Clothes, fashion and accessories
If you are prepared to search the city with sufficient dedication you can find just about anything, but it's the designer clothes and the snob values that go with them that predominate. Secondhand clothes , of the "vintage" or "antique" variety, have caught on of late. If you're looking for things to complete your look, plenty of shoe stores are available, especially around W 8th Street; and there's no shortage of make-up emporia as well.

CHAIN STORES
Ann Taylor 575 5th Ave (at 47th St; flagship store) tel 212/922-3621.
Mid-priced business and elegant casual clothing for women. More than ten branches throughout the city.

Benetton 597 5th Ave (at 48th St) tel 212/317-2501.
Italian chain offering youthful, contemporary, casual, bright-colored clothing for women, men and children.

Brooks Brothers 346 Madison Ave (at 44th St) tel 212/682-8800.
Something of an institution in New York, this flaghsip store, founded in 1915, offers classic conservative style, selling tweeds and quietly striped shirts and ties.

Burberry's 9 E 57th St (between 5th and Madison aves) tel 212/371-5010.
Classic plaids and tweeds, with a distinctly British feel to the conservative design.

Diesel 770 Lexington (at 60th St) tel 212/308-0055.
One of five US stores that sell this Italian-designed label. Funky, some vintage-inspired clubwear, lots of denim. The two floors include a café.

Eileen Fisher 103 5th Ave (between 17th and 18th sts) tel 212/924-4777.
This is the largest of their five NY shops full of loose and elegantly casual clothes for women. Their outlet is on 9th St between 1st and 2nd aves tel 212/529-5715.

Gap 60 W 34th St and Herald Square (flagship store) tel 212/643-8960.
Branches are on every other corner of the city; check the phone book for locations. Circular sale racks in the back of many stores offer terrific reductions.

DESIGNER STORES
Anna Sui 113 Greene St (between Prince and Spring sts) tel 212/941-8406.

Bagutta 402 West Broadway (at Spring St) tel 212/925-5216.
A confluence of top designers including Helmut Lang, Prada, Gaultier, Plein Sud, Dolce & Gabbana.

Beau Brummel 421 West Broadway (between Prince and Spring sts) tel 212/219-2666.

DKNY 655 Madison Ave (at 60th St) tel 212/223-3569.

Dolce & Gabbana 825 Madison Ave (between 68th and 69th sts).

Emporio Armani 110 5th Ave (at 16th St) and 601 Madison Ave (between 57th and 58th sts).

Gianni Versace 647 5th Ave (between 51st and 52nd sts) tel 212/317-0224 and 815 Madison Ave (at 68th St) tel 212/744-6868.

Giorgio Armani 760 Madison Ave (at 65th St) tel 212/988-9191.

Gucci 685 5th Ave (at 54th St) tel 212/826-2600.

Helmut Lang 80 Greene St (at Spring St) tel 212/925-7214.

Hermes 11 E 57th St between 5th and Madison aves) tel 212/751-3181.

Pleats Please 128 Wooster St (at Prince) tel 212/226-3600.

FUNKY, TRENDY, HIP
Canal Jean Co 504 Broadway (between Spring and Broome sts) tel 212/226-1130.
Enormous warehousey store sporting a prodigious array of jeans, jackets, T-shirts, dresses, hats and more, new and secondhand. Young, fun and reasonably cheap.

Diesel StyleLab 416 West Broadway (at Spring St) tel 212/343-3863.
The ultrahip top-shelf branch of this Italian chain has taken New York by storm.

New York Firefighter's Friend 263 Lafayette (between Spring and Broome sts) tel 212/226-3142.
Get those NY Fire Dept tees and trucks here; an NYPD section is next door.

Old Japan 382 Bleecker St (at Perry St) tel 212/633-0922.
Gorgeous, authentic Japanese clothes and trinkets, with a fantastic selection of antique kimonos.

