New York is for Shoppers Part 3

Previously on Thread and Sole! Our heroes left the big apple on a train bound for the small apple that is Poughkeepsie, NY. Not a week had gone by and I was already planning my next trip back to NYC. This time we wouldn’t go on a Sunday and we wouldn’t go on a day when it was raining. Again I had the whole trip mapped out with a short trip to Brooklyn.  So we hopped on the train and headed to Grand Central.  This time we were pros and knew exactly what to do. We arrived around 11 a.m. and headed to Times Square to see what is all the hype.  If you have never been it is an experience you have to see at least once.  And once you go, you might never want to go again. The place is jam packed with tourists staring at giant T.V. screens and shopping at their favorite mall stores. Only these mall stores are 5 stories high. There was only one place I wanted to go and that was the Levi’s store.  Levi’s had just released their commuter line of apparel and I wanted to test them out. The Levi’s in Times Square was quite small compared to the rest of the stores, but they still had wall to wall jeans.  The commuter collection was on the first table as we came in the door, and I quickly grabbed my size in the jeans and the jean jacket.  I headed to the fitting rooms to try them on.  The jeans were amazing, raw denim with some nice stretch for riding your bike. The jacket was not exactly my favorite so I passed.  I will tell you that the jackets have stretch and all the same attributes as the jeans.  If you want all the details on the 511 commuter jeans then read this blog.

We left the store new jeans in tow, and headed for our next stop which was a bakery; cooking is my wife’s passion. I am going to fast forward a little because we spent the next few hours eating and drinking with some friends. We hopped a taxi with 21 Mercer as our destination. If you don’t know what 21 Mercer is then stop reading my blog. Ok, 21 Mercer is Nike’s exclusive NYC boutique with a wide variety of Nike sneakers. As we walked up I saw their big blue ice cream truck and instantly became a kid again.  The ice cream truck is a new Nike fixture that sells exclusive kicks, tees and even ice cream. We bi passed the truck and headed into the store, which like most boutiques was not big, but has some amazing products. One shoe in particular caught my eye: the Nike SB Stefan Janoski Black/Mint.  The guy grabbed my size and I knew I was getting a new pair of shoes.  I paid and left with the new SB’s in my bag. 21 Mercer is in SOHO along with many other stores including kidrobot. kidrobot was a very small store with an amazing collection of dunnys. I spent a little time looking at all tees and hats, but I really only wanted a Simpsons figure. At this point we were exhausted and ready to head home. We left New York City again, hot and tired.  Ready to get back to our air conditioned apartment and our little baby puppy.  This isn’t the end and the next time I am going to special sneaker haven. FLIGHT CLUB NY!!! 

Back to School Advice

It’s that time of year again.  The time of year where one bad choice in fashion can ruin a teen’s entire year. Back to school shopping is a huge time of the year for retailers and children.  For the kids and teens it means a fresh start. A great outfit can make everyone forget about that horrible mistake in fashion you made last year. 

Parents, listen to your children and children, listen to your parents.  For example, your teen wants a pair of pink skinny jeans and you want them to were some khakis;  so you get a pair of slim or skinny twill pants in burgundy.  I remember when I was in high school everyone was wearing Polo and Tommy Hilfiger.  I wanted a pair of Hilfiger carpenter jeans with Tommy Hilfiger stitched down the side, I was also going through a hip hop fashion phase. They were hideous (also expensive) and my mom pay for the jeans. I was dead set on getting them, but I finally gave in and bought some denim elsewhere. I was super mad at my mom.

I look back now and thank my mom for not letting me waste a lot of money on these horrible jeans.  I still make decisions when I buy most things on a scale of how much this piece of clothing would embarrass my family. This is the same reason I don’t wear offensive t-shirts or jeans that are too tight even if they might be in style.  This brings me to another point. Guys please stop wearing jeans made for girls. They make extremely skinny jeans for guys now.  I don’t have anything against guys wearing super tight jeans, but girls jeans are not made for a guys body. Our bodies are very different. Also, parents stop buying clothes for your teens without your teens being present to either try them on or to give their opinion.

Parents and teens get together, go shopping together and make smart decisions.  Parents sit down and watch your child’s favorite shows and get ideas on fashion choices. Teens listen to your parents and take their opinions with a grain of salt. Also look for the best deals, not just the cheapest rack in the store.  You didn’t want that piece of clothing the first time around, so why would you want it now. We can come together and help everyone dress better this school year.

New York is for Shoppers Part 2

When we left our last post, our heroes were heading downtown to the meatpacking district. We did make a pit stop in Little Italy with my wife’s relatives and they treated us to a wonderful lunch at Il Cortile. After lunch we hopped a cab and headed to the meatpacking district, with the new Levi’s boutique as our destination.  The Levi’s Meatpacking store is a premium concept store housing only the finest fits and washes in the Levi’s catalog. If you can’t find the perfect fit for you there is also an in-house tailor to custom fit your jeans. Let me be frank, this is not a store for an everyday jean shopper.  This store caters to people who appreciate high quality denim and those who want their denim to fit perfectly. It’s not a huge store, very long and narrow, but it is packed with Levi’s greatest hits.  You might even walk right pass it and never know because the main sign is a blank red Levi’s arch. All the usual suspects were accounted for and stored in their own little sections. This store also carries some of Levi’s more exclusive collaborations; at the time it was Levi’s x Pendleton. I most enjoyed the window display that showed Levi’s support for the newly passed gay marriage bill in New York. I only wish I had spent more time in the store but it was our first trip and we still had lots to see.

