The Shophound

Meatpacking Moves: Levi's To Join The Jeans Parade

Above see out little mock-up of what's happening at 414 West 14^th street in the Meatpacking District where Levi Strauss & Co. is set to open a new outpost this Fall.
Don't they already have a store a few blocks down the street? Why yes, they do indeed, but we all know that a store between just west of 5^th Avenue is a world away from that pocket of cobblestone streets that links Chelsea to the West Village. They will be but a few steps away from major denim sellers like Scoop, Paige Premium Denim, Earnest Sewn, and Jeans Shop, and while you may think of Levi's as a bit middle-of-the-road for the hypertrendy shopping strip, you may not have noticed how the company has been burnishing the brand lately with its sexy Ryan McGinley "Go Forth" commercials and advertising images that have finally made Bruce Weber's Abercrombie romps look like an old Montgomery Ward catalog. Recent collaboratons with Robert Geller, Jean Paul Gaultier and House of Holland haven't hurt the label's fashion cred at all.  In addition, the folks at Levi's have been cleverly forming partnerships with influential retailers like J.Crew and Club Monaco to spotlight their iconic 501s amongst the other store-branded merchandise.
WWD is speculating that the shop might serve as a design lab and showcase for Levi's premium Capital E and vintage reproduction lines (which would be totally fine by us), whose price points would be more in line with its future neighbors like Jeffrey and Stella McCartney.
Levi's to Open in Meatpacking District (WWD)

Pop-Up Du Jour:Target-To-Go Breezes In

It really wasn't Target's fault that the launch of its Target-To-Go shopping booth wound up on the coldest day of the month so far, and its chosen spot, Gansevoort and Washington Streets in the otherwise highly desirable Meatpacking District, happens to be windiest possible section of Manhattan.
Our sympathies go out to the earmuffed and hooded staff who are doing their very best to encourage shopping amidst the bone-chilling gusts off the Hudson.
The shop itself is really more of booth (like a taco stand) with vitrines on the side displaying items including three much discussed items from the yet to be fully released Rodarte/Go International collaboration which will come to you pre-wrapped and gift ready (even if it's just for yourself) like all the other merchandise available. Other items include DVDs, Lego sets, robes, cosmetics and other gift-y items.
Currently, free cookies are being distributed to fortify shoppers against the adverse weather, and to promote the event throughout the city, Target is placing approximately 500 oversized and easy-to-identify gift tags throughout Manhattan.  Find one and return it to Target To-Go, and they will give you a Gift Card, ranging in value from $10 to $500, and will also donate $100 to The Salvation Army to benefit families in need. Clues are being distributed through Twitter: @TargetToGoNY.
Target-To-Go Gansevoort and Washington Streets at the Highline entrance, Meatpacking District

Pop-Up Alerts: Target Plans A Highline Holiday

In recognition that we still have no Target in Mahattan (at least until next Spring), the popular mass retailer will be opening a "limited-time-only walk-up holiday shopping event" next weekend in the Meatpacking District at the Highline entrance. Rather than a stand-alone shop, it sounds kind of like a gift-fair-ish stand which is just fine and dandy by us.
TARGET TO-GO will also be held in San Francisco at Mint Plaza and Washington DC in Georgetown, and will include a selection of 50 different  pre-wrapped gifts which can be chosen by number and purchased in a speedy and efficient manner. There will even be a few items from the upcoming Rodarte Go International collection in the mix for those of you not interested in schlepping to Brooklyn or The Bronx.
The event opens on the morning of Friday the 11^th when Target will be distributing $100 gift cards to families in need who have been selected by the Salvation Army (not random passersby, sorry).
TARGET TO-GO December 11^th- 13^th, 10 AM -8 PM at Gansevoort & Washington Streets (The Highline Entrance)
also at 5^th Street between Market & Mission Streets in San Francisco and M Street & Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington DC

Future Additions: Generra To Step Into Village Gourmet's MePa Space

Anyone concerned that the former Village Gourmet space at 823 Washington Street would be sitting empty for long can rest assured that by Fall it will be filled and the Meatpacking District's shopping strip will continue unbroken. Generra will be opening a 1,200 square foot store, its first U.S. boutique, in the space conveniently located near the entrance to the new High Line Park. This means that, unfortunately, the neighborhood will be short one deli, but you will be able to pick up a jaunty, Autumn outfit to wear while strolling the former elevated rails. It's a trade off, but you probably didn't need that snack anyway.
In other Generra news, while the label is still without a main creative director, today's WWD reports that Obedient Sons founder Swaim Hutson will collaborate with the brand for the Spring 2010 collection –good news for fans of that recently defunct label.
Generra Plans First U.S. Store (WWD)

Cintra Wilson Goes Shopping:Stealth Wealth Edition

Normally, The Shophound likes to get this feature up a bit earlier, but we had to read the beginning of Cintra Wilson's Critical Shopper column a couple of times to figure out what she was talking about. It's epic and dramatic and somehow involves "Rosemary's Baby" and Barneys.
We'll read it again and get back to you.
Anyway, the upshot here is that La Cintra seems to be about as enchanted with the new Meatpacking District boutique Zadig & Voltaire as we were...which is not very.
She is particularly nonplussed by the the stores main conceit of rendering prosaic sportswear items in high maintenance luxury fabrics.

