Introduction This guide hopes to aid MFAers visiting NYC for a few days. By no means exhaustive, exhaustive, you should certainly take it upon yourself to look around and find what interests you; this listing will help give a basic idea of local shops and a personal review of a few that I absolutely recommend checking out. SoHo, in the strictest/classical sense, literally means “South of Houston” and is the neighborhood bordered by Houston to the north, Lafayette to the east, Canal to the south, and Avenue of the Americas to the west. For our purposes we’ll make several detours across the eastern border into Nolita; try to ignore this small discrepancy and pretend it’s all cohesive. The guide will be broken down as follows. First I’ll introduce the Google map and provide an explanation/key for the various markings. I’ll follow up with a simple listing of the stores with addresses and cross streets in a semi-organized order from northeast to southwest. Links will be included so you can get a general i dea of each location’s stock; for chains/designers, I’ll simply link to t he main website. Links to the particular locations with Google reviews are included on the map itself. Next I’ll list the stores under various style headings. Keep in mind I’m quite the plebe, so if I categorize something as “streetwear” and you vehemently disagree, I hope this apology suffices. Then we’ll get to the real foundation of this guide; a simple route suggestion I unimaginatively call “An Introductory Path for Shopping SoHo”. This will feature a street by street walkthrough with in-depth reviews on the stores
included on the route touching upon service, general stock, accessibility, and aesthetic. Finally we’ll e nd with some closing thoughts and various tidbits that might make your time more enjoyable. Ready? Without further ado, let’s jump into it.
The Google Map Hopefully no one finds this map too overwhelming, but I thought visualizing the space would make things easier for everybody. The pink icons represent stores stores in SoHo that are worth a look. The green line marks the “Introductory “ Introductory Path to Shopping SoHo”. The dark gold icons are must-see stores along the path, while light yellow icons are shops I’ll include in my in -depth reviews but aren’t screaming for an immediate visit. The light blue line/icons represent what I’ll call “Fast Fashion Lane”, a sect ion of Broadway featuring several mall-brand stores or other easily accessible locations that I still recommend checking out for reasons I’ll include later. Finally, dark blue icons mark stores well outside the SoHo area worthy of inclusion due to their prominence on the subreddit. These will be covered more in-depth in their respective neighborhood’s guide, but they’re noted here in case those posts never materialize. [The Google Map]( Map](https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zKvT-JKeaIJY.kz1cJJqwg3Yw )
Brand Listing [Billy Reid]( http://www.billyreid.com/ ), 54 Bond St, corner of Bond and Bowery. See Below. [APC]( [APC](http://usonline.apc.fr/ http://usonline.apc.fr/)), Bond St (Google maps does not recognize it , but I promise it’s there, across from Billy Reid). See Below.
[Rag & Bone] (http://www.rag-bone.com/ ), 73 E. Houston. Another location for Rag & Bone will be included and it’s not part of the essential tour as many of the multi-label boutiques carry it. This particular store keeps the best stock of outerwear/knitwear outerwear/knitwear and is my personal favorite of the bunch. [Steven Alan Men’s Shop]( http://www.stevenalan.com/ ), 229 Elizabeth, between Prince and Houston. The real store is located in TriBeCa; this is a closet sized offshoot. However they always have a nice stock of Gitman Vintage, Filson bags, and the Steven Alan brand shirting. Worth a quick stop. Women’s is directly across street on the east side. [REI](http://www.rei.com/) , 303 Lafayette St, corner of Lafayette and Houston. Included because they keep a nice stock of the Levi’s Commuter line upstairs, and Patagonia/Arc’teryx/North Face downstairs. [American Apparael]( http://store.americanapparel.net/ ), 285 Lafayette. Between Houston and Prince. [Scotch & Soda]( Soda](www.scotch-soda.com www.scotch-soda.com)), 273 Lafayette, between Houston and Prince. See Below. [Creatures of Comfort]( Comfort](www.creaturesofcomfort.us ), 205 Mulberry St, between Prince and Kenmare. See Below. [Odin](www.odinnewyork.com) , 199 Lafayette St, between Broome and Spring. See Below. [Supreme]( [Supreme](www.supremenewyork.com www.supremenewyork.com)), 274 Lafayette St, between Houston and Prince. [Carhartt Work In Progress]( Progress](www.carhartt-wip.com ), 119 Crosby St, between Jersey and Prince. See Below. [Bonobos]( [Bonobos](www.bonobos.com www.bonobos.com)), 35 Crosby St, between Broome and Grand. Technically a guide shop, I’ve never had an issue walking in and asking to look around. Make an appointment if unsure though. [Saturdays Surf NYC]( NYC](http://www.saturdaysnyc.com/ ), 31 Crosby St, between Broome and Grand. Will mention briefly in walkthrough; great stop for coffee and clothes browsing, especially for the surfers amongst us. Also has a nice selection of floral button downs and stocks most of o f their outerwear. [American Eagle Outfitters] Outfitters]((www.ae.com www.ae.com)), 599 Broadway, corner of Houston and Broadway. Major mall brand retailer, but this location carries a nice stock of button downs and might be worth stopping in, especially if you long ago gave up on AEO due to over-branding. [Converse]( [Converse](www.converse.com www.converse.com)), 560 Broadway, between Prince and Spring. See Below. [Uniqlo]( [Uniqlo](www.Uniqlo.com www.Uniqlo.com)), 546 Broadway, between Prince and Spring. See Below. [Gap 1969]( 1969](www.gap.com www.gap.com)), 513 Broadway, between Spring and Broome. See Below. [Bloomingdales]( [Bloomingdales](www.Bloomingdales.com www.Bloomingdales.com)), 504 Broadway, between Spring and Broome. See Below. [The Levi’s Store](us.levi.com), 495 Broadway, between Spring and Broome. S ee Below. [J. Crew Men’s Shop]( Shop](www.jcrew.com www.jcrew.com)), 484 Broadway, between Broome and Grand. See Below.