 

(in front of the store not enjoying the muggy weather)

I didn’t buy anything at the Meatpacking store this trip. Mainly because we still wanted to do some shopping at the Chelsea Market and we were pressed for time. I did make one more stop at Urban Outfitters to pick up the 501 cutoff shorts I had seen earlier that day. I do recommend that you check out the stores I have mentioned if you are looking for some of the best of Nike and Levi’s. We returned home tired and beaten to a happy puppy who desperately had to go to the bathroom. The adventure doesn’t end here I just got back from a trip to the city this week.  It was partly a sightseeing trip, and partly me trying to convince my wife to move to the city when she finishes culinary school. Stay tuned for part 3 of my posting on NYC, the next one is in 3-D.

Levi’s for Cyclist!

I just ran across an article, from the blog Refinary29, about the newest line from Levi’s.  The collection is geared towards urban cyclists using their bikes as transportation. The Levi’s Commuter Line may look like regular items you would find in any store, but it’s what is inside that counts.  The jeans boast 2% stretch for getting on and off with ease; this also helps with comfort while riding.  It doesn’t stop there, the jeans use advanced fabric technology to avoid stains and to help keep sweat from funking up your jeans. Don’t worry about showing too much crack to the people behind you, these jeans have a higher back rise. If you still aren’t sold, there is a utility loop for a bike u-lock.  I would recommend you wear a belt, because most u-locks can be very heavy.

To go along with their denim, Levi’s is modifying their famous trucker style jacket for a rider friendly fit.  The arms have an accordion sleeve to help with ride height and a similar cotton/stretch blend for comfort. There is also a hidden iPod/iPhone sleeve to help keep you going on a long ride. The jeans will come in a skinny fit for $78 and the trucker jacket with run for $128 respectfully. Look for these to hit selected Urban Outfitters in August, but if you just can’t wait the Union Square store in NYC should have these this week.

via Refinery29

New York is for Shoppers! Part 1

Welcome back readers!  I enjoyed and loathed this hiatus I have been on the past few months.  A lot of events have happened in my life; I got married and moved to NY. No, I didn’t move to NYC, but a smaller town north of the city, Poughkeepsie. It’s not exactly the fashion capital of the state but it’s a lovely little historical town and I only have to take a 45 minute train ride to the city.

My wife and I decided to make the excursion to the city on a rainy Sunday.  We hurried to the train station excited for the adventure.  I had the whole trip planned out on my iPhone, which consisted of all stores that I didn’t have available in Florida. Every place seemed like it was walking distance from Grand Central Train station.  I was so wrong.

New York City is humongous.  Every building towers above you and all the streets look the same.  When I was looking at Google maps, everything looked so close and walking to all my destinations would be no problem.  My first stop had to be Niketown on 5th Avenue, but we had arrived to early and nothing was open.  We started to walk down 5th Avenue passing street after street avoiding the rain and traffic.  I soon realized we were headed the wrong way. (damn you Google maps!)

We then trucked back the other way and stepped into Urban Outfitters to avoid the rain.  This Urban was amazing.  It was set up like a NYC style loft, with tons of wood displays everywhere, including a giant Levi’s emblem with nails driven into the wood for a nice 3-D effect.  My wife bought a dress and I bought an Obey tee, shocker, and a kidrobot Simpsons figure. 

We moved back to the street with the rain and wind picking up as we moved on towards Nike.  We passed all the really upscale stores, and finally arrived at Niketown.  I was not expecting a five store mega store.  I was expecting a lot of shoes and that’s exactly what I found.  I believe it was the flash of the store or the fact that I was shopping in NYC for the first time, but I just had to get a pair of shoes.  The fifth floor my was destination of choice; this housed the Sportswear line and vintage shoes.  I picked a nice vintage Nike Air Vortex in light blue/black.  They came in a light orange vintage Nike box and we headed out to meet up with my wife’s relatives that were in town so we could get some lunch. We had been in NYC for 2 hours and I only had 2 stores checked off my list.  I had a lot of places I still wanted to visit and we had a lot of ground to cover. 

To Be Continued!!

Wednesday Rant–Bad Customer Service

It’s Wednesday time for a rant.  I know I haven’t done this segment in some time but something happened today that really pissed me off.  I will keep this short and to the point.  Nothing pisses me off more, when shopping, then horrible customer service.  You walk into a store looking to find a new piece of clothing and the person working there could care less and just has an attitude the entire time.  I was shopping today and I went to a store, that will remain nameless, and the person was just rude and just had  horrible attitude. The worst part was they had the item I was looking for and I didn’t want that person to get the sale so I left.  I did find that item at another location and made the purchase, because the people were extremely helpful and polite.  I am not asking for people to throw rose petals at my feet, just remember that I am the customer and you are selling goods. If I don’t buy the goods at your store then you don’t make money. I happen to know this company does work on commission, so I don’t know why this person would act this way. Hey person, maybe you should remember you are at work and that you make money off of sales and not walkouts.  So next time you work, try and remember that a little bit of kindness goes a long way.

New “Ship” Tuesday 03/15/11

It’s Tuesday once again, so let’s check out all the new arrivals.  We’ve got lots of goodies to show you  today.  I’ve decided to feature a top to bottom outfit; shirt, shorts and shoes.  After hours and hours of searching the internet I have found three pieces that I know you will love and again I will post the links, in case the urge to purchase takes over. Let’s start our journey.