th Street. According to WWD, Lanvin headquarters will also be located in the same building at no. 815 which has most recently housed a Calypso boutique. It has also been home to Versace, and, before that, a multi-level Giorgio Armani flagship featuring his main and Emporio collections.
The tiny announcement suggests that the shop will not be carrying Lanvin's acclaimed men's runway or more classical (and extremely lucrative) tailored clothing collection. Could a men's store could be in the works sometime down the road?
Fashion Scoops: Lanvin's Uptown Story (WWD)

This Week's Online Sales

Here are our choices for what looks good to us amongst the online Sample Sale Sites this week. As always, this is just a sampling, so you should click over to the sites themselves for a full schedule of events. Most sales kick off sales at 11 AM except for the Gilt Groupe sites which begin at 12 noon on weekdays and Saturdays and 9 PM on Sunday evenings.
Happy clicking

GILT GROUPE

M Missoni, Marc Jacobs Handbags, Daryl K, Reidel, Steuben, Richard Chai, Alexander Wang Clothes & Accessories, Jacob & Co. Jewelry, Lladro—join HERE

GILT MAN

Converse by John Varvatos, Tretorn, Trafalgar, Adidas Porsche Design Sport, Alpha Industries, Masons, Laugiole en Aubrac, Scotch and Soda, Swiss Army Watches—join HERE

GILT FUSE

Alice & Trixie, Amrita Singh, Black Halo, Soia & Kyo —join HERE

RUE LALA

Elie Tahari, Ebel Watches, Cole Haan, Anne Cole Collection, Final Sale Act 1 & 2, Betsey Johnson—join HERE

IDEELI

Ellen Tracy, Disney Couture, Tokidoki, Michael Stars—join HERE

ONE KINGS LANE

Aviva, Baekgaard, Home Source, Casafina, Godinger, Fino Lino,—join HERE

ROW NINE

Ultimate Skincare, Roberto Cavalli Eyewear, Artisan Gold—join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

DecadesTwo, Go Smile, Luca Luca, Eva Franco—join HERE

MORE SoHo DEPARTURES: Amalga Exits With A Farewell Display

You might think that a favorable visit from Critical Shopper Cintra Wilson last year would have boosted the fortunes of SoHo boutique Amalga, but the Wooster Street boutique, formerly filled with relatively obscure but highly intriguing Japanese designer labels appears to have been shuttered.
Like a fallen Samurai, however, Amalga seems to have been determined to end its nearly three-year life with a degree of dignity. The store has left itself an elegant epitaph of several well appointed mannequins standing at attention in its windows, most unlike its fellow departed retailer, Operations, whose site has been left in a state of anguished disorder. We can't tell what lies behind the gate in the discreetly darkened store, but we can respect Amalga's effort to maintain its composure in the face of adversity.
Previously:
SoHo Departure: Operations Ceased,
Amalga Brings Japanese Exotica to Wooster Street (06.03.07)

TODAY IN UNIQLO: +J Replenishes Today

The best thing that we can tell you is that there is not much of a line, or any at all really, for today's second delivery of UNIQLO's +J collection designed by Jil Sander. That's not to say that it isn't any good. Quite the contrary, in fact. The clothes look fantastic. It just means that regular +J customers now know that the store has ordered enough goods so that you can safely shop relatively at your leisure without missing out on good pieces. Thankfully, this is no frenzied H&M designer collaboration one-day grab-fest event, nor is it meant to be.
As for the clothes, as we mentioned, they look great. For women there are new trench coats, separates, and most importantly, lots of dresses with the kind of intricate detailing and seaming that recalls designer Sander's more expensive work. It all comes in an earthy palette ranging from olive to tan to taupe to ochre to soft grays. We continue to marvel at the high quality of the fabrics, many of which are cotton and synthetic blends, that feel much more expensive than they are.
For men, there are tons of new outerwear pieces with surplus details and unconstructed sportcoats. Sander even manages to make cargo shorts look great again (no mean feat, that). There are more sportshirts including lightweight denims, and checks in shades of blue, and there are a few surprising pieces like studded belts (!) with removeable buckles. Sizes continue to run small, but for this delivery, men's bottoms are sized in inches rather than S,M & L. We will keep complaining that it is ridiculous to offer 34 as the largest waist size, and we're pretty sure that a men's XS in this collection is more likely to be worn by a woman than any fully grown, American male. We're still waiting to see an XL in the line's Western production. We can say with full confidence, that not only we, but plenty of other people of both genders as well, will buy a lot more of the line if and when this particular matter is corrected.
Irksome sizing issues aside, +J remains the best high/low designer collaboration line around. Frankly it's in a class by itself, and we hope it runs for many seasons to come.
UNIQLO's +J (Official Site)

