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    Sonia Rykiel Returns to Madison Avenue

    After a five year absence, walking into the new Sonia Rykiel boutique is like returning to your childhood playroom. It’s a destination where your senses are delighted and your imagination is challenged.

    From a design prospective, the boutique, which just opened today, is triumphantly similar to the flagship in Paris. Rich red lacquer covers the walls, shelves, and ceilings while an iconic surreal print carpets the floors.

    The 2000-sq.ft. boutique even contains a Saint Germain replica library, which includes over 15,000 volumes of French literature, classic cafe tables and chairs. The most distinctive difference from the designer’s Paris store is the black and white checkered floors that pairs seamlessly with the Mark Hotel, which is only 10 blocks North.

    It only makes sense that Sonia Rykiel’s artistic director, Julie de Libran, would choose to duplicate the boutique design in her first store in the United States. After all, it can’t be easy to stand in the footprints of a woman who fearlessly designed clothing that pushed the boundaries of color, construction and composition.

    We were delighted by the array of brightly colored furs and classic Rykiel stripes that can be found on soft sweaters, scarves and more formally presented in tweed on a jacket-shorts ensemble. A zipped lurex tweed coat is a sure crowd pleaser. It’s a New York friendly black-on-black stripe that’s both modern and true to the brand.

    The brand’s new “Le Copain” handbag is highlighted within the boutique and showcased in the store’s two large display windows. The bag’s design is cute but doesn’t encompass the key elements of an it-bag nor does it translate the occult whimsy of the brand’s namesake. Something along the lines of Elena Ghisellini’s Felina bags may be a more natural fit.

    The children’s collection is not yet on the sales floor but is available at the boutique by request. We are told that the kid’s merchandise will be displayed once the opening frenzy dies down. We are quite sure that after a five year hiatus, Rykiel  fans and superfans will celebrating for some time.

    Sonia Rykiel
    816 Madison Avenue @ 68th Street
    212-396-3060

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    Bogner Warehouse & Sample Sale

    If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to replace all of your ski and winter outerwear. In doing so, we suggest you take advantage of Bogner’s warehouse and sample sale.

    The brand is really one of the best resources for fashionable and functional ski-gear and cold weather accessories. We are told that merchandise will be reduced 50% to 75% off retail. The selection will include items from Bogner Sport, Bogner Fire + Ice, Bogner Woman, Bogner Man and Bogner Kids. Most of the selection will be comprised of the fall/winter 2015 and spring/summer 2015 collections.

    You should take advantage of these discounts while the assortment is plentiful. You know if you don’t, you will be regret it next Winter.

    Bogner Warehouse & Sample Sale
    Friday, February 26th through Sunday, February 28th
    Fri & Sat 11am – 7pm, Sunday 11am – 6pm
    350 West Broadway, between Broome & Grand

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    The IT-It: Gucci is Back

    One day, someone young will look at a picture of you and say, “Wow, you were really pretty when you were young.”

    One way to disrupt this phenomena is to follow in the footsteps of our legendary eccentrics– Iris Apfel, Zelda Kaplan or Daphne Guinness. Fact is, that nobody pays attention to your wrinkles when you’re dressed exceptionally well.

    Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci, articulated the art of eccentric dressing with spectacular success at today’s Gucci Fall 2016 runway show, in Milan. The designer said he was inspired by 70s renaissance and this is certainly a re-birth for the fashion house, which hasn’t had much direction for more than a decade.

    The show’s highlights included a riot of of vibrant colors and textures. A monochrome ensemble paired flamingo-pink fur with matching leather gloves, tights and a cross body bag. A teal cape with trompe l’oeil details reigned the runway as marched with oversized spectacles, red tights and a restyled Gucci loafer.

    The collection’s formalwear offerings were also quite abundant and editorial ready– ranging from green sequined dresses to feathered skirts and bountiful ruffles cascading from colorful gowns. (Click here to see  our favorite looks from the show.)

    The most Instagram-able item was a tote bag designed by Brooklyn-based graffiti artist Trevor Andrew (aka GucciGhost), who is known for tagging the iconic double-G logo on everything from trash cans to tees. The platform Mary Janes and the updated Dionysus bag are also social media ready and a retailer’s dream.

