You know it’s Fashion Week.

And with that, perfect timing to open your flagship store in Manhattan. Good job, Rag & Bone. Located on a quiet Christoper Street block, Rag & Bone’s first shop is everything you thought it would be. A raw, antique-feel room of exposed brick walls, worn wooden floors, pressed tin ceilings, and vintage touches like distressed trunks and suitcases, the 1,600-sq.-ft. space houses a tightly edited selection of designers David Neville and Marcus Wainright’s hip and sophisticated looks for men and women.

Marvel over Fall 08 highlights, like a casual-cool gray leather track jacket or a smoky gray hunting vest, or pick through the shop’s wall of denim in pursuit of the perfect dark rinse.

Ties, boots, and hats also stud the display tables, along with sharply tailored button-downs that will help you get through the day…

…And the night.


Rag & Bone’s flagship store is now open.


Rag & Bone
104 Christopher Street (between Bedford & Bleecker Streets)
Tel: (212) 727-2990
rag-bone.com

The dress code: crisp white shirts, sharp shoes, and a little seersucker.

Here to assist your style needs with panache… the brand new J.Crew Tribeca Men’s Shop. Located in the former landmark digs of The Liquor Store, a storied bar on a quiet downtown block, the new J.Crew space is an instant classic. For starters, they’ve kept most of the original fixtures and transformed the actual bar into a display area.

They’re also introducing collaborations with an A-List of men’s designers; think high-end British label Thomas Mason, Borsalino hats from Italy, Mackintosh coats, and luxe luggage from Globe Trotter.

All the essentials for the man about town.

With wallet-friendly prices, too.


J.Crew Tribeca Men’s Shop opens Thursday.


J.Crew Tribeca Men’s Shop
235 West Broadway (at White Street)
Tel: (212) 226-5476
jcrew.com

The masters of minimalist design have answered that wish: introducing Muji Times Square.

Located on on the ground floor of the ultra-modern New York Times building (designed by architect Renzo Piano), Muji’s new flagship is a retail masterpiece. Juxtaposed with the adjacent Port Authority’s constant congestion, the store offers divine simplicity, full views of the building’s signature moss-and-birch-tree garden, and 1,750 household goods. Yes, this is the largest Muji collection in the States by far!

Muji fans will also appreciate the brand’s respectable offering of 420 inexpensive apparel items.

Just stay away from those shrink wrapped tee shirts - the goal is to look crisp this Summer.


Muji Times Square
The New York Times Building, 620 Eighth Avenue (Entrance on 40th Street)
Tel: (212) 382-2300
muji.com

Fortunately, discerning gentlemen have a new place to step up to: introducing Leffot, the new West Village, luxury shoe store just for men.

Conceived by Steven Taffel, a fashion industry veteran of Bottega Veneta and Prada, and his wife Hiroko, a former window designer for Bottega and J.M. Weston, Leffot is a feast for fans of European footwear. Whether your tastes run British (Church’s, Edward Green, Graziano & Girling), Italian (Artioli), or French (J.M. Weston, Pierre Corthay, Aubercy), you can easily find something sharp to slip into.

And for those whose who insist on bespoke, you get to work directly with Taffel for your custom-made creation.

Finally, a well-heeled shop for the well-heeled man.


Leffot opens early next week.


Leffot
10 Christoper Street (off Greenwich Avenue)
Tel: (212) 989-4577
leffot.com

Gucci is with you on that. This Friday, they’re opening doors to their biggest flagship in the world. Once you get in, you’ll be treated to a visual masterpiece conceived by their creative director Frida Giannini and architect James Carpenter.

We’ll quarterback you through the “three spacious, warm, light-infused floors”:

MEN’S COLLECTION. The men’s ready-to-wear collection encompasses the entire second floor! Revel in the recessed lighting, marble floors, and dark rosewood floors. Indulge yourself in suits, jackets, shoes, and all the luxurious Gucci accessories (ties, hats, sunglasses) that you can imagine.

WOMEN’S COLLECTION. The rest of the Flagship belongs to women. The first floor is handbag heaven (they call it the Fashion Handbag Salon). Ladies can browse through the current season’s handbags, as well as classics. There is also a women’s shoe salon (of course) and an eveningwear salon on the third floor (check out the view when you’re up there).

46,000 square feet of Gucci goods in one location.

What more can you ask for?


Gucci Flagship
725 Fifth Avenue (at 56th Street)
Tel: (212) 826-2600
gucci.com

This year, they’re adding shopping tours for a few, good gentleman. We asked the professional shoppers for a little guidance on their favorite bespoke men’s tailors:

DUNCAN QUINN. “The only rule is: there are no rules. With bespoke, each piece is for an individual person with unique needs from the piece,” declares Duncan Quinn, perhaps the best known bespoke tailor in New York City. DQ combines the sartorial splendor of Saville Row and energetic color (midnight blue with fuschia, grey with purple). His shop also sports a fine collection of cuff links, oversized Fleur de Lys ties, and hand made umbrellas.

Duncan Quinn, 8 Spring Street (near Elizabeth Street), (212) 226-7030, duncanquinn.com

HISHAM OUMLIL. Recently nominated for Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Awards, Hisham Oumlil is a name that’s buzzing in menswear circles. “We don’t sell clothing as a necessity, we approach it as an art and Hisham Oumlil handles all aspects of the process from fittings to production to ensure the true tradition of bespoke,” explains Hisham. André Balazs and Jude Law, both long-time clients, agree.