JON CARAMANICA GOES SHOPPING: Luxury Love/Hate Edition

This week's Critical Shopper, Times writer Jon Caramanica, finds himself browsing the new mini-brand palace for men recently opened by Hermès on Madison Avenue. He exercises an interesting opening option by imagining himself as artist/film director/real estate developer/pajama enthusiast/presumed Hèrmes customer Julian Schnabel -spinning out a reverie after costuming himself in a sumptuous knit top and jacket,

Soon I was writing scenes of my new life in my head, most ending with a quick nuzzle from Olatz as I come in the door at Palazzo Chupi, before we sneak upstairs for an assignation on her signature crest-appliquéd Egyptian cotton sheets.
Wow.

We are really not sure how Olatz (or Julian, for that matter) will feel about such a fantasy so freely shared, but it's a bold choice.
Ultimately, though Caramanica clearly appreciates the exceptional quality of the humble $1,250 henley that sends him into Schanbel world, he leaves us with the sense that he is as much of a tourist there as the people snapping up ties on the first floor. Though he's not status-crazed enough to be impressed by the brand's otherwise coveted logos, however cleverly they may be applied, we know where he stands when he likens the cost of a custom leather jacket to the annual income of " a journalist". More than we needed to know? Or did we kind of know that already?
Critical Shopper | Hermès Madison for Men: Kitsch With a Pedigree by Jon Caramanica (NYTimes)
Hermès Madison For Men 690 Madison Avenue at 62nd Street, Upper East Side

TODAY IN REPOSITIONING: Taryn Rose Trades Down

Those of you who have noticed that the Taryn Rose shoe boutique on Madison Avenue has been shuttered may be wondering what happened. The luxury footwear brand founded by Rose, an orthopedic surgeon who left the company in 2008, had developed a cult following of women who weren't willing to fully sacrifice comfort and podiatric health for fashion.
WWD has the update today that the company has been purchased for an undisclosed sum by Schottenstein Stores Corp. which also owns the Judith Leiber and Adrienne Vittadini brands. So far, the luxury positioning of the Leiber brand has been preserved, However, the Taryn Rose name will be licensed out to a variety of product categories starting with shoes which are expected to fall into a more moderate $150 to $450 price range with broader distribution. While the designer/doctor was never fully successful in melding high style with orthopedically engineered shoe design (in other words, some styles were cute and others looked like Grandma's Sunday Best), she managed to create a more exclusive, luxurious line for women who may have had special footwear needs, or just wanted high quality, simple, comfortable shoes. Faithful customers will be relieved that he 'Fashion/Comfort' concept will be retained, and, as a bonus, the price points will come down.
Schottenstein Buys Shoe Firm Taryn Rose (WWD)
Taryn Rose (Official Site)