[Topshop]( [Topshop](www.topshop.com www.topshop.com)), 478 Broadway, between Broome and Grand. See Below. [AETHERnyc]( [AETHERnyc](www.aetherapparel.com www.aetherapparel.com)), 13 Crosby St, between Grand and Howard. See Below. [Jil Sander]( Sander](www.jilsander.com www.jilsander.com)), 30 Howard St, corner of Howard and Crosby. See Below. [Opening Ceremony]( Ceremony](www.openingceremony.us ), 35 Howard St. See Below. [APC]( [APC](http://usonline.apc.fr/ http://usonline.apc.fr/)), 131 Mercer St, between Prince and Spring. Google Maps does recognize this location, though I don’t frequent it as I prefer the storefront on Bond St.
[3.1 Philip Lim]( Lim] (www.31philiplim.com www.31philiplim.com)), 115 Mercer St, between Prince and Spring. The easiest of the designer stores to simply walk in and look around without intentions of buying. Sales people don’t hound you, and the style is simplistic. I prefer looking at this line within the confines of this storefront, storefront, as opposed to the larger department chains for the aforementioned reasons. [John Varvatos]( Varvatos](www.johnvarvatos.com ), 122 Spring St.
[Suitsupply]( [Suitsupply](www.suitsupply.com ), 453 Broome St. Specialists at this location are incredibly accommodating. Offers the blue line specialist service as well as in store tailoring. Alterations took pretty much no time at all when I had them done, and were good quality. Can get decently crowded, so I prefer later hours around closing, generally visiting around seven o ’clock. [Alexander Wang]( Wang](www.alexanderwang.com www.alexanderwang.com)), 103 Grand St. See Below. [Surface to Air]( Air](www.surfacetoair.com ), 27 Mercer St, between Grand and Canal. See Below. [3x1]( [3x1](www.3x1.us www.3x1.us)), 15 Mercer St, between Grand and Canal. A really, really cool spot to stop in and watch the raw denim process in action. Included within the store is the 3x1 denim factory, all behind see-through glass so you can observe the work being done. Cool denim available for purchase, though I don’t add this to the “necessary” sec tion because it’s so close to Blue in Green. [Blue in Green](http://blueingreensoho.com/), 8 Greene St, between Grand and Canal. See Below. [Ralph Lauren](http://www.ralphlauren.com/home/index.jsp?ab=Geo_iUS_rUS_dUS), 109 Prince St, between Houston and Prince. This store has a much larger men’s than women’s selection. However I’m not a big buyer from Ralph, and prefer the RRL store mentioned later. [J. Lindeberg]( Lindeberg](www.jlindeberg.com www.jlindeberg.com)), 126 Spring St. Great collection of suits and blazers for a menswear look. [Acne Studios]( Studios](www.acnestudios.com ), 33 Greene St, between Grand and Broome. See Below. [Adidas Originals]( Originals](www.adidas.com www.adidas.com)), 136 Wooster between Houston and Prince. There are two or three huge Adidas retail stores in this area that you’d have to be blind to miss. I’m not a big fan of Adidas shoes, but the selection at the Originals location lends itself more to casual streetwear, and so I included it. Adidas Original collabs are also available at Opening Ceremony. [Barbour]( [Barbour](www.barbour.com www.barbour.com)), 123 Wooster St, between Prince and Spring. Has a nice collection of the classic Barbour waxed jackets (plenty of Bedale, Beaufort, Sapper, etc in various colors). Also keeps a nice stock of flannels and scarves, though they lack in knitwear options. Purchases Purchases include an in-store rewaxing service. Not advertised but they do a student discount as well. [IceBreaker SoHo]( SoHo](www.icebreaker.com www.icebreaker.com)), 102 Wooster St, between Prince and Spring. Contrast the vibrant colors and stock of this store to the dark and minimalist aesthetic of Aether. Still a great spot for purchasing technically minded clothing, and the staff is friendly and incredibly knowledgeable (they won’t steer you wrong on appropriate whether resistance, for example). [Patagonia]( [Patagonia](www.patagonia.com www.patagonia.com)), 101 Wooster St, between Prince and Spring. [Dr. Marten’s Store]( Store](www.drmartens.com ), 148 Spring St. Nice selection of Marten’s boots, including the made in England vintage stuff and the cheaper foreign options. I honestly only ever buy black/brown, so their color selection is not my area of expertise. [Ralph Lauren]( Lauren](www.ralphlauren.com www.ralphlauren.com)), 381 W. Broadway, between Broome and Spring. This RRL location is probably my favorite in the city; awesome selection and a very cool layout, definitely worth giving a look. [Stussy]( [Stussy](www.stussy.com www.stussy.com)), 176 Spring St. Cheaper (generally) streetwear option that I included because I enjoy their collabs. If you drop by, check out their Goretex outerwear or Penfield collaboration products. The Outliers (not actually in SoHo per se, but worth checking out if in the area)
[Leffot]( [Leffot](www.leffot.com www.leffot.com)), 10 Christopher St. North and west of SoHo in the West Village, Leffot is the place to go for fantastic footwear. Incredibly sleek and minimal design through the showroom makes the entire store seem accessible and classy, but maintains a modern touch. If you want Quoddy, Alden, or the like, this is your place. [Rick Owens]( Owens](www.rickowens.eu www.rickowens.eu)), 250 Hudson St. Technically west of SoHo, but could I have honestly made this guide without including Rick Owens ’ store? The layout is exactly what you’d expect, the clothing is exactly what you’d expect, and the sales people are dressed exactly as you’d expect. Just go
