HL: What is your favorite store in New York that is no longer open?

AW: There was an oculist on Prince Street that had great sunglasses and is sadly now a wine store.

The pink facade of Sissy Accessories perched on the corner of Spring and Lafayette (yes, directly across the street from the battle Galactica that is Duane Reade) is closed for business. The shop carried luxury Italian goodies and although I cannot say I ever purchased anything, the place carried a history.  Which is now history. Toast.

I cannot wait to see what type of Rag and Bone enterprise throws up in this money space.  Double corner potential is key people! This off the heels of Label‘s moving sale about a hundred feet up the street.  Okay, kids, we have a real problem here, especially if a SoHo style Michael Kors boutique or again a wealthy indy brand heads over.

It’s hard to believe such a special, tight-knit neighborhood, much like that of West Village’s Bleecker Street has fallen like a stack of cards.  What do you have left? $3.00 Gatorades at DR (the new version of Heaven), $10 Heinekens at Delicatessen and a blank canvas by which new business is killing.

Thanks Downtown New York, seriously per my recent washing of the hands of Spring Street (I Hardly Knew Thee).

Image: the street savvy Christina Dalle Pezze.

Boy, waifs.  Boy, man.

Terry never lets us down in his relentless pursuit of the hip and bone thin (I see Christian’s neckband) in his August 4th posting of Terry’s Diary.  We last saw Christian here in what looks to be the same wardrobe of ratty white tee.  Now, he’s donning a bandana and aviators quite unlike the low newsboy cap look recently recorded at Cafe Gitane.  Oh Christian, where are you going? Cafe Habana for a cafe?  Back to Gitane for tap water?  Terry probably has few to spot; hit him up for a new tee or perhaps some kicks. Nah, you’re probably a trustafari which I will discuss in great depth in part 3 of the model series.

(image: Terry’s Diary; above)

Ah, life is good for these two skinny things puffing their American Spirits and looking equally as siblings in their ragged vintage-designer white tees.  She’s working the Patti Smith eighties look and he’s pretty like a girl. Both are strategic if not obvious.  Oh well, chalk it up to youth. Glam punk rocking Nolita about twenty years too late.

Terry by Terry from Terrys Diary documents their utter inability to eat even as he captions the snap “Freja and Christian having lunch yesterday at Cafe Gitane.” Everyone knows Gitane is where the small, non-eating set goes to drink robust coffee and perhaps split a salad.  It’s a place to linger over fashion magazines, check your mobile and spot the next “Freja and Christian.”

If Purple Diary and Ollie weren’t actually working on art (they’ve been so poetic lately), I would have a better material but Terry seems to be working back the clock with such a modelista pairing that it’s hard to concentrate on anything but their waif-like beauty as if a Godard like haze.  Does any of this make sense?

Since 1995, the boutique Label has been operating out of 265 Lafayette Street. Not anymore. Time is up and up. Make way for a sale and pending 2011 move.

Racked posts an “End of an Era” Sale (July 27th thru August 1st). Truly the end of an era as a giant Duane Reade opens down the block and Cafeteria’s offspring, Delicatessen serves up its $10 Heinekens.  See ya.

(image: New York Magazine)

I still have my faded pink corduroy jean jacket, see photos.

If you are a fashion individual or perhaps you need some tips; look no further than my friend Tracey’s well-edited Front Row Tally. She rocks some vintage, hard to find jammies as well as a fantastic Questionnaire Section.  Black and white, pops of colour and cool pieces.  Check, check, check.

This $45 lovely could be yours…from Saturday’s Surf NYC. Current trend surf movement soon to be touched on by Kitty Bawler.

Quite sadly, Lyell, a fantastic place for clothes is going away. Living on Spring Street, I often hopped over and picked up a few enchantingly cool items.  Not to mention, I scored one of Emma Fletcher’s own vintage red Hawaiian shirts in a $5 box –to which I still wear seasonally.  Urban Outfitters put together a cool list of Emma’s favorite things. One day, I hope Emma rejuvenates her chill, inspiring-boho line down the road. In the meantime, Farewell, sweet Lyell.  Lucky the girl who visits the sale but hey, you can still purchase her duds (a line entitled Fletcher by Lyell) at the Urban.

Lyell 173 Elizabeth St, New York, NY

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From the Lyell site:

So after seven years and with a lease that is running out,
I have decided to say goodbye for now. Lyell is my heart and soul. I couldn’t have come as far as I have come with out all the loyal support that I’ve received over the years. However, it is time now to take break.