PREMIUM PREVIEW: L.L.Bean Teases Its Signature Launch

Once a popular but charmingly sleepy mail order company whose idea of marketing was to use what we can only assume were it's own, randomly chosen employees as catalog models, L.L.Bean is cleverly building anticipation like a pro for the launch of its Signature Collection. The latest sneak preview items, a Chambray Shirt Dress and the Eastport Handsewn Ranger Moc (pictured above) as well as a few others cleverly hidden throughout the website, have been released today in a scant hundred units. In the past few months, Bean has also made special variations of its classic Maine Hunting Shoe and Canvas Tote briefly available in much the same way.
Finally deciding to compete with the niche labels who have essentially been ripping them off for the past couple of years, the legendary outfitter looked to this very competition and recruited fellow Maine denizen Alex Carleton of Rogues Gallery to design the premium line, and, from what we can tell, he appears to be doing an excellent job curating the company's estimable archives for inspiration. He has pulled together a line that should please longtime Bean customers as well as those trendier folk who are now in the thrall of the current rage for authentic, rugged gear. (It's worth noting here that we couldn't possibly gotten through the recent spate of snowstorms without our Bean Boots). For our part, we are totally digging these handsewn chukka boots, and the best thing is that rather than pushing price points with a deluxe label, L.L.Bean has priced the shoes at a mere $79 each —right in line with their regular offerings, and a total bargain if you compare it to the prices of other newly rediscovered "heritage" brands.
If these items sell out before you can get to them, you can relax. The entire line launches a week from Monday on March 15^th.
L.L.Bean Signature (Official Site)
Previously:
Unexpected Developments: L.L. Bean Goes Deluxe
The Shophound On The Road: A Discovery Expedition To L.L.Bean

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: A Peek Inside Jérôme Dreyfuss

We got an unscheduled sneak peek (literally) inside the upcoming Jérôme Dreyfuss boutique set to open in the next month or so on Broome Street near Greene Street. Progress is being made, and it looks like has retained much of the shiny white tile interior left behind by Waterworks, the previous tenant. That will make a pristine background for his accessories. It almost looks like there may be a passage to the store also under construction next door which will be run by Madame Dreyfuss (also known as Isabel Marant), but The Shophound couldn't stick our head in far enough to tell for sure and, therefore, cannot confirm.
Drefuss and Marant's stores are expected to be a rare bright spot in what looks to be a relatively sleepy season for new boutique openings as some stores still seem to teeter on the edge of survival despite more promising news form major retailers.
We will be watching for further developments.
Jérôme Dreyfuss, Isabel Marant -Official Sites

SoHo DEPARTURE: Operations Ceased

It's pretty plain to see at this point that the well liked SoHo boutique Operations has shut down for good, what with the big "Space For Rent" sign in the window of the covetable corner shop at 60 Mercer Street & Broome Street. A peek inside (not too difficult with the big plate glass windows) shows that while the store has departed, the mess remains. In fact, the place is strewn not only with light trash, but also with fixtures, merchandise, bust forms, mannequins, samples and whatever else somebody forgot to take along after leaving.
It kinda looks like someone had to steal away in the middle of the night, which might lead us to assume that the company itself is defunct, though its website remains (mostly free of content, however), and we haven't been able to figure out if it has folded entirely.
At any rate, who is supposed to clean up this mess?
And does the new tenant get to keep all those clothes still hanging on the racks?

UNIQLO Update: New +J Delivery Arrives This ThursdayDesigners Invitation Collections Return To Japan?

For those of you who keep track of such things, the second Spring delivery of +J, the collection for UNIQLO by the designer Jil Sander will be arriving bright and early this Thursday morning at 8AM so set you alarms. This will be the final Spring delivery for the men's line. The women's collection has one more installment coming in six weeks or so. Now that the line is expanded and spread out over three deliveries, we can't predict what sort of queue situation there will be, but it's worth noting that they have already stared replenishing the first delivery with Japanese production goods, so it continues to sell well. We don't know if the frustrating sizing issues have been addressed yet, but it will at least be worth showing up for those svelte fans out there. As a bonus, UNIQLO has been offering special purchase prices on the first Spring delivery for the past couple of weeks, which means good deals on some of those great lightweight down jackets.
On a related note, those popular Designers Invitation collections that usually arrive around this time of year seem to be focusing on Japanese designers after last year's all-american edition featuring Opening Ceremony, Steven Alan, Shipley & Halmos and Gilded Age. This year, the lineup is all Japanese featuring zechia, Han Ahn Soon, Suzuki Takayuki, G.V.G.V., Mintdesigns, Mother and Fur Fur. They reportedly started arriving in Japanese stores late last month, but so far we have no word when or if they will be featured in SoHo's flagship. It's possible that with all the +J promotional activity, the DI collections may fly under the radar since the designers are almost totally unknown to American shoppers, not unlike last season's KM for UNIQLO line that appeared and sold out quickly with little fanfare. We will be keeping an eye out.
Also of interest,today, UNIQLO's website appears to be in French! So, Bonjour tout le monde!
+J for UNIQLO arriving Thursday, March 4^th at 8 AM 546 Broadway between Prince & Spring Streets, SoHo
Japanese high fashion goes mainstream with new DI collection (CNN Go)
Previously:
Collaboration Alert: Kiminori Morishita's KM For UNIQLO Has A Quiet Launch