for the experience on this one, whether or not you like/can afford the aesthetic. betwe en Franklin and Leonard. We’ve moved [Thom Browne]( Browne](www.thombrowne.com ), 100 Hudson St, between south into TriBeCa, but I wanted to include Thom Browne’s store because it g ets mentioned so frequently on MFA. I’ll include a much more detailed description in the TriBeCa installment.
[Self Edge]( Edge](www.selfedge.com ), 157 Orchard St, between Stanton and Rivington. We’ve moved a bit too far east for me to feel comfortable including it within the SoHo guide proper, but everyone knows Self Edge is the must-see go-to for raw denim enthusiasts (unless you ask certain Blue In Green fans, who might beg to differ). Super friendly and approachable staff who love their work and are willing to talk denim anytime. Great stock on all the classic raw brands.
Brands Grouped by Relative Style Some brands may be featured more than once if they fall under multiple categories. categories. Multi-brand stores will more or less only be included under that particular heading, so I really encourage you to check their websites to see what lines they stock/read the more in- depth review I’ll give in the following section. Menswear/Suiting/Business Menswear/Suiting/Business Casually Inclined
Suit Supply J Lindeberg Ralph Lauren Billy Reid J. Crew Men’s Shop Bonobos Leffot John Varvatos Steven Alan Men’s Shop Scotch and Soda Streetwear/Casual
Supreme Stussy Converse Doc Martens APC
Saturdays Surf NYC Topshop Uniqlo Acne Techwear
Icebreaker REI AETHER Patagonia Denim
Blue in Green APC Self Edge 3x1 The Levi’s Store Acne Workwear/Americana/Heritage/British
Carhartt WIP Barbour Doc Martens Multi-Label
Creatures of Comfort Odin Surface to Air Opening Ceremony Bloomingdales Designers
Jil Sander Thom Browne Alexander Wang Ralph Lauren Rick Owen Phillip Lim
“An Introductory Path for a Day of Shopping in SoHo”
I’m hoping this proves to be the most useful section in the e ntire guide, because I’ve set it up specifically to cater to as many people as possible. I don’t intend for this to be followed to the letter by
everyone; however, it should be helpful as it will provide a sense of direction for navigating the shops of SoHo as well as introducing a few of the most popular stores. Moreover, it’ll include a few examples of my favorite multi-label retailers, designers, and the smaller boutiques that MFA seems so fond of. Utilize this section for shopping ideas and also as a guide to these specific shops. Shops in bold are the ones I strongly, strongly urge you to visit (though that recommendation comes from my personal taste, so YMMV). Italicized shops are on the suggested path and also worth a thorough look. The entire route, without any stops, should only take forty to forty five minutes to traverse, depending on how many red lights you hit. Depending on how fast you browse/move/shop, the following could take anywhere from an hour to the better part of your day, so plan accordingly. You’ll start by either arriving on Houston via the B, D, F, or M trains or by taking a cab up to Bond St. Both are completely viable options and depending on where you’re coming from should be
relatively simple. simple. Cabs are extremely easy to come by in this part of town, and the subway lines are so interconnected here that going all the w ay up the east or west side shouldn’t prove difficult. However you do it, you’re going to want to arrive at the corner of Bond and Bowery, where we’ll start with… Billy Reid : ($$-$$$) I honestly first stumbled upon this store while lusting over the famous Bond Peacoat, though I’d heard of the clothing line itself well before that. Ended up buying that coat at this location, though I digress. Those familiar with Billy Reid products won’t be surprised by the store itself; the
general interior feels very homey with a classic southern vibe; brightly lit but not harshly so, wood everywhere. Jackets and outerwear generally line the near walls with shirts in the far corner. Most of the men’s items are upstairs, and they tend to keep a gr eat seasonal stock of sizes and styles. Definitely
worth checking out for the oxford shirts, which fit great and are often o ften on clearance in-store for presale J. Crew prices. The sales people have always been friendly and generally helpful, not too much to comment on in that regard. ASK TO SEE THEIR STOCK IF THEY DON ’T HAVE YOUR SIZE. When I expressed interest in a small Bond Peacoat in navy, the clerk walked downstairs to find a small charcoal one for size reference, as my desired coat was backordered months in advance. He came up with a small in navy. So, you never know. APC: ($$-$$$) The interior of APC st ands in stark contrast to the Billy Reid across the street. I’m not sure
if the location is extremely new (and thus Google’s refusal to acknowledge its existence), but the sleek