Such are the perils of stealth-wealth. Kleenex-thin cashmere and pre-aged “street clothes” are extremely sensitive to ungentle treatment; they’re basically more fragile than Nancy Reagan and require truly capable servants.
“Hand wash: do not wringe to remove water. Place it first in a sponge towel and then dry flat. Soft cool ironing on inside out garment. Avoid low cost dry cleaning services that would not guarantee optimum results.”
Portrait of the ARTIST, frantically relaxed, placing her HIPPIE dress inside a rare sponge-towel and beating her maid over her inability to find the “soft cool” setting on the iron.

The caps-lock up there refers to the titles printed on the delicate t-shirts the store sells. We can pretty well guess at this point that having fulfilled her professional duties, she is not likely to be tempted to visit Zadig & Voltaire again. We can relate.
Critical Shopper | Zadig & Voltaire: Is There a Setting for High Strung? by Cintra Wilson (NYTimes)
Zadig & Voltaire 831 Washington Street (between Little West 12^th and Gansevoort Streets, Meatpacking District
Previously: The Eurocasual: Zadig & Voltaire Hit The Meatpcking District

Pop-Up Report: Ryantown At Earnest Sewn

British artist Rob Ryan has taken over the back room pop-up space at Earnest Sewn with a vast array of his signature stenciled artworks and textiles. Ryantown will be up through the end of May. Venture towards the far side of the rustic denim dealer, and you'll find a profusion of items ranging from the inevitable printed t-shirts to greeting cards, tote bags, painted tiles, pillows dishes and all sorts of other baubles and novelties. All are touched with what looks like vintage folk art patterns which, upon closer inspection, reveal poetic musings and inventive designs. It's one of the more charming pop-ups that Earnest Sewn has hosted, and definitely worth a visit for anyone in search of Mother's Day gifts.
Ryantown at Earnest Sewn through May 31^st, 821 Washington Street between Gansevoort & Little West 12^th Streets, Meatpacking District
Rob Ryan (Official Blog)

The Eurocasual: Zadig & Voltaire Hit The Meatpacking District

We weren't really sure what to expect from Zadig & Voltaire, the French sportswear chain that opened it's second U.S. store on Washington Street a few weeks ago. Their website shows only a smattering of product, and has prices in Euros. So far as we can tell, this store represents the globalization of fashion in the sense that, on our way through the shop, we kept having the feeling that we had seen everything before somewhere else.
The company has one other American store in West Hollywood, which makes sense, because the basic look here is a vaguely refined version of California casual jeans, t-shirts and leather jackets, or is that just global casual now?
The brand was started in 1997 by Thierry Gillier, a French knitwear expert, whose father was a co-founder of Lacoste. To its credit, the shop's biggest draw is fine, lightweight, meticulously detailed sweaters and t-shirts. There are beautiful cashmere intarsia knits for men and women, though many of the coordinating jackets and dresses made us think of Stella McCartney (except with real leather). We thought it was nice that they carried some soft Sissi Rossi handbags, except that a closer look revealed the store's own label inside, even though the price was around the same as the original. We saw pendants and earrings made from little silver feathers in the jewelry case —shades of Jade Jagger. As for the men's line tucked in the back room, as nice as the sweaters are, we can't get too impressed by washed cargo pants, especially for around $200. In the mix is also the inevitably overpriced children's miniature versions of the grownup collections... Zzz.
Call us jaded and underwhelmed, or maybe just cranky, but we expected something more exciting from an evocatively named store coming all the way from France. On the one hand, it will probably do OK with the Helmut Lang, Theory and Scoop customers in the Meatpacking District. The staff seemed friendly and professional. On the other hand, can a new store still thrive selling such familiar merchandise these days?
Does anyone need reminding that it ain't 2006 anymore?
Zadig & Voltaire 831 Washington Street between Little West 12th and Gansevoort Streets, Meatpacking District

Cintra Wilson Goes Shopping: Almost Dressing Like A Janitor Edition

In today's Critical Shopper column, Cintra Wilson essentially deconstructs the entire concept of "luxury basics" as she simultaneously praises and skewers the new Vince store in the Meatpacking District. La Cintra falls head over heels for a $325 jumpsuit that sadly lets her down in the dressing room with too much luxury and not enough basic.

Once on my body, the jumpsuit and I began to argue. I didn’t want it to pre-roll the sleeves and legs for me; I wanted to roll them with my own elbow grease. I wanted thicker denim that might endure actual labor. I wanted this blue-collar factory uniform to be less preening and wussed out, and I wanted it to be well under $325. The affair ended abruptly.

