Page 121 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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CITIES
ABOVE Accessories on display at the funky Kirna Zabete
LEFT Stylishly dressed mannequin in the Betsey Johnson window
Unique
Boutiques
For fashion with a twist, stroll the streets of SoHo,
NoHo, and NoLita, where you’ll find such whimsical
clothing shops as Kirna Zabete, which features the
work of home-grown designers and one-of-a-kind
threads and accessories, from graffiti silk twill
dresses to Flapper-style fringe scarves. Or pop in
to the adorable and avant-garde CoCo & Delilah,
where a chandelier presides over artful displays of
fanciful dresses and chunky accessories by a long
list of innovative young designers. New York’s
popular gal-pal television show Sex and the City
could just as easily have been called Shoes and the
City, since the streets of New York are packed with
sassy shoe shops, many of which sell styles that
you won’t find anywhere else. Check out the
1960s-inspired sandals and stilettos by local
designers Sigerson and Morrison in their
eponymous SoHo shop. And don’t miss the sleek
boutiques of New York couturiers who have since
hit the big time, where you can often find one-off
pieces from their collections. The spiky-haired,
tattooed fashionista Betsey Johnson debuted her
playful dresses and heels in her SoHo shop, and
that’s still the best spot to check out her latest
offerings. Brooklyn-born Kenneth Cole, one of the
leading designers to bring AIDS “awearness” to the
fashion community, also has eye-catching
downtown digs. His collection reveals an urban
sensibility that pays homage to New York,
including thick-soled shoes that can withstand the
city’s rugged streets, and weird and wonderful
accessories inspired by skyscrapers.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Betsey Johnson 138 Wooster Street, SoHo; tel. +1 212 995 5048;
www.betseyjohnson.com
CoCo & Delilah 115 Saint Marks Place, East Village; tel. +1 212 254 8741;
www.coco-delilah.com
Kenneth Cole 597 Broadway, SoHo; tel. +1 212 965 0283;
www.kennethcole.com
Kirna Zabete 96 Greene Street, SoHo; tel. +1 212 941 9656;
www.kirnazabete.com
Sigerson Morrison 28 Prince Street, SoHo; tel. +1 212 625 1641;
http://sigersonmorrison.com
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