The Gift Of Style

Ravinstyle.com At The Wonderland Fashion Flea Market -SUNDAY!!!!

OK so we are expecting a little frenzy at the Ravinstyle.com/Wonderland Fashion Flea Market event on Sunday.   Major press hits and rumor has it we were on the radio too (does anyone listen to radio anymore...I guess who cares, still kind of cool).  Don't miss out!!!

If you still need that little extra push to get you there, remember you will find lots of interesting brands you just don't see everywhere such as Rebecca Minkoff Handbags, Leyendecker Dresses, Daughters Of The Revolution, Les Halles (the hot new denim line), Gemma Redux Jewelry, Flutter Jewelry, Tolani Scarves, Kathryn Amberleigh Shoes, Matt Bernson (the must-have summer sandals), Cammie Hill Clutches, Cecelia Du Bucourt (punk chic fashion), Daftbird (cool girls answer to Splendid), Enza Costa Rogue (the best basic tees), Masacva (high-design dresses), Thierry Lasry Sunglasses, Olivia Song Home and Jessica Grindstaff (whimsical ribbon pins) and many more!!!

Finally, just stop by for a cocktail and to mingle if shopping is not your thing these days...I promise it will be one fun party!!!!

~Nancy

Ravinstyle.com At The Wonderland Fashion Flea Market -Preview

So I continue with my quest to turn the world into Pop-Up Retail heaven...gone are the days of boredom via the usual retail outlets!!!  Isn't it more interesting and yes entertaining to shop in a new venue, to be inspired by fashion you just can't find everywhere??? I think it is... Add in the concept of limited edition, (meaning if you don't get there early, you will miss out) and I think we have the formula for obscene (recession-friendly obscenity that is) displays of spending and a whole hell of a lotta fun!!!

My friend Jill, of Flutter Jewelry fame introduced me the Ravinstyle.com team and for me it was love at first sight.  You see, Ravinstyle.com is one of the few eCommerce sites dedicated solely to supporting emerging designers.  If you recall, I founded my Pop-Up business with the desire to "save" the little guy, to give new brands an opportunity to get in front of the customer and the press, to help the uber creative stay afloat during these challenging retail times.  The minute I spoke to Biba at Ravinstyle.com, I knew they would have to be the next featured brand at the Wonderland Fashion Flea Market. 

If you need a little memory jog, the Wonderland Fashion Flea Market was launched as a Grace Group partnership with the beyond fabulous Michael Angelo's Wonderland Beauty Parlor in the MePa (Meatpacking for short). Michael Angelo and I collaborated to lauch our first flea market back in January with eight amazing brands and decided to shake things up this time around by working with an eCommerce brand instead.  Bringing the amazing Ravinstyle.com virtual world to life via a 3-D shopping experience not only is beyond exciting, but also lets shoppers get past the online shopping stigma.  We all just want to touch and feel!!!  In fact, WWD just did a story last week on how Net-A-Porter's discount site will be doing frequent Pop-Ups...I am thrilled that ours will be one of the first!!!

   

 

In true The Gift Of Style form I plan to write about all of the incredible brands we will be featuring.  This event will bring you true indie fashion at its best, so I promise you won't want to miss it.  To give you just a quick taste, we will be Popping-Up with Rebecca Minkoff Handbags, Leyendecker Dresses, Daughters Of The Revolution (see my feature from last week), Les Halles (the hot new denim line), Gemma Redux Jewelry, Flutter Jewelry, Tolani Scarves, Kathryn Amberleigh Shoes, Matt Bernson (the must-have summer sandals), Cammie Hill Clutches, Cecelia Du Bucourt (punk chic fashion), Daftbird (cool girls answer to Splendid), Enza Costa Rogue (the best basic tees), Masacva (high-design dresses), Thierry Lasry Sunglasses, Olivia Song Home and Jessica Grindstaff (whimsical ribbon pins).  Now for the best part, none of these brands will break you bank...the best recessionista fashion around!!!  Also, to top it all off, Michael Angelo's Wonderland Beauty Parlor has a retail store in the front of its fab space with design from the likes of Tord Boontje, Murakami, Harry Allen and many others.  One-stop shopping, Pop-Up heaven!!!

The event will happen on Sunday, April 19th at Michael Angelo's Wonderland Beauty Parlor at 418 West 13th Street, between 9th and Washington.  I hope you can make it!!!

~Nancy

Retail Therapy At 515 East 72nd Street/Miraval Living

So if any of my loyal readers have noticed a little decrease in my writing frequency, you are not mistaken...I promise there is a great reason.  In exactly 10 days, my company Grace Group's Pop-Up Retail arm, Pop-Up Tart Productions will be bringing you one fabulous shopping event that is a culmination of everything I write about...great brands, style mavens, "shopaholicism" and yes beyond fabulous fashion.