Here at The Shophound, we love a luxury basic. We live in them. I fact we just bought an armful of our treasured Adam Lippes' silky Peruvian cotton T-shirts (Oprah's favorites!). Of course we bought them for $5 each at the sample sale*, and they are last year's color —or older— but nobody needs to know that (uh...except we just told you). That's just New York for you. Occasionally, the staggering cost of living gets balanced out by a delightful bargain like $196 worth of t-shirts for $25.
But back to Cintra. Somehow, we can't reconcile the glamourpuss image of her we have in our mind with a garment we normally associate with the people carrying large garbage pails who run after elephants in the circus, making sure they don't poop on the floor. Looks like she couldn't either, at least not for that price, and yet we both like the friendly, if a bit effusive, folks who run the Vince store. And neither of us are quite prepared to predict the death of brands like Vince which seem to offer fancier versions of the same things as the Gap, even if we have found excellent alternatives. Despite the retail apocalypse that appears to be going on, that aspirational moment may not have actually passed just yet.
Critical Shopper | Vince: Rosie the Riveter in a Pocket T by Cintra Wilson (NYTimes)
833 Washington Street at Little West 12^th Street, Meatpacking District
Previously: Meatpacking Additions: Vince Is Waiting For You

*Through Sunday, 3/15 at the Chelsea Market 75 Ninth Ave between 15th and 16th Streets. Only a tiny bit of men's, but racks and racks of women's stuff including a ton of basic tees all at excellent prices.

Long Awaited Openings:Ports 1961 Finally Launches

There are so many store openings during Fashion Week that it will take a bit of time for us to cover them all, but we did put Ports 1961's new Meatpacking District boutique on the top of our list. After all, we have been expecting this shop to open for almost a year. Apparently, merging the newly built section of the boutique with the older building on the corner took a bit more time than anyone expected, but the shop is now finished and open for business at the windy convergence of Ninth Avenue, Gansevoort and Little West 12th Streets.
The airy, skylit space is now featuring the Spring collection designed by Tia Cibani, who has moved the Ports brand from a classic sportswear label to a much more adventurous fashion house with a growing editorial and retail following. On the shelves inside, we even found some of the fantasy hats by Karen Henriksen from the Spring runway show (pictured below), for anyone in search of a woven straw spiral to perch atop one's head. Chapeaux aside, Ports is now a slightly less expensive alternative to the Pradas and Jil Sanders of the world with plenty of sophistication. Currently, the interior is graced with sculptures from the Berlin Artist Mathias Hornung, and, even more importantly, when we visited, there was a big bowl of candies from La Maison du Chocolat in the center of the store, which were delicious with the champagne we were offered.
Could you possibly need any more encouragement to visit?
Go, before the chocolate is gone.
Ports 1961 3 Ninth Avenue at Gansevoort Street, Meatpacking District
 

Fall '09 Fashion Week Day 0:Jillian Lewis Forgoes The 'Runway'

Today is the first day of the Barney's Warehouse Sale, so normally we might be slogging through that mess to give you a report, but we are frankly relieved to be busy with Fashion Week stuff instead. Technically, it doesn't start until tomorrow, but the Thursday before the Tents open has become a time for smaller designers to catch the fashion flock before the hardcore schedule crunch goes into effect on Friday. This worked out well for Project Runway Season 4 fan favorite JILLIAN LEWIS who unveiled a presentation in the Meatpacking District this afternoon.
Much has been written about how designers are scaling back their shows to similar exhibitions, but for a young designer like Lewis it is often a better way to show off her work than the runway. It gives the opportunity to look closely and get to know her style better, and her clothes look much better in this light than they did on Project Runway. In fact, this presentation really raised our opinion of Lewis's skills, particularly the beautifully engineered knits and her sense of embellishment, which has been refined quite a bit since her reality show days.
Also, passing trays of mini-brownies never hurts. Perhaps the best part of this type of show is that rather than waiting in a line like cattle to check in and squeeze into a venue, we had a couple of hours to visit at our convenience and could fully take in the presentation within a few minutes. Also, we can get the models to pose just for us.
Once again, the recession may be doing us a favor.
JILLIAN LEWIS: THE RUNDOWN
1-3 PM Tela Salon, Little West 12th Streeet.
MODELS:
A nicely diverse cast. We haven't begun working the numbers yet, but no complaints.
CELEBRITIES:
The drawback of the presentation is that if there are celebrity guests, there's no way to make sure you will be there at the same time. We are betting some Project Runway alumni stopped by, but we missed them.
SWAG:
The first gift bag of the season passed muster even for a young designer.
9 oz. bottle of Philip Pelusi Refresh Hair spray
3 samples of Tela Beauty Organics hair products
.5 oz bottle Dashing Diva Nail Polish
Discount card for Sew Fast Sew Easy sewing store

Gallery after the jump