    These looks won’t be in stores for another six months but we can’t help from wanting to celebrate the new Gucci. Below are some items from the spring collection that caught our eye. After all, one can only wish to go out the same way as Zelda Kaplan. At 95-years-old she passed away while sitting front row at the Joanna Mastroianni fashion show at Lincoln Center. What fashion lover wouldn’t mind going out the same way? The difference is today she would be wearing an ensemble from Gucci Fall 2016.
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    Spring Valentino Rockstuds 20% off

    Impulse buying the season’s hottest trends will always cost a premium. The upside is that you get to buy what you want without any compromise on style or fit and establish yourself as a bona fide trendsetter.

    Photo Credit: BY_MD

    Real trendsetters could even save a bit by shopping around. Right now, you can save 20% on spring shoes at Forzieri. Just use the code REDCARPET at checkout. The promotion is eligible on a full range of Valentino Rockstud shoes, Charlotte Olympia’s and Giuseppe Zanotti.

    Stay tuned. It’s just a matter of time until the site releases a discount on bags. We wouldn’t mind getting a discounted Fendi bag when they become available. How about you?

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    Todd & Duncan Cashmere Discounted at Banana Republic

    Todd & Duncan is known for spinning the finest cashmere in existence. As a matter of fact it’s the yarn that is used by Chanel and Hermes. Just a brush of the hand and you know you’re touching something special. Needless to say, cashmere made from T&D yarns can be quite pricey.

    While toiling away a few moments we took a quick spin into Banana Republic. While admiring a rack full of heavenly feeling cashmere sweaters we were floored to see that they were … you guessed it.. Todd & Duncan. What’s even better is that all the reduced sweaters and scarves are an additional 40% to 50% off.

    A boatneck pullover sweater in grey or black is $173 from almost $300, a chunky turtleneck is $180 from $350 and a grey scarf is $105 from $250. There is also a really nice selection for men.

    Granted that these prices are more than we would usually budget for a trip to Banana Republic but we never question spending a little extra money for great quality. We just hope that Banana Republic continues to offer top shelf products such as these.

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    Neiman Marcus Online Consolidation Sale

    Just when you thought that sale season was over, Neiman Marcus has posted thousands of some of the most titillating looks from winter 2014 at discounts of up to 65% off. It seems as if Neiman Marcus has consolidated their designer merchandise from all over the country and uploaded it to the online store.

    Grab these Gucci leather leggings while it’s still officially Winter for $500 from $1660. A floral Valentino dress that was a common editorial feature. The original price was about $5000 and it’s now $1900. Here’s that rose print Dolce & Gabbana marked down once again. The sale also includes a great selection of merchandise from The Row and Tom Ford, which is discounted pretty close to the sample sale markdowns. Our favorite piece is this v-neck leather dress for $1200 from about $3000.

    Take note that some of these items were reduced up to 75% in stores. We wouldn’t be surprised if there were additional discounts intermittently. Keep in mind however, there isn’t a big inventory of these items and once they are gone…

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    Fashion Trends: Long Hanging Sleeves

    Fashion week is just about wrapped up. We are serving up all the smoking hot trends. These top trends are what you can expect to see on the street and in the pages of your favorite fashion magazines next fall.

    Do your sleeves hang low, do the sway to and throw? Can you tie em in a knot, can you tie them in a bow? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you must be sporting one of Fall 2016’s biggest trends: Oversized sleeves.

    Designers like Proenza Schouler, Marc Jacobs and Nicopanda captured a oversized and relaxed silhouette by adding extra length to sleeves. If you’re going to give this look a try, we suggest making sure that the sleeves are the only exaggerated element of your ensemble. Otherwise you may end up just looking like an elephant.

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    Fashion Trends: Caressed Thighs

    Fashion week is heating up. We are serving up all the smoking hot trends while we get through a marathon of shows. These top trends are what you can expect to see on the street and in the pages of your favorite fashion magazines next fall.

    Fashion has a knack for focusing on women’s erogenous zones. This season, the targeted lust point is the upper thigh. Thighs took the spotlight on the catwalk from Alexander Wang’s printed stockings to Pamella Roland’s mini skirts with thigh bands. Thighs peered through slivers cut out in trousers and thigh high boots paired with an ultra-mini sweater brought the eye and imagination torturously close to the nether regions.

    Taking the trend one stop further, there was an entire set of front row bloggers that opted out of wearing pants. Although we wouldn’t suggest casting your pants aside, we are eagerly looking forward to seeing how this trend translates to the European runways. We wouldn’t be surprised to spot a Merry Widow or two framing luscious thighs.

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