We briefly went to the Northshore Mall today. I hadn't been there in a while, and I noticed a couple of changes. There's now an Orvis, which, combined with the one in Dedham, explains why the Quincy Market location is being closed. They do seem like a store with more of a suburban clientele anyway, and if someone in the city wants to buy a Barbour coat, they can go to the Barbour store on Newbury Street, or North River Outfitter on Charles.
Also, Brooks Brothers moved from its location next to Macy's to a two-level space adjacent to Nordstrom. I believe the space was formerly occupied by a dark, dull Zara for what seemed like about fifteen minutes. It has been transformed into a much brighter and more pleasant environment. There's a lot more room in this store, and the displays are able to take better advantage of that space.
The former Brooks location has been taken over by a Newbury Comics, which moved from a small strip-mall storefront a short way down the road from the mall. It's funny to see it situated between Macy's and Talbots, but in recent years Newbury has been transforming itself into something of a pop-culture department store, so it makes a certain sense. They carry a lot more clothing now, with emphasis on streetwear and skate brands as well as a generous selection of local sports team gear. Kids still spend plenty of time hanging out at the mall, so I'm sure there's enough foot traffic.
In other retail news, the Nordstrom Rack that is coming to Boylston Street in the former Filene's Basement space will be open within a month's time—I believe March 14th is the date I read.
Showing posts with label Browsing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Browsing. Show all posts
18 February 2013
16 October 2012
Eyewear Out There
Retro-cool and wallet-friendly eyeglass purveyors Warby Parker, where you can get frames with prescription lenses for as little as $95, is traversing the country showing off its wares in a converted school bus.
This "class trip" has rolled into Boston for the week: you'll find the bus parked between Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market from today through Sunday the 21st, and if you stop by you'll be able to try on their offerings. I was downtown this afternoon and went by to have a look. The folks on the bus are very friendly and capable of answering any questions you may have about their products.
If you can't make it, don't worry; you can still order frames to be shipped to you for an in-home try-on.
This "class trip" has rolled into Boston for the week: you'll find the bus parked between Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market from today through Sunday the 21st, and if you stop by you'll be able to try on their offerings. I was downtown this afternoon and went by to have a look. The folks on the bus are very friendly and capable of answering any questions you may have about their products.
If you can't make it, don't worry; you can still order frames to be shipped to you for an in-home try-on.
22 December 2010
Rarefied Air
I don't have much interest in technical outerwear. It's partly because I'm not an outdoors sort of person, and partly because I don't care for how it looks. So why, then, do I really like this Cloud jacket from technical outerwear company Aether? (By the way, I tried copying that image and pasting it in here, but it's so small that it looked terrible.)
In fact, I like many of the jackets in their line. I think a big part of it is the minimalism of the designs. A lot of outdoor gear is terribly overdone in appearance, with color blocking, pockets on top of pockets, extraneous zippers, gaudy logos--basically everything I hate in a garment. The Aether jackets are distinctive because they are pared down to the essentials. And most of them are available in black or at least gray, which suits someone like me whose outdoor time involves navigating the concrete jungle.
But damn, this stuff is expensive. That Cloud jacket is $625--ouch! (Sometimes I feel like I'm cursed by having expensive taste.) One of the uninsulated shell jackets is under $250, but even that would be an unjustifiable purchase for me. There's an opportunity here: I'd love to see someone step in and execute some outerwear with the Aether aesthetic at less aethereal (see what I did there?) prices.
In fact, I like many of the jackets in their line. I think a big part of it is the minimalism of the designs. A lot of outdoor gear is terribly overdone in appearance, with color blocking, pockets on top of pockets, extraneous zippers, gaudy logos--basically everything I hate in a garment. The Aether jackets are distinctive because they are pared down to the essentials. And most of them are available in black or at least gray, which suits someone like me whose outdoor time involves navigating the concrete jungle.
But damn, this stuff is expensive. That Cloud jacket is $625--ouch! (Sometimes I feel like I'm cursed by having expensive taste.) One of the uninsulated shell jackets is under $250, but even that would be an unjustifiable purchase for me. There's an opportunity here: I'd love to see someone step in and execute some outerwear with the Aether aesthetic at less aethereal (see what I did there?) prices.
25 May 2010
Another Rock & Roll Swindle
Another strategy for not spending money is to browse somewhere that doesn't have anything that interests you. I did this on Saturday, when we decided to drive into the city and wander Newbury Street for an hour or so around dinnertime. Some stores were already closed, which helps, and the ones that were open tend to offer fashions that are not to my taste.
I discovered that British import AllSaints Spitalfields had opened in the former Pottery Barn space (sorry, city dwellers, if you want to ogle PB's wares in person, you'll now have to trek out to a mall in Natick or Burlington). I had read that the New York AllSaints opened last week (on Broadway in Soho, naturally), and I knew from A Proper Bostonian that work on the Boston store was progressing, but I didn't know that it too had opened.
I went in out of curiosity, just wanting to get a look at the stuff, not expecting to find anything I liked, and in that respect the store met my (lack of) expectations. It's certainly a cool-looking space, dimly lit and with rows of antique sewing machines lined up in the windows. Inside the floors are rough boards, and there are ram skulls (the brand's logo) everywhere.
As for the clothes, they are all components of a very specific rock & roll aesthetic, and I didn't see much that would fit in with my current style. 25 years ago I would have gone nuts for this stuff, except that it's pricey now, and even in 1985 dollars it would have been well beyond my means. But regardless of cost, these clothes are meant for the young, and I'm no longer in that category.
