My Favorite (Albeit Smelly) Thrift Store

We all have our favorite second-hand store here in New York, and since I am a.) often too lazy to leave the UES on the weekends and b.) easily intimidated by the LES stores' clientele, mine happens to be right in my neighborhood. The Arthritis Foundation Thrift Store on 3rd Ave at 81st St. is incredible - if you can stomach the stale cat smell and overflowing racks of unedited merchandise. When I have a good chunk of time on a Saturday afternoon, I'll stop in and scour the goods - which are usually marked down half price - and come out with at least one or two new staples for my closet.
Last week I bought an oversized Bill Blass beige cardigan that works brilliantly with leggings or skinny jeans. I believe I paid a whopping $15.
From Jan 27 to the 31st, they're hosting a Vintage Posh Sale - I'm sure the elderly volunteers came up with that ambiguous, all-encompassing title - but I'm intrigued nonetheless.

Quest for the skinny jean..

For New Year's Eve, I got the idea in my head of wearing black skinny jeans - understated, yet dressier than plain blue denim. But where to go to find decent black skinnies without spending the money I want to save for NYE cover charges?
The first store I thought of was the Levi's flagship on Lex, since this brand has really come back with gusto, re-introducing classic styles as well as new ones in modern cuts and colors - while maintaining prices under $100. I tried on two skinny styles (the ultra low skinny and the medium skinny or something like that) and I was not pleased with either. The back pockets are not flattering, and they remind me of what a skinny version of mom jeans might look like.

My next stop was Bloomingdale's, since right now they are having sales on everything and the uptown store has a huge denim department. Upon arrival, I scoped out only the black skinnies on the discount racks, and came up with three pairs - William Rast, Seven for all Mankind, and Citizens of Humanity. I walked out with the William Rasts, since the waistband was forgiving, and they had enough stretch to accomodate my hips.

Overall, for skinnies, either black or dark wash, and especially ones on sale, go to Bloomingdale's. Sorry Levi's.

Lord & Taylor

My mother introduced me to Lord & Taylor when I was in high school. I grew up in New Jersey and the one near us always had great sales - if you remembered to bring the 20% off coupon with you. Now I frequent the L&T on 5th Avenue in New York more than any department store in the city. It's rarely crowded, except for holidays, and even then only the main floor and shoe departments attract the crowds.

New York location: Good for shoes and mid-range designers on sale.

The shoe department strikes a happy medium between being too large to navigate and being too small to offer a decent assortment. They usually have a large variety of boots and dress shoes to choose from, but I would recommend going early or midday, as it tends to get crowded.

On the same floor, you will find contemporary women's designers, and they always have sale racks with names like Chaiken, Jill Stuart, and Laundry discounted for sometimes up to 60% off. And this section is rarely crowded. I go here for night-out tops, and almost always find something that will work.

Hello...

Welcome, everyone (anyone). I am a fashion editor and stylist who shops for a living, so knowing where to go to find what I want has always been of utmost importance. I want this blog to serve two main purposes: show you, well, what a store is good for - so if you need a variety of boots at good prices, you'll know which store or stores to hit first. And second, re-introduce stores that may have fallen off your radar (as well as showcase some new ones) and explain why it's worth your while to stop in for a quick browse.

Thanks, and here's to smarter shopping.