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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 local shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around our fantastic city that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.
Image via The Architect's Newspaper
Lisa Smilor is the deputy director at the Council of Fashion Designers of America, where she's been given the unofficial nickname of the "Godmother of Fashion" by CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg. Smilor (as most people call her) has been the mentor to hundreds of emerging brands and designers throughout her career. When she isn't working alongside the CFDA's CEO Steven Kolb (see his own Shopping Confidential recommendation here), she can be found browsing Yeohlee NY on W. 38th Street.
Yeohlee NY is the first designer store to open in the Garment District and it's a testament to Yeohlee Teng's commitment to the neighborhood as well as her artful aesthetic. The 1,400-square-foot shop and showroom (which was designed by her life partner, architect Joerg Schwartz) has a welcoming and authentic vibe. Each style is beautifully displayed, and sizes are available upon request. Most pieces are made locally.
Yeohlee's designs are driven by material, maximizing the use of each fabric by consideration of its weight, texture, color, and finishing. She believes in the efficiency of year-round, season-less clothes that work on a variety of practical and psychological levels. Her designs have rightfully earned a permanent place in the Costume Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.· Yeohlee NY [Official Site]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked NY]