As of today we are starting our closeout sale with all styles now
40-60% off. This includes new styles that have just arrived and even more coming over the next couple weeks. The sale will continue until we run out of stock over the next month.

Love
Emma

Amanda Cohen, chef and owner of the vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy, laminates the loss of her neighbor Atomic Passion, on her blog Dirt Candy NYC. I never shopped at the East Village thrift shop Atomic Passion, but with its distinctive signage it was a landmark in finding the compact yet chic Dirt Candy. I adore Dirt Candy, from its clever name to its imaginative menu. The Jalapeno Hush Puppies with Maple Butter are a menu stable. The maple butter, like other menu items, has a vegan substitute on request. Everything is surprising and tasty; its less about being non-meat and more about celebrating an expanded approach to vegetables. My “foodie” companion on my November trip to Dirt Candy said it was the first time she found a vegetarian meal to be satisfying. My mind and taste buds are still blown over the grapefruit pops on the fall menu’s salad; juicy segments of grapefruit on skewers with a hard sugar-coating on the outside, created a simultaneous experience of crunchy & juicy, sweet & tangy. The grapefruit pops are not on the current menu but one can hope they will be resurrected one day; the fate of Atomic Passion, less promising.

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David Deatherage is available via Century Design Ltd. Personal note(s): He was Mad Men chic before the Mad Men were on the radar. Hugely so.

(image: Dirt Candy)

Two of my favorites, the Whitney Museum and the ever-cool Portland collaborative Stand Up Comedy (thanks for the intro JW) have churned out a great book bag with reinforced handles.  Great gift for an art lover or to replace those relatively generic bags. Buy yours here.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

Paul (purple scarf NOT included; DJ services included.)

Olivier (crooked aviators, tight jeans to pack the heat, facial stubble always included).

A meeting?  A meeting, YES! The Time?  NOW.  Now? YES! Yes, it’s that time of the year…sigh long sigh, FASHION WEEK and the hits …they keep on coming.  This time in the form of duo Paul Sev and another favorite aviator man, Ollie D. TRUE A-TEAM game. Playas, stay the F up. A marriage of the two perfect nobodies who self promote with self promotion. Righteous brothers…God bless them. DJs, camera, rock n’ roll, booze and a little sister whispering …Hush. Such a brilliant PR move (why didn’t I think of it? I only thank the blonde girl with the evil eye tattoo on the nape of her neck).

The pictures from the uber-blah-blah exclusive fiesta can be viewed on Purple Diary’s Kemare page. The PD rocked out its own private dancer dinner at Kemare (the new hip-joint I formerly touched on here.) Ah, jealously pangs as I consider all those personal peccadilloes floating around the space, in the bathroom, on the tables.  Paul’s music over the speakers; Black Magic Woman.  I can only imagine…drooling greedily from afar.

Related Kitty Bawler articles: The New Max’s Kansas City…I Think NOT, Fallen Rockstars Wear Lacoste, Drum Roll, The Hipster of the Decade!, Vice Throws Itself a Lifeline to ’05, More Vice Parties.) MORE SELF PROMOTION! Kitty Bawler’s other anti-PD related pieces! SSUR vs Purple Diary. Brooklyn Hipsters vs. Purple Diary, Double L’s vs PD, and INTRO 101  The Purple Diary.

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3rd image via The Purple Diary.

More general house confusion sets in as I type this after reading EV Grieve’s site which highlights more mass apparel.  This time (again) we find J. Crew in the mix. They certainly turned the wheels on the old Liquor Store (which you can refresh your mind of Pam Zimmerman’s homage here.)   We have a movie type poster with a sleek Euro type guy walking on cobbled streets.  Looks a bit like Italy? Yo J Crew …did anyone in the research department recevie the memo?  Do the research?  Walk the walk? The LES and Bowery are both on the edgier side of things. For $69.50 those pants are yours.  Couple it with a Bowery Pima tee from John Varvatos. As previously mentioned, The Bowery is For Sale…everywhere!, you know these sacred New York neighborhoods now belong to big money and big ad money. I predict Urban Outfitters to follow suit (after seeing Supreme Sweatshirts on $19.99 clearance)  I can only see a pencil thin rock star type working that J. Crew Ludlow Suit at Pianos.

(image: EV Grieve)