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New York City has more stores than anyone could physically tackle, but somehow we always keep returning to the usual suspects. To break out of the rut, we've asked some of the city's shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around our island (and beyond) that we might not all know about. Cue The Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.
Image via On The Inside
As the American-based voice of influential online shopping destination Net-a-porter, Tracy Taylor has her finger permanently on the fashion pulse. When we asked her for her favorite under-the-radar shop in NYC, she came back with two options. Since they sit next to each other in the West Village, consider this a mini shopping trip.
"Christopher's: This obscure and random T-shirt shop gives you the feeling you're walking into a tourist trap but once inside, you realize you've stumbled into something special. Any T-shirt aficionado knows the good screen printed ones are hard to find. This place has new versions as well as some old favorites. I got my John Lennon 'New York' t-shirt there."
"Aedes de Venustas: This is one of my favorite stores in New York City...and the world. This is the place to come for hard-to-find fragrances with trained 'noses' who can pick just the right one for you. Co-owners Robert and Karl are the best. They're chic, handsome, charming and discreet. I call them my scent stylists. The best thing about this plush red jewel box of a store (which feels like you're in a chic French woman's boudoir with a man's touch, or an episode of the Tudors) is that they will give you free testers of obscure fragrances to take home and try on. And they have amazing wrapping paper which makes the gift of Diptyque candles from there feel as decadent as a bottle of Cristal. Aedes de Venustas puts the sensuality into scent shopping."—Yale Breslin
· Aedes de Venusta [Official Site]
· All Net A Porter Coverage [Racked NY]