For my second NYC city guide installment I’m talking shopping, because, well, lets face it that’s pretty much my favourite thing to do wherever I am in the world but I think as far as activities go, its pretty high on the list for most people when visiting the mecca that is New York.
If I’m truly honest I could have done with another 6 days in the city just to fit in wall to shopping and I’m now dreaming of getting some friends together and planning a purely retail based trip so that I can do just that, but if like me you are going to try and fit some retail therapy into your already jam packed days while visiting the big apple then this is my round up of the best places, stores and markets to hit!
Trying to condense New York’s shopping options into one blog post is almost impossible as there are so many, but I’ve tried to split my recommendations up depending on the type of shopping you may be looking to do.
For the ultimate shopping experience head to the Garment District, which holds the best department stores, the fashion haven that is 5th Avenue and the most expensive jewellery boutiques. This is where you can experience the plush interiors of Prada and Vuitton and take in the mecca that is Saks (all on 5th Avenue), visit Tiffany’s with a croissant a la Hepburn (Madison Avenue) and hit departments stores such as Macy’s (39th street) and Bloomingdales (59th Street). But be warned, while these areas are home to the top end designers, they are also just around the corner from Times Square and are generally thronging with tourists. Take one wrong turn and you will find yourself getting harassed by touts outside tourist shops.
Although you’ll also find a lot of the best loved high street stores in the Garment District, a less busy and perhaps more enjoyable option is to work your way up Broadway. Start at the edge of Chinatown around Mercer Street for the likes of Topshop, American Eagle, Urban Outfitters and Nike, and work your way up to Union Square and beyond for more high end stores such as Guess, the flagship Michael Kors and Hilfiger. Walking all the way up towards 6th Avenue will take you through the Garment District too and make 5th Avenue and Macy’s an easy add on.
If you want to shop for great designers but don’t fancy dodging tourists while you do then Chelsea and the Meatpacking District may be a good option. As well as Chelsea Market (more food than fashion but well worth a visit) there are lots of smaller boutiques such as Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Christian Louboutin. Plus this is the area you head to if you want to walk the High Line so you can easily tie a spot of shopping in beforehand.
Brooklyn is also home to some great boutique shopping destinations and my personal favourites for designer garb were Bird, in Williamsburg (220 Smith Street) which is a super trendy little hide out full of Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang and Stella McCartney to name a few, Brooklyn Fox, also Williamsburg (132 North 5th Street) which has everything from Cynthia Rowley to Tibi, and Pink Pepper Boutique, Downtown (210 Court Street) which has been set up by a former buyer for Prada, so you can expect hot labels and an excellent curation of product. Plus it had some of the friendliest staff. I also found a number of great jewellery stores in Williamsburg (great for gift shopping) and especially loved Catbird (219 Bedford Avenue) home to some great up and coming designers.
My two vintage hotspots were the East Village (where I just happened to be staying) and Williamsburg which both had that eccentric hipster vibe so often home to great second and hand and vintage stores (or thrift as the Americans call it). Places such as Buffalo Exchange (in both spots, 332 E 11th Street and 504 Driggs Avenue, Brooklyn) are resell stores where you can both trade in your vintage and designer pieces for cash and buy some new bits. I spotted plenty of J Crew and Ralph Lauren amongst the band tees and Levi cut offs so there are bargains to be found. In the East Village check out Gabay’s (225 1st Avenue) for designer pieces and in Williamsburg you just need to walk down Bedford Avenue for a whole host of options – try Amacord Vintage (223 Bedford Avenue) for furs and Antoniette Vintage (119 Grand St) for 1950’s accessories.
As you can see not many photos occurred on this day due to the snow storm!
If you want to grab a bargain then Century 21 (22 Cortland Street) is a must but be sure to block out a good few hours for this as you will get lost in the sea of designer fashion. SATC fans may remember this from an episode of the series but if not I’d describe it as the American version of TK Maxx but with more covetable designers. You can get everything from Missoni to Moschino, Karl Lagerfeld to Calvin Klein and even brands like Paper London! The shoe section was my favourite and I picked up a pair of Derek Lam boots for $267 (about £160) but there were also ponyskin Alexander Wang boots at 60% off and the likes of Miu Miu and Prada too. There are a few of these stores dotted around the city but the biggest one is on Cortland Street in the Financial District, a bit out of the way but worth it if you are keen on getting some ‘wont get that at home’ bargains.
Shoe lovers should also check out the Designer Shoe Warehouse which again are dotted around (one at Union Square, one on 39th Street just up from Macy’s) I’d say it’s more high end high street than designer but you can get past season pieces from Dune, Nine West, Steve Madden and Ralph Lauren plus trainers from Nike, Reebok and New Balance all with major discounts.
If you have time then it may be worth checking out a designer outlet village such as Woodbury Common Premium Outlets (498 Red Apple Courts). I didn’t get time to go (it’s an hour train ride away from the city so block out a full day) but I heard good things about it and you can find out how to get there here. They have Nike, Burberry, Chloe, Armani etc all with up to 60% off.
I absolutely loved the Williamsburg Flea Market in Brooklyn and if I could have taken it in my suitcase would have likely bought something from every stall. It has around 250 vendors from antiques to furniture to jewellery to food and you could easily spend a day there looking through the stalls and having some lunch at one if the many food vendors. We picked up lots of presents here from homemade beer jelly chutneys and salt water taffy to handmade jewellery and little nik naks. It’s on every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm and is normally at an outdoor venue on Kent Avenue and N 7th Street but because of the winter weather was moved to a warehouse on Waight avenue while we were there.
If you want to stay in the city then there is also a flea market every Saturday and Sunday in Hell’s Kitchen (West 38th Street between 9th and 10th Avenue) which is home to plenty of antiques and vintage fashions.
Chelsea Market is a must do for me and is open every day. It’s a lovely indoor venue full of tasty sandwich shops and deli’s, lots of food stores selling everything from fish to meat to curry powders and has a gorgeous Antipodium store which is worth a visit!
That’s my round up of my favourite shopping destinations in NYC but of course if you have any other recommendations I’d love to hear them as I’m sure I’ll be making another visit soon!
Read my first city guide on where to stay and what to do here, and stay tuned for my final installment on the food and drinks.
BB
xxx
The post A Lazy Girls Guide | Shopping in NYC appeared first on Bumpkin Betty.