wood paneling, low lighting, and minimalist design seem incredibly modern while also making the store simple to navigate. Clothes racks line the le ft wall with mostly women’s stuff near the front and men’s near the back, though there’s some overlap. No real rhyme or reason to the sorting; moto jackets hang
next to tshirts, so enjoy the search. They tend to keep a decent in-store stock of APC collaboration items, including the Carhartt line which I’m a big fan of. Downstairs are the jeans and dressing rooms. Like Billy Reid, the staff is super friendly and helpful; I guess I was expecting much more pretense from this store, but failed to pick up that vibe at all. The younger woman who helped me pick up my first pair of APC’s guessed my waist size and desired cut two minutes into our conversation.
Now we’re walking west on Bond St until we come to Lafayette, which we’ll take south until we
cross Houston. REI should be immediately in front of you; if you need to use the restroom, REI has a super clean public bathroom on the middle floor which is never too crowded. Take a right and continue heading west on Houston until you come to Crosby, and head south. On your left you’ll see… Carhartt WIP : ($$) A small and simplistic store featuring three or four clothes racks and a wall mount
with various jeans/pants combinations. Stock Stock is always iffy here; mid season you can find varying sizes of pretty much every cool item, but come too soon or too late and they’re much more likely to run out, even compared to other small volume designer stores. That said, this means you’re in serious luck if you’re a size large; they often have clearance sales on things left over before restocks, and I saw a
couple Carhartt WIP Battle Parkas selling for twenty percent off, a deal not featured on the website. Plenty of cool Americana work jackets and parkas, and also a decent selection of tees and graphic sweatshirts. Never had to really deal with the staff, since I always know exactly what I want when I show up. For anyone interested interested in this brand, definitely worth stopping in, as WIP runs small (and compared to mainline Carhartt items, super-small). Walk down Crosby to Prince St, and take a left. This is one of t he few times we’ll break from the general “south and east” movement pattern. Continue acro ss Lafayette and you should find… Scotch and Soda: ($$) You should be able to work your way through the entire stock in this store
relatively quickly, much as was the case with Carhartt WIP. That said the clothing offered is very different here; I generally go for the knitwear, and the SoHo location has that in abundance, which is nice. Further, it always seems like the entire selection is on sale, though it’s still expensive relative to J. Crew and the like. First time I’ll have to complain about staff/overall exper ience though. The staff wasn’t
necessarily obnoxious or rude, just a bit too aloof; I don’t like pushy sales associates but it seems like everyone here walks above you. Also the return policy is a bit ridiculous, as those constant deals mean everything is marked as “final sale”, although they do a poor job of letting you know that. Still, the knit selection and the winter outerwear selection make this location a worthwhile stop while in the area. Get back onto Prince and travel west, crossing Lafayette and Crosby, until you get to Broadway. Stay on the west side of the street (so don’t c ross Broadway), and immediately on the right… Converse: ($-$$) The first of many stores included in this section of t he guide that I’m sure some will roll
their eyes at, as they can be found more or less anywhere in any number of mall tier stores. I hold that the Converse store is worth stopping by just for the ridiculously wide selection they have. It’s by far the largest store we’ve encountered on this tour yet, with shoes lining every w all; all the new
spring/summer JP styles are accounted for in an abundance of sizes, as well as Chuck Taylors in every imaginable colorway. Near the back you can check out the more expensive collaboration items, including the Converse x MMM and Comme Des Garcons. Service is fine, though it takes an oddly long time to actually get a pair of shoes. When I asked for some JPs in a size nine, the associate went immediately to the back and returned, informing me it would take about ten minutes. Apparently
there’s some sort of queue the workers have to go through to get everyone their product. No
complaints though, as they do get the shoes out to you and move everyone through checkout quickly. Uniqlo: ($) If you’re going to come to SoHo, you have to stop at Uniqlo. If for no other reason than to
experience the store and to try everything on so that you have sizing information stored away for later internet orders, this shop is a must see. Expansive, white, and always ridiculously crowded, the sheer amount of product in the store is staggering. Most of the men’s stuff is upstairs, though the selvedge jeans and heat-tec heat-tec products products are located located on the left left side of the main floor, floor, and the the colored denim denim rests on the landing in between floors. Stock varies throughout the day; by nightfall you might not find anything in a size small in certain products. The walls are literally packed to the ceiling with staples like oxford button downs, sweatshirts, and chinos in every possible color, though, so you should find what you’re looking for. One note: the line for the dressing room will be absurdly long. There’s just no getting around that. However, it moves relatively quickly and the staff effectively keeps the flow progressing through. The store also offers their hemming service on pants, which I’ve taken advantage of and would