X-Large 267 Lafayette (between Prince and Spring sts) tel 212/334-4480.
Check out the Mini line for women, X-Large for men. Cutting edge streetwear for B-boys and gals. Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon and the Beastie Boys' Mike D are part owners.

VINTAGE/SECONDHAND

Allan & Suzi 416 Amsterdam Ave (at 80th St) tel 212/724-7445.
Beautiful far-out fashion from the last several decades. Claims to have singlehandedly restarted the platform shoe craze.

Darrow Vintage 7 W 19th St (between 5th and 6th aves) tel 212/255-1550.
Designer and never-worn vintage, with a friendly and helpful staff. Popular with top models.

The Fan Club 22 W 19th St (between 5th and 6th aves) tel 212/929-3349.
An amazing selection of vintage clothes, many from movies, TV and theater, with a good supply of Marilyn Monroe frocks usually on display in the front window. The store benefits three AIDS charities.

Love Saves the Day 119 2nd Ave (at 7th St) tel 212/228-3802.
Cheap vintage as well as classic lunchboxes and other kitschy nostalgia items, including valuable Kiss and Star Wars dolls.

Loehmann's 101 7th Ave (between 16th and 17th sts) tel 212/352-0856.
New York's best-known department store for designer clothes at knockdown prices. No refunds and no exchanges, but there are individual dressing rooms.

SHOES AND OTHER ACCESSORIES
Kate Spade 454 Broome St (at Mercer St) tel 212/274-1991.
All the rage, these boxy fabric bags with the little logo-label are a generic assertion of "Manhattan chic."

Kenneth Cole 353 Columbus Ave (at 77th St) tel 212/873-2061.
Classic and contemporary shoes, beautiful bags, excellent full-grain leather. Call for more locations.

Mary Quant Colour Concept Shop 520 Madison Ave (at 53rd St) tel 212/980-7577.
Mod make-up in every conceivable shade, all with the so-cool 1960s' flower motif.

Robert Marc 575 Madison Ave (between 56th and 57th sts), tel 212/319-2000, and four other locations.
Exclusive New York distributor of designer frames like Lunor and Kirei Titan; also sells Retrospecs, restored antique eyewear from the 1890s to the 1940s. Very expensive and very hot.

Sephora 636 5th Ave (at 51st St) tel 212/245-1633.
Breathtaking "warehouse" of perfumes, make-up and body-care products. You have to see (or smell) it to believe it.

Steve Madden 150 E 86th St (between Lexington and 3rd aves), tel 212/426-0538; 540 Broadway (at Prince St), tel 212/343-1800; 2315 Broadway (near 86th St), tel 212/799-4221; and 41 W 34th St (at 6th Ave), tel 212/736-3283.
Very popular copies of up-to-the-minute styles, well-loved for their ability to take on New York's "shoe-killing" streets.

Otto Tootsi Plohound 137 5th Ave (at 20th St) tel 212/460-8650 and 38 E 57th St (near Park Ave) tel 212/231-3199.
If you want to run with a trendy crowd, these shoes will help. Very current designs.

Screaming Mimi's 382 Lafayette St (between 4th St and Great Jones) tel 212/677-6464.
One of the most established vintage stores in Manhattan. Vintage clothes (including lingerie), bags, shoes and housewares at reasonable prices.

Tokio 7 64 E 7th St (between 1st and 2nd aves) tel 212/353-8443.
Attractive secondhand and vintage designer consignment items - a little pricier than most, but a good selection.

THRIFT STORES
Housing Works Thrift Shop 143 W 17th St (between 6th and 7th aves) tel 212/366-0820.
Upscale thrift shop where you can find secondhand designer wear in very good condition. All proceeds benefit Housing Works, an AIDS social service organization.

DISCOUNT CLOTHING
Dave's Army & Navy Store 581 6th Ave (between 16th and 17th sts) tel 212/989-6444.
The best place to buy jeans in Manhattan. Helpful assistants, no blaring music, and brands other than just Levi's.