Denim is in the range of $130 to $150, boots (all carefully pre-distressed) around $250, certainly cheaper than John Varvatos's main line (which is what I was most reminded of when looking at these clothes), but still expensive enough that the average person would likely have to think twice about a purchase.
Still, I imagine there will be plenty of tourists and parentally-supported students, unable to find this iteration of prefab cool for sale wherever they come from, who will snap up what AllSaints is selling, while the starving artists and musicians will continue to find their own versions of these looks in local thrift stores.
For this kind of money, I also wonder how durable this stuff might be (in both the literal and stylistic senses of the word). Stores like H&M and Zara and even Old Navy, for better or worse, have gotten shoppers used to the idea of fast fashion: you can buy something very cheaply, wear it a few times, then get rid of it. But the clothes at AllSaints, while priced too high to fit into this construct, don't suggest that they will last more than a couple of seasons, and even if they do, they will probably be horribly out of fashion by then.
I did see one item that caught my eye, a simple black mackintosh-style coat with a black-and-cream plaid lining. It was very smart-looking in its minimalism, and I could see getting some use out of it, but for $275 I could certainly find something comparable for less, and I wouldn't need it until fall anyway, so even thinking about looking for something similar can wait.
I discovered that British import AllSaints Spitalfields had opened in the former Pottery Barn space (sorry, city dwellers, if you want to ogle PB's wares in person, you'll now have to trek out to a mall in Natick or Burlington). I had read that the New York AllSaints opened last week (on Broadway in Soho, naturally), and I knew from A Proper Bostonian that work on the Boston store was progressing, but I didn't know that it too had opened.
I went in out of curiosity, just wanting to get a look at the stuff, not expecting to find anything I liked, and in that respect the store met my (lack of) expectations. It's certainly a cool-looking space, dimly lit and with rows of antique sewing machines lined up in the windows. Inside the floors are rough boards, and there are ram skulls (the brand's logo) everywhere.
As for the clothes, they are all components of a very specific rock & roll aesthetic, and I didn't see much that would fit in with my current style. 25 years ago I would have gone nuts for this stuff, except that it's pricey now, and even in 1985 dollars it would have been well beyond my means. But regardless of cost, these clothes are meant for the young, and I'm no longer in that category.
Denim is in the range of $130 to $150, boots (all carefully pre-distressed) around $250, certainly cheaper than John Varvatos's main line (which is what I was most reminded of when looking at these clothes), but still expensive enough that the average person would likely have to think twice about a purchase.
Still, I imagine there will be plenty of tourists and parentally-supported students, unable to find this iteration of prefab cool for sale wherever they come from, who will snap up what AllSaints is selling, while the starving artists and musicians will continue to find their own versions of these looks in local thrift stores.
For this kind of money, I also wonder how durable this stuff might be (in both the literal and stylistic senses of the word). Stores like H&M and Zara and even Old Navy, for better or worse, have gotten shoppers used to the idea of fast fashion: you can buy something very cheaply, wear it a few times, then get rid of it. But the clothes at AllSaints, while priced too high to fit into this construct, don't suggest that they will last more than a couple of seasons, and even if they do, they will probably be horribly out of fashion by then.
I did see one item that caught my eye, a simple black mackintosh-style coat with a black-and-cream plaid lining. It was very smart-looking in its minimalism, and I could see getting some use out of it, but for $275 I could certainly find something comparable for less, and I wouldn't need it until fall anyway, so even thinking about looking for something similar can wait.
24 May 2010
Expense Report #7
Good news: I resisted temptation again this week. After last week, I kind of had to. And we were at the mall for a bit yesterday, so I was definitely tempted, mostly by the laid-back offerings from Lands' End's Canvas line, on display in, of all places, Sears.
I had taken a quick glance at this stuff once before, but this time I looked over several items more carefully. The fabrics are pleasantly soft to the touch; I would guess the khakis and button-front shirts have been given a prewash treatment. They feel as nicely broken-in as any of J. Crew's comparable items, but without any distressing or fraying.
Cuts are a bit slimmer compared to typical LE items, but not as divergent from the main line as L.L. Bean's Signature is from regular Bean. And for those who don't care for slimmer-fitting stuff, the khakis come in two fits, straight and relaxed. For $40 these are pretty much a no-brainer (and, I should point out, $20 less than the non-sale price of a pair of J. Crew's broken-in khakis), and with a quick ironing they'll look dignified enough for any casual office environment. (Shorts are $5 less, but they only come in the straight fit.) But I didn't buy anything--not yet.
I had taken a quick glance at this stuff once before, but this time I looked over several items more carefully. The fabrics are pleasantly soft to the touch; I would guess the khakis and button-front shirts have been given a prewash treatment. They feel as nicely broken-in as any of J. Crew's comparable items, but without any distressing or fraying.
Cuts are a bit slimmer compared to typical LE items, but not as divergent from the main line as L.L. Bean's Signature is from regular Bean. And for those who don't care for slimmer-fitting stuff, the khakis come in two fits, straight and relaxed. For $40 these are pretty much a no-brainer (and, I should point out, $20 less than the non-sale price of a pair of J. Crew's broken-in khakis), and with a quick ironing they'll look dignified enough for any casual office environment. (Shorts are $5 less, but they only come in the straight fit.) But I didn't buy anything--not yet.
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