recommend as the results are decent enough. This is the longest portion we ’ll walk without encountering a store, though there are a few in the area (as you can see on the Google Map) that you might want to stop and check out, should the fancy strike. Walk south down Broadway until you hit Spring, and head east until Mulberry. There’s a Starbucks along the way with another public restroom, though the line will be even worse than Uniqlo ’s dressing room. Turn south on Mulberry and walk until you see… Creatures of Comfort : ($$-$$$) Our first real multi-label store of the trip. I ’m guessing these are the
types of shops people are most interested in, since everything so far more or less pertains to single brand stores whose shopping experience you might find inferior to their online offerings. However, the unique collections and varying product availability of places like CoC make them well worth the visit. Aside from their house brand (which makes fantastic shirting options), CoC offers selections from MMM, Band of Outsiders, Sunspel, and Norse Projects. In fact, CoC probably has the best Norse Project selection in the city, and I ’ve picked up a few of their sweaters at this location. Worth Worth spending a good amount of time in as there ’s a lot to see and you don’t want to miss out on certain designer offerings. The display settings are always changing, even midseason, so it’s a fun place to just browse around in for a little while. Walk south to Kenmare and then head west towards Lafayette, which you will not cross, but instead turn and head south. On your left is my favorite store in the entire city. Odin: ($$-$$$) Odin is honestly what I imagine the greatest majority of MFAers will enjoy. I know it ’s an
extremely diverse subreddit, but the offerings here include many brands that are suggested over and over again (well, insofar as moderately expensive expensive pieces are suggested). You’re greeted with a Common Projects display immediately upon entering, and Odin stocks various colors of the Achilles lows, the derbies, and the like by CP. Things are grouped in that way; not by style, but by designer. Near the window is a collection of Rag & Bone stuff which I find is almost always marked down. Snagged a couple
nice cardigans that way. Canada Goose parkas are on the far wall. In the middle of the room you’ll find a bunch of racks of various designers; Robert Geller, Engineered Garments, and Thom Browne are all quite prominently featured. I love Junya Watanabe’s stuff and Odin carries the blazers and outerwear from the 2013 F/W line. They ’ve done a good job recently with with the transition into the new season; florals and bright colored shirts abound in the center of the space. The shop itself is crowded with items but generally pretty empty of people, and is a great place to really take your time and search around/find what you need. The sales associates are helpful when asked for advice or guidance but leave you more or less alone otherwise. Walk south down Lafayette until you reach Broome and turn west, heading this direction until you reach Broadway. Now we’ve reached an interesting section of Broadway that I want to collectively call… Fast Fashion Lane: ($-$$) The section of Broadway from Spring Street down to Grand Street is
completely lined with shops, the majority of which you can find pretty much anywhere else. That being said, I’m aware of a couple points that I think warrant the inclusion of this area in our guide: firstly, not everyone is looking to drop a thousand dollars on Rick Owens products in a few small boutiques, secondly the Europeans/non-Americans Europeans/non-Americans who want to hit up these stores to avoid ridiculous shipping costs/surcharges costs/surcharges will appreciate it, and finally they ’re just a nice break back into the familiar. H&M, Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic all have massive stores in this area, each multi-floor with tons of product. The three I want to focus in on, however, are J. Crew, Bloomingdales, and The Levi’s Store. Going in reverse order, the Levi’s Store is on the far side of Broadway and opens into a single floor retail space with men’s products more towards the back. They offer a wide selection of their fits, though the color options are limited unless you ’re looking for the most popular cuts (510s, 511s, 501s, and 514s all have several different washes to choose from). Truckers in both slim and normal fits are in a display section near the checkout area, and also come in various washes. A nice selection of Commuter Line products rounds off the offerings here. Unfortunately you shouldn’t expect to find any Vintage or Made and Crafted products in this store; it’s all generic Levi ’s offerings, but I ’m sure that’s plenty for those of us without easy access to these