Hisham Oumlil, 257 West 39th Street (inside Beckenstein Men’s Fabrics), (near 8th Ave), (212) 730-0720, oumlil.com


To schedule your own personal shopping tour (and score discounts), contact Coup de Coeur at (917) 464-3699 or visit coupdecoeurny.com.

Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year. Here to keep the festivities lively and help keep the edge off… three new pop-up stores to celebrate three of your favorite vices.

Don’t you just love the Holidays?



The Vice: Whisky
The Venue: A Johnnie Walker Blue Label pop-up store at Time Warner Center
The Lure: A brief intro to the rarest of the Johnnie Walker whiskies by a Master Whisky Taster. Get to know Blue Label, and Johnnie Walker’s two most luxurious and limited-edition blends: King George V and Blue Label Anniversary Pack. No tastings though. Now through January 4th.

The Vice: Coffee
The Venue: The Illy Push Button House at Time Warner Center.
The Lure: Enjoy complimentary Illy coffee and espresso, while viewing artist Adam Kalkin’s Push Button House: a fully furnished compact home that unfolds from the inside of a shipping container in 90 seconds. Stop by Mondays in December (12/3, 12/10, and 12/17) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and pair your coffee with free Bouchon Bakery treats. Coffee service begins Thursday (11/29), the Push Button House will be open Monday (12/3). Through Saturday (12/29), on the second floor at Time Warner Center.

The Vice: Beer
The Venue: Details Magazine Block Party sponsored by Peroni in the Meatpacking District
The Lure: Peroni and discounts at your favorite MePa shops, including An Earnest Cut & Sew, Buckler, Jean Shop, and Theory. Plus pop-up shops by Asics, Dunhill, Epson, Hanes, Kenneth Cole, Le Blanc, and Remington in the Hotel Gansevoort (view the Peroni Gatefold). One-day only: this Saturday (12/1), from Noon to 5 p.m.

You speak the language of love and The Street.

So you’ll appreciate tomorrow’s opening of the brand new Tiffany Wall Street. Boasting 11,000 square feet, 35-foot ceilings, and marble walls, the store is simply grand.

Designed by acclaimed firm Yabu Pushelberg (Tom Ford Flagship), the shop is a brilliant jewel in and of itself. A focus on glass and lighting highlights the Tiffany collections, while making the interiors themselves shine. A striking, S-shaped center staircase (think Marquee) winds through the center, beneath a 75-foot, floating lighting sculpture made of mesh and crystal.

But you’ve come for the diamonds not the design. Peruse the links, rings, Paloma Picassos and Frank Gehrys inside one of Tiffany’s two private sales salons. Decked out in ebony and rich woods, each salon has custom LED lighting to view your rocks in a variety of casts, from daylight to candle light.

Because nothing whispers elegance like illuminated ice.


Tiffany Wall Street opens tomorrow (10/10) at Noon.


Tiffany Wall Street
37 Wall Street (between William & Nassau Streets)
Tel: (212) 514-8015
tiffany.com

But now that it’s Fall, go for a more polished look.

Something refined, something sporty - get both at the newly remodeled Gant Flagship on Fifth Avenue. Boasting four floors and a whopping 6,600 square feet of retail space, Gant’s updated digs have something preppy for everyone.

Gentlemen will gravitate to the label’s signature, all-American look of classic rugbys, chinos, and ties, as well as the higher-end Elliot Gant collection of twill dress shirts, herringbone suits, and cashmere coats. Ladies will be lured by casual dresses, lambswool scarves, accessories, and footwear.

The centerpiece of the newly updated store is an open, four-story curved staircase (think Guggenheim Museum but with tighter curves) designed by noted architect Annabelle Selldorf (Barneys New York, Abercrombie & Fitch). “The new store environment is a modern interpretation of Gant’s heritage, and beautifully achieves the level of quality and sophistication that is now inherent in the products that we produce,” says Ari Hoffman, President and CEO of Gant USA.

Preppy is back. Again.



To view the current Gant collection, visit gant.com.



Gant Flagship
645 Fifth Avenue (near 51st Street)
Tel: (212) 813-9170
gant.com

Fear not.

Phillip Lim’s mission is to make everyone look better, one beautiful piece at a time. From launching his first collection 3.1 Phillip Lim in the fall of 2005 to his Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) nomination for the Fashion Fund Award in July 2006, Lim’s star just keeps rising.

So it only makes sense that exactly one year later his picture perfect 3.1 Phillip Lim Flagship debut on Mercer Street in SoHo. An elegant, spare interior provides the perfect backdrop for Lim’s carefully detailed pieces. Bamboo and white walls, geometric wood floors and mirrors flank the neat row of perpendicular racks - one for men, and one for women.

And on those racks? The clean, slightly imperfect (by design) clothing the designer is known for. Unique elements like suede-covered wooden buttons, light as air sweaters, and perfect draping are found throughout the collection. Each piece is carefully planned, yet subtle enough to never look overdone.

Even the basic pocket tee can’t escape Lim’s attention - his version is slightly askew, with raw cotton edges to remind you that this is no ordinary Hanes.

Imperfection never looked so perfect.


3.1 Phillip Lim Flagship
115 Mercer Street (Spring Street)
Tel: (212) 334-1160
31philliplim.com