The event is called Retail Therapy at 515 East 72^nd Street/Miraval Living and is brought to you by Corcoran Sunshine, 515 East 72^nd Street/Miraval Living and Grace Group.  It is the first ever shopping event/party to take place in a gorgeous luxury building...wait until you see this place!!!

                                

We are converting one entire floor of designer decorated apartments into multi-brand specialty and mono-brand stores...just imagine the best contemporary shopping street in NYC, 28 stories in the sky!!!

The event has been highly curated to include a combination of some of the world's leading brands such as M Missoni, Lancome and AKA New York, what I call the semi-emerged brands (already in top stores, but not YET 100% top of mind) such as Haute Hippie, Nathan & Moe, Jamin Puech, Leslie Green, Be & D and Dannijo and the emerging brand set such as Hooch Bags, Alex Elliott, Monalda4 and Flutter.  We also decided to mix it up a bit and throw in some amazing vintage from JBM Vintage.  Finally, since spring has sprung, you will find hot swimwear from ViX and Brette Sandler. We want you to feel good about spending your money, so if you just bring one article of clothing, you will be supporting my favorite charity, Bottomless Closet.  You can give back while you fuel our economy.

OK, so you can obviously shop til you drop, but of course we aren't stopping there...you get to have tasty 100 calorie cocktails from TyKu, the newest lo-cal flavored water from Hint, the must-have pick me up from Nespresso and yummy food from Corner Cafe.  If you need a little beauty fix, Lancome will give you a full make-over/consultation and if you need some style tips, yes you get to meet the oh-so fabulous Phillip Bloch, while he personally shows you the brand he co-designs, Emma & Posh.

The event will run for 3 days, so you have no excuse not to stop by.
-April 3rd...4-7 -Open To The Public
-April 4th...noon-5 -Open To The Public
-April 5th...noon-5 -Open To The Public

Every day until the event, I will feature 2-3 of the participating brands...my loyal readers get a sneak peak. So whether you have a passion for real estate, design, fashion, food or just want to have a really good time, this event is 100% for you.  Now if none of this applies to you, but you happen to work in brand marketing, you may want to see what is happening in the Pop-Up Retail space...the future of retail perhaps???

I hope to see you all there!!!

~Nancy

11th Hour Gift Ideas

I just came from a business meeting and had to run a couple quick errands… I was happy to see the stores packed with last minute, panicked buyers.  I am the worst when it comes to buying gifts.  I am so obsessed with picking the perfect object…I procrastinate and then all of a sudden I run out of time.  I also hate all of the gift guides you find in magazines…they are way too obscure.  If you are anything like me, I thought I would share some easy gift ideas with all of you Christmas Eve shoppers.

Don’t give up and just buy a gift certificate…way too impersonal and who feels the need to share the amount they spend? 

If you live in the West Village, hit Mxyplyzyk, pronounced “Mix-ee-pli-zik”. I know the name is crazy, but it is by far my favorite quick gift store.  For your family or friends who like to drink buy the Graphic Tumblers ($20 for a set of 4) or the Antler Bottle Opener ($12.50). Both gifts are chic and will spruce up the worst bachelor pads.  For the home cook, I love the Nigella Serving Hands ($28) or the This Is Rude Cutting Boards ($32).  I promise these will be useful additions to a well-stocked kitchen.

I also love Hable Construction for special little finds.  Almost everything in the store is made of cotton and the prints are perfect for a country home.  I am always coveting their storage boxes ($98).  They are perfect for toys, for magazines, for towels or anything that needs a cozy, yet stylish space.  If you want to splurge a bit, their canvas bags are the best ($150-$300).  Everyone needs one great fabric print bag.  I would use them in the winter to shop (oh-so green) and in the summer they are the best beach bags! I especially love the Canvas Cloth Weekender ($225)…so perfect for a quick trip to Miami, for a man anyway…I could never make it in one carry-on!

If Soho is more your speed, your first stop for the man in your life should be Jack Spade.  The anchor embossed brown wallet ($125) is so cool.  In keeping with the bag theme, they make the best messenger and tote bags (many under $200).

Sabon is the perfect store to buy something for your aunt or some relative, twice removed.  Their boudoir-inspired lotions and scrubs ($25-$35) are beautifully packaged and are quite luscious.  I am not a big fan of the gift set, but if you must, they have several options in the $30-$50 range.

For the truly modern and sophisticated person, Moss has to be on your list.  You can’t go wrong in this store…something for everyone.  The savvy “modernista” will light up when he/she sees the box alone.

