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As excitement for the spring opening of COS's first Manhattan flagship mounts, we're thinking about all the other brands we love who don't have their own standalone presence just yet.
Not to say there's a shortage of places to shop in New York City—where else can you find a store devoted entirely to artisanal mayonnaise? And a retail space that deals exclusively in lightbulbs? But eating a BLT with rosemary mayo by the light of an Edison-bulb-topped lamp is a small consolation for not being able to buy that & Other Stories bag you've been obsessing over since you spotted it on a Swedish fashion blogger's Instagram.
If you can relate to this "Why can't instant gratification be more…instant?" feeling, read on for our list of the most woefully underrepresented labels in the NYC retail scene, and why each of should open up their own stores, stat.
Update: We'e getting one! Expect 2009-Topshop-opening-day levels of pandemonium when H&M's slightly more luxe younger sister arrives in Manhattan. Launched a year ago, the collections are more subdued than H&M's, yet trendier than COS's, and very "Swedish" (think budget-friendly Acne). An & Other Stories flagship would make a nice additional stop on our bi-weekly Zara-Mango-Topshop-H&M-J. Crew-Madewell drive-thru.
Where to shop in the meantime: London, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Berlin, and Stockholm. Plan your vacation accordingly—or beg your jet-setting friend to pick something up for you. (Sadly, & Other Stories doesn't ship to the U.S.)
If only Mansur Gavriel would ride the wave of their bucket bag success all the way to their very own NYC storefront, Clare Vivier-style. Then we wouldn't have to constantly check Net-a-Porter's new arrivals, or make stalker-y phone calls to every MG-carrying Steven Alan store in the area, all in the hopes of avoiding waitlist purgatory. Plus, Mansur Gavriel's vegetable-dyed leathers are so bright and cheery that their store wouldn't even need decorations—just rows and rows of sweet sweet, glossy totes.
Where to shop in the meantime: Theory, Bird, Creatures of Comfort, Pas De Deux, and Steven Alan.
Photo via Jason Wu/Facebook
Yes, Jason Wu's shop-in-shops at Bergdorf and Saks are gorgeous, but we dream of a world where the designer's beaded ball gowns and slinky slip dresses can live in harmony with his Miss Wu line and cosmetics collabs. Picture it: a serene ultra feminine space where Wu's cats Jinxy and Peaches have free reign.
Where to shop in the meantime: Bergdorf, Kirna Zabete, and Saks.
Photo via Lauren Moffatt/Facebook
Lauren Moffatt is carried in, like, every cool NYC boutique, but the only time we get to see more than a handful of her designs together is during her sample sales. Which is a shame, because there should really be a place to immerse yourself in her whole cool-Sixties-librarian-letting-loose-on-the-Amalfi-Coast vibe.
Where to shop in the meantime: Swords-Smith, Barneys, Cloak & Dagger, 25 Park, Poppy, Steven Alan, and this Connecticut pop-up.
If Pamela Love opened her own brick-and-mortar location, not only would we be able to shop the entire breadth of her line at once (including her just-launched fine jewelry collection), but we bet every inch of the space would be covered in dream catchers, antique Navajo blankets, and geodes.
Where to shop in the meantime: Barneys, Opening Ceremony, and Bird.
You'd think that since New York City has embraced the Fashion Sweatshirt craze so wholeheartedly, Kenzo would reward us with a flagship store. But alas, we still have to trek to Kenzo creative directors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon's OG Stomping grounds, Opening Ceremony, to get our tiger-print fix.
Where to shop in the meantime: Jeffrey, Opening Ceremony, and Barneys.
Photo via GQ/Instagram
We spent all winter with a pair of L.L. Bean duck boots in our online shopping cart, as an internal debate raged. "What if we order them now and it's 50 degrees again by the time they get here? What if this is the last snowstorm before spring?" (It was never the last snowstorm.) If L.L. Bean opened a Manhattan flagship, we'd have access to their winter gear, tote bags, and little boys' blazers (where it's at for that perfectly-shrunken look) at all times.
Where to shop in the meantime: At LLBean.com, or one of their Westchester, Connecticut, or New Jersey outposts
Judging by the epic lines at Loeffler Randall's sample sales, a standalone store would be a huge hit. Imagine a place where you could load your arms down with Rider bags in every color, and clomp around with a Felix bootie on one foot and Fenton bootie on the other, soliciting the opinions of everyone in the store until you make a decision/buy everything.
Where to shop in the meantime: Bird, Otte, Bergdorf, and Barneys.
Rodarte is one of those brands that seems to exist mainly on runways and red carpets—you just don't see too many asymmetrical leather mini skirts with foot-long fringe, or five-figure shredded knit vests at Duane Reade. But can't you just picture a Rodarte store? Shopgirls (and shopguys) flitting around in acid wash beaded culottes, projections of Star Wars movies on the wall, a Fanning in the corner, deliberating over a tie-dye silk ball gown. In other words, bliss.
Where to shop in the meantime: Opening Ceremony, Barneys, Bergdorf, and Jeffrey
Photo via Gianvito Rossi/Instagram
Manhattan's retail scene has experienced a footwear boom in the past two years—international brands like Charlotte Olympia and Nicholas Kirkwood have both opened flagship stores. We hope Gianvito Rossi, aka the second coming of Manolo Blahnik, follows suit. The designer's lightning bolt sandals and Perspex-paneled pumps have already earned prime shoe department real estate at Bergdorf and Barneys, so we don't think we'll have to wait too long.
Where to shop in the meantime: Bergdorf and Barneys.
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