Department stores and malls
DEPARTMENT STORES
Barney's 600 Madison Ave (at 61st St) tel 212/826-8900. Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-7pm.
Though a proper department store, Barney's actually concentrates on clothes, particularly men's, with the emphasis on high-flying, up-to-the-minute designer garments and women's wear.

Bergdorf Goodman 754 5th Ave (at 57th St) tel 212/753-7300. Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm.
Come if only to ogle the windows, which approach high art with their rhinestone-encrusted diaphanous dress displays. Everything about Bergdorf's speaks of its attempt to be New York City's most elegant and wealth-oriented department store. The men's store is across 5th Ave.

Bloomingdale's 1000 3rd Ave (at 59th St) tel 212/705-2000. Mon-Fri 10am-8.30pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-7pm.
It has the atmosphere of a large, bustling bazaar, packed with concessionaires offering perfumes and designer clothes.

Macy's 151 W 34th St (on Broadway at Herald Square) tel 212/695-4400 or 1-800-289-6229. Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 11am-7pm.
Quite simply, the largest department store in the world with two buildings, two million square feet of floor space and ten floors (four for women's garments alone). Unfortunately, most merchandise is of mediocre quality, although real fashion is steadily returning.

Saks 5th Avenue 611 5th Ave (at 50th St) tel 212/753-4000. Sun-Wed, Fri & Sat 10am-6.30pm, Thurs 10am-8pm.
The name is virtually synonymous with style, and, although Saks has retained its name for quality, it has also updated itself to carry the merchandise of all the big designers. The first floor is lovely when decorated with sparkling white branches at Christmas time.

Henri Bendel 712 5th Ave (between 55th and 56th sts) tel 212/247-1100. Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat 10am-7pm, Thurs 10am-8pm, Sun noon-6pm.
This store, more gentle in its approach than the biggies - its refinement thanks in part to its classy reuse of the Coty perfume building, with windows by Rene Lalique - has a name for exclusivity and top modern designers.

Lord & Taylor 424 5th Ave (at 39th St) tel 212/391-3344. Mon, Tues & Sat 10am-7pm, Wed & Fri 10am-8.30pm, Thurs 9am-8.30pm, Sun 11am-7pm.
The most venerable of the New York specialty stores, in business since 1826 and to some extent the most pleasant, has a more traditional feel than Macy's or Bloomingdale's. Still good for classic designer fashions, petites, winter coats, household goods and accessories and the more basic items.

Takashimaya 693 5th Ave (between 54th and 55th sts) tel 212/350-0100. Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun noon-5pm.
This beautiful Japanese department store offers a scaled-down assortment of expensive merchandise, simply displayed, and exquisitely wrapped purchases. The café, The Tea Box , on the lower level, has an assortment of teapots and loose tea.

SHOPPING MALLS
South Street Seaport 12 Fulton St tel 212/732-7678. Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 11am-8pm.
The barn-like building and its historic surroundings of ships, docks and old warehouses are fascinating and fun, the river views from the deck are lovely, and The Sharper Image stocks some terrifying and ingenious toys for adults.

Trump Tower 725 5th Ave (between 56th and 57th sts) tel 212/832-2000. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm.
Donald Trump's retail triumph was constructed in his own image. This gaudy caterer to the wealthy offers a range of exclusive boutiques set around a deep, marbled atrium with a several-story goldtone waterfall - a tourist attraction in itself.

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New York
guide, hotels

New York City
Highlights
When to go
Arrival
Transportation
Walking
Eating and drinking
KIDS:
  Kids New York
  Kids activities
  Kids toys, clothing
  Kids cultural activities
The Giuliani years
September 11, 2001
World Trade Center
Best of New York
Gays and Lesbian
G & L accommodation
G & L bars
G & L Clubs
Media
N Y tours: bus/copter
N Y tours: water/walking
Free museums hours
Staten Island ferry
Parades and Festivals
Shops and markets
Clothes, fashion
Diamond District
Food and drink
Liquor stores
Music
Music-special interest
Art galleries