Boutiques Run By Women Now "Rule" The NYC Fashion Scene

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We don't really have too much to say about New York Magazine's fashion and shopping feature story this week, which focuses on a few precious boutiques (Bird, Castor & Pollux, Ylli, Dear Fieldbinder, Jumelle, and Albertine, Claudine, and Leontine) and makes the bold assertion that the women who own these shops are "guiding the look of the city"—aside from wondering why, exactly, this is a timely or relevant article, as none of the stores mentioned are that new and neither is the phenomenon of women-owned boutiques stocking lesser-known designers. As for the whole "putting the thrill back in local shopping" thing: yes, sure. We like all of the above boutiques (except, of course, when we feel a bit ripped off by them). They are enjoyable to shop and it is nice that the women who own these stores are receiving recognition. More interesting than the piece itself is a post about the article on Gawker noting that all of the boutiques mentioned are frequently endorsed by shopping magazine Lucky. We thought this was a funny and astute observation, and it reminded us of the editor's note we'd read in the July issue of Lucky wherein EIC Kim France tells a cute little story about Bird and a quart of milk.

Of course, we rely on the big bargain moments to balance out the wild, irrational, thoroughly exhilarating (and usually unanticipated) shopping frenzies that are part of life as well. Special sections director Liz Kiernan had one recently at the superlative Brooklyn boutique Bird, which sits halfway between her home and the neighborhood deli. "On most days I walk past really quickly so I won't be tempted," she says (Liz is admirably careful with her money). Then, one recent Sunday afternoon, when rain of rather biblical proportions had descended on the city, Liz realized she needed milk. On her way, she passed the store and—seeing no customers there—immediately rationalized a decision to go in: "I told myself I felt sorry for them." Once inside, she, for better or worse, struck gold. "It was just one of those days when everything I tried on worked," she says. She left the store with her wallet significantly lighter but few regrets. This kind of all-out spree isn't advisable—or even fun—if you do it every weekend, say, but on occasion, there is nothing quite like going out for a quart of milk and coming home with four new dresses.

Ah...amen, sister? Both cautioning against and condoning shopping sprees in a single sentence—nicely done.
· The New Style Merchants [NY Mag]
· New York's Women Are Enslaved To Kim France [Gawker]