jeans. Next up, Bloomingdales is back across the street and just north of Broome St. A public bathroom awaits anyone who forgot to go back at Starbucks or REI, so that ’s definitely a plus. This Bloomingdales Bloomingdales has a pretty decent selection selection of various designer labels, though I recommend perusing these in the smaller boutique shops still to come, as Bloomingdales Bloomingdales gets beyond crowded at peak hours. Even so, if I ’m looking to pick up a pair of Seavees, Sebagos, or Sperrys, this is the place I come to and try to get out of quickly. Finally, the J. Crew is south of Broome and back on our normal route. A tiny space, the storefront is probably only half the size of the woman ’s shop a few blocks north and west; however, it does a great job of stocking collaborations and other harder to find J. Crew items. All of the shoes, from the Chippewa to Vans to Nike offerings are present. They also have a rack of Barbour and Arc’teryx near the middle of the store, often discounted/used/clearance models. They also have an entire section devoted to suiting and sport coats in the back, which my local NC store completely lacks. So if Ludlow suits interest you, definitely make a quick stop here. The retailer workers can get a little unpleasant at this location but you really have to give them the benefit of the doubt; it gets ridiculously hectic, and they ’re obviously doing the best they can. Students should remember to
utilize their discount. Next door is Topshop, which I ’ve dealt with very little and will skip over from lack of experience. Passing out of Fast Fashion Lane, we’re going to head down Broadway until we reach Grand Street and turn left, heading east. Now we ’re about to reach my absolute favorite overall section of SoHo shopping. You have options here; the guide says turn south on Crosby, which you should do. However if you’re dying for a coffee take a left and head north up Crosby to Saturdays Surf NYC . Grab yourself a brew (my friends who actually drink coffee really enjoy it) and take a look through the surf shop. Bonobos is right next store, though remember the asterisk about it being a Guide Shop. Get back across Grand and further down Crosby to find… AETHERnyc: ($$-$$$) Did I say Odin was my favorite store? I ’m a liar, and I openly admit to that. When
you walk into Aether you have no doubts about what kind of product you’ll find. A snowmobile and classic motorcycle meet you at the door, and an d shipping crates open to reveal mirrors and the checkout desk. The setting is dark, cool, and very minimal; a single centerpiece table and one set of shelves per wall hold the entire stock. Men are on the left, and I could spend hours just appreciating each jacket or hoodie. Hiking and climbing pamphlets abound near the computer stations the clerks use in the back, so anyone you may have dragged into the store with you can suffer as you peruse those as well. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful, probably due to the low traffic they deal with. I ’ve never been in the store with another customer present, and the three or four people working all stop to chat and discuss their products or just biking/climbing in general. A great atmosphere and a place you want to drop into occasionally just to see what new things are being stocked. Remember, the store is less than a year old, and they’re constantly moving things in and out of stock as the first spring season hits. Definitely a store to visit and revisit, just to see how it all changes. The prices are high but not ridiculously so for the quality of product offered, and you have plenty of room to try everything on. One final note: they pretty much throw free stuff at you. When I bought a few s hirts, they were folded into a canvas snap bag and then placed that in a larger canvas tote. I ’m easy to please that way. Jil Sander: ($$$$) I’ll be upfront: I don ’t really understand Rick Owens and I ’m not a huge fan of Raf
Simmons. I guess they ’re not really my style. Of all the designers MFA talks about, Jil Sander is one of the few I feel like I can appreciate. Walking Walking through the doors of this corner location, you ’re immediately greeted by the newest runway fits. Take those in for a moment before heading upstairs to find the men’s section. Like Sander’s clothes, the store itself exudes a clean and unforced minimalism; it all just sort of works, and to put it bluntly, you never feel like you ’re walking amongst racks of clothes that lie well beyond your everyday price range. Even more surprisingly surprisingly to an outsider like myself, the sales associates here were incredibly polite and helpful. No pretense or dismissive gestures, gestures, at least not while I’ve been present. Even when I admitted that I was more interested in looking and satisfying my curiosity than buying, they left me alone without any sense of contempt. Maybe I ’m being way too hard on retail workers in general, but NYC has soured me on some aspects of upscale service. Anyway, upstairs you’ll find a fantastic assortment of Jil Sander’s work. I’m personally partial to the knitwear and shirting and spend a lot of time looking at that. Definitely a store to check out regardless of your buying ability.