This Week's Online Picks

If you haven't been shopped out by the Barneys Warehouse Sale (where the line to pay stretched to almost comical proportions yesterday afternoon), here are our choices for what looks good to us amongst the online Sample Sale Sites this week. This is just a sampling of what we might be inclined to browse, so you should click over to the sites themselves for a full schedule of events. Most sales kick off sales at 11 AM except for the Gilt Groupe sites which begin at 12 noon on weekdays and Saturdays and 9 PM on Sunday evenings.
Happy clicking!

GILT GROUPE

Kate Spade Accessories & Apparel, TeNues Publishing, Geren Ford, Delman, Barton Perreira Sunglasses, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen,—join HERE

GILT MAN

Band of Outsiders, Ann Demeulemeester, The Generic Man, Rag & Bone, John Varvatos ★ USA,—join HERE

GILT FUSE

Miss Sixty Shoes, Dakine, ABS by Allen Schwartz,—join HERE

RUE LALA

Calvin Klein Collection, Robert Rodriguez, Birkenstock, Rafe, 7 for All Mankind for Women & Men—join HERE

IDEELI

Emilio Pucci, Marc by Marc Jacobs Shoes, Manoush, Junior Drake—join HERE

ONE KINGS LANE

Bellora Bath, Bedding & Throws, Serge Lesage, Walters Wicker, Howard Schatz Photographs—join HERE

ROW NINE

John Varvatos Men's Eyewear, Wusthof Cutlery, —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Rock & Republic Men's, Women's & Beauty, Mackage, Evis MD, Joseph Abboud—join HERE

A Word From The Owner: DNA 2050 Responds

Recently we reported that NoHo boutique DNA 2050 had quietly exited the scene, and naturally assumed that it was a result of the general economic conditions that have closed so man shops in the past year or so.
In response we heard directly from the owner, Iraklis Karabassis of the Washington, DC based IK Retail Group who wished to clarify the reasons for the store's closure. IK runs a burgeoning mini-empire of shops and restaurants around the country including boutiques for Max Mara and Piazza Sempione as well as restaurants like Washington power lunch standby Café Milano. Mr. Karabassis wanted to make it clear that the DNA 2050 retail concept was in fact doing just fine, but that it had evolved into a higher priced format than the area around Broadway and 8^th Street was able to support, which is, frankly, not difficult to believe at all. In fact, we suspected that the store might be too pricey for the neighborhood when it first opened. He assures us that the Chicago store is actually doing well and the one that closed was a temporary location. A new unit will be opening later this year at the Arches in Long Island that will reflect the new, revamped concept.
Our thanks to Mr. Karabassis for the clarifications. Excerpts from his communication can be found after the jump.
Previously:
Departures: A Quiet Exit For DNA 2050
DNA2050 Gets Boutique-y in NoHo

Designer Expansion: Burberry Heading West?

Get ready for trenchcoats and Nova checks to hit the West Side. Though unconfirmed by the brand, WWD says that Burberry is has taken 3,000 square feet at 160 Columbus Avenue between 67^th and 68^th Streets on the Upper West Side. While Columbus Avenue has started to attract more fashion boutiques recently, this would be the first international luxury brand to set up shop in this part of Manhattan since the heyday of Charivari in the 1980's (Do we count Hugo Boss at Columbus Circle? Maybe...). The paper cites strong business at the Time Warner Center please-don't-call-it-a-mall at Columbus Circle as well as favorable rents and demographics as an impetus for the new shop. Formerly a Rockport store, it will be in close proximity to UGG, Lululemon, Reiss London and recently opened Apple, Zara and Brooks Brothers units.
We can't imagine it wouldn't do well with a combination of local business, Lincoln Center bound tourists. ABC TV Studios and upscale gym rats at the Reebok Sports Club upstairs to draw business from.
Burberry Said Heading to Upper West Side (WWD)