Author(s):
Joni Sweet
Striking Gold
With more than 20 years spent helping celebrities like Kate Moss, Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow look their best, makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury has created a mantra for cosmetics: easy to choose, easy to use and always irresistible. Embodying that motto is her new makeup collection, debuting at Bergdorf Goodman on Oct. 7. The Charlotte Tilbury line offers the means to emulate the styles of 10 different women, such as the Uptown Girl (think: Kate Middleton), the Bombshell (Scarlett Johansson) and the Rebel (Lady Gaga). The sophisticated packaging rivals the quality of what’s inside—one swipe of the Full Fat Lashes 5-Star Mascara, along with a pat of the shimmery gold in the Luxury Eye Shadow Palette, and your eyes will twinkle like never before. Consider us starstruck. 754 Fifth Ave., 212.753.7300
In Focus
While SEE Eyewear has more than 30 stores across the United States, the company’s refreshing vision is clear: to create limited runs of just a few hundred frames in collaboration with top optical design talent. SEE, which stands for Selective Eyewear Elements, now brings its exclusive pieces to Brooklyn at its new Boerum Hill boutique. Working with designers who have experience at Chanel, Tom Ford and other top brands, the 16-year-old boutique chain develops highly stylized glasses with eye-popping details, such as unconventional textures (like fabric and metal), wood-grain frames, unexpected splashes of color and quirky shapes. All frames can hold prescription lenses, or be converted into sunglasses, and the shop stocks a ready-to-wear collection of reading glasses, as well. Best of all, SEE works hard to keep its designer frames affordable at $99-$359 each. 160 Smith St., Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, 347.916.0011
Reading Material
French literary culture is the raison d’être for the Payne Whitney mansion’s new bookstore. Operated by the French Embassy’s Cultural Services department, Albertine contains more than 14,000 French and English titles (pictured below) by authors from some 30 French-speaking countries. The shop celebrates its opening with a literary festival (Oct. 14-19), featuring leading writers. 972 Fifth Ave., 212.650.0070
St. Mark’s Bookshop (pictured above) has been an East Village staple for decades. After a successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign last May, the store has moved to a new location in the nabe. Bibliophiles can still expect St. Mark’s celebrated literary events, along with a fresh inventory in a cozier setting. 136 E. 3rd St., 212.260.7853
Stairway to Heaven
An unassuming Flower District building contains the stairway to heaven for rockers hoofing it to the fourth floor’s GTR Store Showroom. Not only does the guitar mecca showcase more than 400 six-strings from brands like D’Angelico, Fender and Gibson, the lounge also contains everything guests need to feel like rock stars, such as a cutting-edge lighting rig, leather couches and a fully stocked bar made out of Marshall Half Stack amplifiers. Expert staff are on hand to assist with shoppers’ needs … or debate the merits of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 141 W. 28th St., 4th fl., 646.460.8472
Custom Kicks
An Austin, Texas-based shoe company is doing more than creating colorful, folky sandals and boots for men and women—founders Sophie Eckrich and Travis Breihan say their venture, Teysha, connects communities and shares art. The duo partners with Latin American villages to commission Mayan textiles and Kuna molas (intricate fabrics) in an effort to preserve these dying arts. “Indigenous crafts represent something so ancient, so connected to the cosmos and to humanity, and they are a way of telling stories about nature and the universe. Each craft is a tradition that has been passed down for generations,” say the owners, who pay their artisans more than fair-trade wages. Online shoppers at Teysha.is can customize their handmade boots with a selection of striking fabrics embroidered with stripes, birds, flowers and diamonds, while NYC visitors can pop over to People of 2Morrow for ready-made options, including smoking slippers in the same heritage style. The brand is designed for travelers, fashionistas and global art enthusiasts. From the founders: “We want to empower everyone from the textile artisans, the shoemakers, the materials suppliers, our team, our customers and our partners to work together to create a more vibrant world.” 65 Franklin St., Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 718.383.4402
Special Delivery
Fashionistas (and their male counterparts) have come to love Birchbox’s curated packages of beauty products, personal care items and other sample-size goodies delivered right to their doors since it launched in 2010. But now fans don’t have to wait for their monthly subscription, as the start-up recently opened a brick-and-mortar shop. Shoppers can customize their own Birchbox in store, choosing five of the latest grooming products and lifestyle accessories from brands such as Cynthia Rowley, Smashbox and Benefit. The bi-level shop also features a Try Bar, full of tester products and tutorials that teach how to achieve certain looks. For those less interested in do-it-yourself, the downstairs salon offers hair, nail and makeup services. The SoHo store is a win for both newbies, looking to see what the fuss is all about, and subscribers, wishing to earn more of those precious Birchbox points. 433 W. Broadway, 212.966.5395
Market:
New York City
Subtitle:
The coolest new shops in NYC include a Brooklyn eyewear boutique, a Kickstarted new location for St. Mark's Bookshop and online beauty shop Birchbox's first physical location.
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Added 10/08/14
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Interest Type:
Fashionista