Opening Ceremony: ($$$-$$$$) If you liked Jil Sander’s sleek minimalism, or Aether ’s technical cool, or
even Odin’s unadorned and traditional (albeit expensive) retail experience, then Opening Ceremony might jar you at first. The location itself revolves around multiple shops and a showroom and also features a private label collection. I ’m not a huge fan of the Opening Ceremony line, but the various other labels offered here more than make up for that. To explain the opening sentiment, though, though, you really need to see the site; the displays and racks are elaborately designed and displayed. The entire layout feels esoteric and purposefully complicated. That said, it does add a unique charm that differentiates Opening Ceremony from everything we ’ve seen so far (or will see, for that matter). I ’m sure what everyone really cares about, however, are the brands offered. Arc ’teryx Veilance and Raf Simmons can both be found here, one of the few places in SoHo carrying either. Vans Vault, Acne, Sunspel, and Undercover all make strong showings as well. As you might expect from this type of storefront, prices are high. Like, really, really high. But then again, you just walked out of Jil Sander, so maybe that’s not an issue. The staff ’s completely hit or miss, and often leans towards the miss. Walk west on Howard Street until you reach Mercer, where you’ll turn north. Wait, did you end up getting coffee at Saturday ’s Surf NYC and now you need a bathroom? Forgot to mention Opening Ceremony has a public one, clean and relatively empty at that. Now that we ’re back on track, coming up on Mercer is… Surface to Air: ($$$) Surface to Air is a relatively new find for me; I ’d heard a lot about it but never
actually stopped by. It ’s another Parisian brand that targets a similar demographic to APC, though the store has its differences. differences. I know they’ve done collaborations with Kid Cudi in the past, and the streetwear influence is much more obvious here; as opposed to APCs minimalistic and militaristic aesthetic , Surface to Air adopts a few more vibrant colors and harkens back to American sportswear. They manage to maintain the APC-esque minimalism in their store design, however. Men ’s items are on the left, women’s on the right, and outwear/shirting/knitwear is all mixed in together on the racks. For anyone who likes leather jackets, Surface to Air has an interesting collection that you might want to check out. Also a decent in house shoe selection. Staff was, again, similar to APC; very approachable and friendly, willing to help you find something specific or content to let you browse completely unmolested. We’re coming up on the home stretch here. Take a left on Grand Street and continue westward. Alexander Wang: ($$$$) This store really embodies everything I expected from a designer retailer, for
good and ill. When you first enter you ’ll notice the two door security guards; they shouldn’t give you any trouble, unless you start taking a bunch of flash photography. Remember how I said Billy Reid exuded an effortless homey feel? Wang is the exact opposite. White marble positioned next to black leather and fur attempts to create some modern and minimalist living space. After enjoying the vibe of Jil Sander it comes across a bit forced, but to be honest that ’s completely subjective and any substantive décor review would just be me talking out the ass. The progression through the store goes from Wang ’s more fashion forward pieces to the simpler (yet by no means less expensive) line of casual clothing near the back. His sweatpants and sweaters are really worth checking out, the sweatpants in particular; sure,
they’re a couple hundred dollars, but for anyone who’s ever asked “why are these simple pieces so expensive?” stores like this are a must. You’ll get to touch the fabric and really inspect the quality, which may or may not sell you on o n the price, but will at least give you a basis for comparison in the future. Continue east on Grand Street until you come to its intersection with Greene St. This will be our final path down towards the finish line at Canal St. On the Northwest corner of the intersection you ’ll find the second to last stop. Acne Studios: ($$-$$$) Weirdly, this is one store I really, really enjoy and have never purchased a single
product from. Acne pieces are available at every single multi-label store mentioned here (except, I think, Odin) as well as the Steven Alan Annex only a few blocks down in TriBeCa, where I get most of my Acne products. Nevertheless, this store is worth a visit, both for the denim and Acne ’s other items. A more room by room shopping experience, the Acne Studios storefront has a starkness compounded compounded by a relative emptiness; each room contains only a few pieces of clothing, usually in white or black. The clothing itself is fantastic; I love the black Max Cash jeans, and their scoop neck tshits are great quality as well. This particular location keeps a great stock of both, along with all the other popular denim cuts (usually on the skinnier side of skinny), along with some knitwear and a few jacket pieces too. I generally stick to the denim and the cheaper (for Acne) shirts, but I ’ve heard good things about the rest. However, you’ll often find Acne pieces marked down at the other locations (Steven Alan, Opening Ceremony, etc) before you’ll find them marked down here, so that’s worth keeping in mind. The final stop is south on Grand Street right before you intersect Canal. Raw denim lovers sad about missing Self Edge on this tour need not despair, because up ahead is … Blue in Green: ($$$) When I described this store to a friend not entirely sold on the raw denim culture,