Moving west to Nolita, I recommend Charlotte Ronson for the younger girls in your life.  Most of the pieces are under $200 and are designed specifically with teenage angst in mind. 

For the woman who has everything, buy her something fabulous from Jamin Puech. I adore the Abakoum Feather Evening Bag in Purple ($480) or the Sequin Sibel Bag With Charms ($770).  They both pretty much rock my world.  If you don’t want to spend quite that much, hit Dinosaur Designs for the most amazing resin accessories and homewares.  The bangles are around $150 and come in many colors, shapes and sizes.  They are perfect for any woman and the vases (most under $200) are organic and make quite a lovely addition to any home.

If like me, you don’t have time to make the mad dash to several of these great little gift hot spots, the good news is that most will offer you one-stop shopping. Mxyplyzyk is probably your best bet as you can literally find something for everyone.  Get there early, as I am sure it will be a madhouse.  Remember it isn’t brain surgery to give-good-gift… So, Happy Hunting and Happy Holidays and of course good luck!!!!!

~Nancy Berger

A Shopaholic's Journal

Everyone who knows me thinks I have a little shopping problem, addiction, whatever you want to call it….  I am not unlike a lot of women in NYC who love to shop and covet all of the beautiful objects of desire they find.  I have the “Carrie Bradshaw Syndrome”…yes, my apartment down payment is in my closet in the form of Manolo, Louboutin, Gucci, Valentino, Prada and so many others…  That being said, today’s column isn’t meant as a lesson or a wake up call to get you to change your evil shopping ways.  Instead, I want to celebrate the shopaholic in all of us and share some of the websites, the fashions, the stuff I love and yes, even obsess over.

My favorite websites for contemporary fashion are La Garconne (the best selection of emerging designer brands and the most well-edited), Intermix for Elizabeth & James (the broadest selection I have found), Satine, Singer 22 and Kitson,  for LA-inspired style…

I am beyond obsessed with a store in Soho called Bess, for their amazing Rock-n-Roll inspired clothes.  Every style has some type of metal embellishment (the chain-embellished dresses are on my must-own list).  I am longing for a 1920’s fringed dress I found at Foley & Corinna (they have the best party dress selection in NYC) and have my eye on the leather motorcycle pants by The Row, available at Barneys. I am yearning for anything from Rodarte (to me they are true artists and a force to be reckoned with), the 20-something girl in me wants a pair of See By Chloe high-tops and the vintage maven wants one of blouses from the newly resurrected Ossie Clark collection, available at Scoop.

Don’t be shocked, but I don’t always covet high-ticket items… On the “low” end, I want Brooks Brothers Boys shirts and jackets, Urban Outfitters beaded vests, vintage belts from Edith Machinist and Tucker blouses (I could collect them).  

I haven’t been to LA in a while, but am hoping to go for business in a couple of months.  My first shopping stop is always Curve. I know they have a store in NYC, but for some reason I just don’t like it as much as the LA outpost. I always discover new designers there, like Blur Leather (amazing prices and innovative design).  I am also dying to go to Presse on La Brea (recently opened) as they have many of the brands you can find on La Garconne.

It took me forever to take the plunge and buy shoes online, but once I realized how easy it is, I never looked back.  I really can’t remember the last time I braved a shoe department… You can’t beat Neiman Marcus and Saks for the selection.  Barneys is better in the store as they really edit what they offer online.  For those of you who haven’t tried it yet, I promise it is a piece of cake.  Neiman Marcus and Saks ship the next day and make it so easy to return if they don’t fit.  You just attach the return label, tape up the box and back they go without the scorn of a nasty salesperson.

For my home, I covet everything at Auto, especially the Utility Canvas throws (I have a dog and he likes my furniture, so they are the chicest way to cover the white chair that he is so fond of) and the Soof Rillis Patchwork quilts are just to die for (one of these days, I will just take the plunge and by one). I love photography and I recently discovered Lumas.  They have an amazing selection of accessible work from everyone from Nan Goldin to young unkowns (a lot of the work is under $1,000).  My mother is also an amazing photographer and her work adorns the walls of my apartment.  Her work is abstract and graphic and can be found at Carla Berger Photography.  Trust me, her photography is a hidden gem.

Ahhh, I could go on and on and on and on, but this seems like a good start.  More to come at a later date, as I find coveting cathartic.

Since I just started my own business, my shopaholic tendencies have been “back-burnered” for the foreseeable future.  That being said, the point here is that even though times may be tougher and money may be tighter, everyone has to continue to dream, to covet, to lust, as at the end of the day, everything we want is in our reach!!!  If you believe it, it will come…trust me, I am talking from experience.