J Crew at Fashion week

Love these mood boards from

J CREW

who showed for the first time on the official

New York Fashion week

 schedule this morning



Topshop in london

also now have a place on the official

 London Fashion Week schedule

How do we feel about this ?

High street was the follower

Now they are being given a place at the table with the leaders

Have they become leaders?

Do they set trends.......

Well in my opinion

in these 2 cases, then Yes they do

The influence of J Crew on how

 America dresses is not to be underestimated

Certainly from what I see on the streets of NY

J Crew is definitely influencing and not just being influenced

They do have a point of view

a unique point of view

and it is very apparent in the way

women and men are dressing.

Also people are styling themselves to look like J Crew

without necessarily wearing J Crew

Which surely is a sign of a reach that is beyond what one might have traditionally

expected from the high street

Coral, Red, Orange?

Guess what colors I am loving at the moment

I am drawn to

This on Vogue.com

The new Ikram store in Chicago

How incredibly Chic and Bold

This Nail polish

Summer Toes

This Proenza Schouler Bag

A classic shape with a fresh palette

This image on

The Sartorialist

Simplicity lifted from mundanity by a pop of intense color

and worn with such insouciance

Jil Sander Spring 2011

The influence of this collection was overwhelming!

Merci Paris, Egg London and shopping

installation at Merci by Li Edelkoort

I don't need to tell you about

MERCI

The inspirational retail experience founded by

Marie-France and Bernard Cohen

The people behind childrens label

BONPONT

Tapping in to the belief that the customer who goes to a store wants an experience.

This is a place you can buy clothes for yourself, your kids

flowers
 and items for your home
 a second hand book and you can eat!

In this day when everything you could desire is a click away

Sit curled on your own sofa steaming mug of tea in hand and purchase a book,

a nail polish, a dress, a meal

So why would you bother to go to an actual store

Why would you jump on a plane and FLY to Paris ?

Because this store like a handful of others in the world

Is not just offering product

They have delved into something deeper

They have delved into your emotions

EGG,
 London

images from Accessorator

When I visited EGG in london for the first time I had such an overpowering feeling

I did not want to leave

I wanted to sleep there

There, it seemed everything would be perfect

 in a pale chalk and indigo blue wash of inspiration

Maureen Doherty has also, through a curated focus and impeccable eye

managed to create a shop that offers more than just a quick fix of retail therapy. 

Retail giants in an attempt

(some more successful than others )

 to capture a little of this magic are collaborating with smaller

and more exclusive brands

A recent example is the

Missoni for Target

launching Sept 13th in the US

An ambitious project of 400 items from suitcases to bicycles

It's fun and true to the brand

The reality is most of America is unaware of Missoni

But I am sure there will be a rush on these items

personally I have my eye on the bike



Darr, Hollander & Lexer

Another great store further down Atlantic is 

DARR

I love the wooden table set with wooden dinnerware

I would think it too much but actually it is really beautiful, it has a simplicity and purity.

I did purchase a beautiful Horn bangle for $30

(will post it later)

They stock the incredible 

Cote de Bastide 

line of fragrance and candles which I have loved ever since I bought 

my first Fig room scent from 

The Cross

10 years ago

The same owners also have a store across the street 

Hollander & Lexer

Where they sell their own line of locally made menswear, 

although when I dropped in there were quite a few items I coveted for my own wardrobe,

along with a few selected labels.

love this image of old shoe lasts from their site

so enjoy shopping 

and buy local whatever that locale may be

x