he informed me that it came across as “some group of cultish samurai obsessed with jeans ”. Couldn’t have said it better myself. It ’s a small store that you might walk right past, but inside is a treasure trove of Japanese fashion lines. The Japanese man who’s always working here when I visit is extremely (and I mean extremely) knowledgeable, helpful, and ready to work with you towards finding the perfect jeans. It’s such a different experience from Self Edge, and not for better or worse; it ’s just different. Here you ’ll find Pure Blue Japan, Momotaro, Samurai, and Eternal brand. Not looking for purely denim products? No problem; make sure to check out their RealMcCoy stock as well, as it ’s one of the only places I’ve found in SoHo that carries them (though that might be a deficit on the part of the seeker and not the neighborhood). It’s a fantastic experience and the perfect way to end the day. I ’d go on in praise for this store, but I think anyone interested in this side of fashion needs nothing more said. Continue south until you arrive at Canal St. There you go; you just made your way through SoHo and Nolita and, hopefully, enjoyed a few stores you wouldn’t have gotten to otherwise. Grab a cab (easily caught here or at the intersection with Avenue of the Americas, Broadway, or Lafayette) or the R, N, Q, or 6 trains at one o ne of the local subway stops to get back home/to your next location. And while on the subject…
Hungry? Well I can ’t help you in the immediate area, because all my favorite places are back where we
started. [Aurora]( http://www.yelp.com/biz/aurora-soho-new-york ) (510 Broome St) is only a few blocks up and over and makes great Italian food that won ’t completely destroy your wallet. Definitely worth a look. Vegetarians/Vegans might want to head back over to the corner of Spring and Lafayette for [Spring Street Natural]( http://www.springstreetnatural.com/index.php ) (62 Spring Street), which offers fresh and organic fare for your dietary lifestyles and also doesn’t break the bank (try the tofu or seitan stir fry classic style). Finally, if you ’re the type to plan ahead, make a reservation reservation for [Balthazar]( [Balthazar]( http://www.balthazarny.com/ ) (80 Spring St) and enjoy high quality, traditional French bistro food. A favorite of mine, though I admit I can only afford to eat here once a semester or so. Looking for a Beer? Maybe you’re a bit worn out by the showiness and materialism of SoHo after the
shopping day, and want something a bit more real. In that case, go check out [Fanelli ’s]( http://www.yelp.com/biz/fanellis-cafe-new-york ) (94 Prince St). Service is awful, the bartender is usually an asshole, and the place is ridiculously old and usually packed. I love it for all those things, and it’s a nice place to escape to. If you want something a bit cooler (and admittedly admittedly I usually do), check out [Bar Veloce]( http://winebarveloce.com/ ) (156 W. Houston St) for some Italian beers or grappa, while eating some of the best Italian style bar food (more types of burschetta than I ’ve ever seen) in the SoHo area. I’m sure in the comments some locals will have suggestions far better than mine/will lambast me for these, but I enjoy my time there and maybe you will too. Round the night off by hitting up [La Esquina]( http://www.esquinanyc.com/ ) (114 Kenmare St) and grabbing some fresh tacos from the windowservice taqueria. You’re welcome to grab a table inside as well.
Closing Thoughts Hopefully a few of you find this guide useful and use it to visit some stores you might not have found otherwise. Surely you’ll enjoy SoHo more meandering through at your own pace towards your own goals, but feel free to take the provided path as a basis from which to build your own. Also be sure to check online for other ratings and reviews, as I know one guy ’s opinions don’t make for a great sample size. One final listing I ’ll include here, in case you didn ’t read through all of the tour, are the various public restroom facilities located in the area. So if you need a bathroom, check: REI, Bloomingdales, Opening Opening Ceremony, both Starbucks locations (Spring St or Broadway), and the various hotels in the area (walk in like you know what you’re doing, no one will stop you). Above all, enjoy your visit to SoHo and NYC. If you enjoyed this guide and would like more, express that interest. My next area would probably be Brooklyn or TriBeCa, whichever those interested prefer (or some other locale).
