New York thread

[Faust]

How was the opening and the lineup looking? Very curious as I've always wanted to visit their shop on the other side of the country and I won't have a chance to check out the NY shop this weekend

As predicted. There was probably work of ten designers in the entire store, women's only (obviously they had Rick, since it seems like anyone can have Rick these days). They bought in deeply because they couldn't buy widely. Also, contrary to the BoF article there was no Dries Van Noten, and someone told me at the party that they could not get it.

The store is nice, but the only way for it to remain open is to function as an image storefront for online sales. I cannot even imagine what their rent must be like.

[eleves]

As predicted. There was probably work of ten designers in the entire store, women's only (obviously they had Rick, since it seems like anyone can have Rick these days). They bought in deeply because they couldn't buy widely. Also, contrary to the BoF article there was no Dries Van Noten, and someone told me at the party that they could not get it.

The store is nice, but the only way for it to remain open is to function as an image storefront for online sales. I cannot even imagine what their rent must be like.

The store being nice is enough to get me in as I'm sure is the case for many, many people but I definitely agree with you about their online sales being what keeps them above water. As for not getting Dries, I wonder if it has anything to do the Tomorrowland opening on Broome, which I hear will be carrying Dries for both men and women

[Faust]

What's this Tomorrowland? People mentioned it at the opening.

[eleves]

What's this Tomorrowland? People mentioned it at the opening.

It's a super popular store/brand from Japan for men and women but it definitely does not lean towards what we primarily talk about here on SZ. Too much color... They were one of my clients when I was working at Steven Alan

[timm3h]

Article: Why can't we stop talking about New York in the late 1970s?

Thoughts? The thesis is that while NYC is safer, more efficient, and more livable today while being culturally neutered. For the long-time New Yorkers here, I'd be interested in hearing opinions on how much of this is rose-colored glasses.

Some other related thoughts I had that may be better suited for a different thread -- it seems to me that the people who derive benefit from culture (through art appreciation, etc.) are rarely the ones that suffer for culture's sake (e.g. the individuals actually living in danger-fraught NYC circa 1970, getting mugged, etc.). While the former may wax poetic over the lost soul of NYC, I'm sure the latter would gladly trade 1970s NYC for 2015 NYC. Sure, NYC is less "interesting" now, but people are also better off... where's the balance point?

[porthidium]

It's a super popular store/brand from Japan for men and women but it definitely does not lean towards what we primarily talk about here on SZ. Too much color... They were one of my clients when I was working at Steven Alan

Saw people unpacking boxes at Tomorrowland today - looks like it will open soon~~ Probably a nice addition to Soho

[Faust]

Article: Why can't we stop talking about New York in the late 1970s?

Thoughts? The thesis is that while NYC is safer, more efficient, and more livable today while being culturally neutered. For the long-time New Yorkers here, I'd be interested in hearing opinions on how much of this is rose-colored glasses.

Some other related thoughts I had that may be better suited for a different thread -- it seems to me that the people who derive benefit from culture (through art appreciation, etc.) are rarely the ones that suffer for culture's sake (e.g. the individuals actually living in danger-fraught NYC circa 1970, getting mugged, etc.). While the former may wax poetic over the lost soul of NYC, I'm sure the latter would gladly trade 1970s NYC for 2015 NYC. Sure, NYC is less "interesting" now, but people are also better off... where's the balance point?

The NYT by now has made these into a genre. I don't think many of us here have been in NY since the 70s, but I have been living here since 1992 and even since then the shift has been seismic. I'd say in general the author is right - NYC is absolutely safer, more sterile, more Disneyfied, and less interesting. It is also true that you could get access to the cultural elite.

True story - when Ann Demeulemeester and her husband visited NYC 35 years ago or so, they looked up Robert Mapplethorpe in a phone book, called him, and he invited him to their studio.

Another true story - Gerd Sander, August Sander's grandson, had a gallery in SoHo in the early 80s. One day he saw Robert Hughes's address in the customer book of the local bakery (still in existence) and sent him an invitation to a show opening.

There is no way IN HELL you can do things like that in NYC now.

[BlacknWhite]

Downtown back in the day, was very divided between the Chinese and Italians on the lower east side. If you were Chinese, they would actually tell you something along the lines of, "No Chinese," signaling to take another route wherever you were going. Many Italians now are concentrated in places like Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, although some still live in rent controlled buildings of Little Italy. A lot of the elder Chinese citizens of Mott street and surrounding areas continue to live there and don't exactly try embracing whatever is outside of it or other concentrated Chinese communities such as 8th ave and Flushing, Queens. Reason being, English was never really learned, and they fear of discrimination, which the far eastern Asian population in general most likely fear of.

Then you also had the actual mafia running shit down there. Chinese, Italian, Jewish, whatever, didn't matter, guys actually came into your store "offering" protection for a monthly payment. This eventually came to a stop with Mayor Giuliani having these guys locked up.

On a fashion related note, people back then, and up till the mid 2000's, when MTV was still showing music videos and influencing street wear through it, would actually beat you up on the streets and steal your sneakers. Jordans to be specific. Sometimes people even went as far as to you stab you for them. You were much MUCH more likely back then to be called gay and faggot by both suit wearers and streetwear guys, if dressed at all in anyway different from the rest.

[BlacknWhite]

There was already graffiti on that wall," he said. "Nasty graffiti. What we did with the crochet art, is we covered up nasty graffiti with nice graffiti.

http://gothamist.com/2015/09/18/bushwick_crochet_gentrification.php

[byhand]

I moved to NYC in 1985 and lived there until 2009. Downtown changed enormously within that time. Uptown hasn't change much. Downtown in my early NYC days only had pockets of wealth which were surrounded by a Blade Runner-esque squalor, and the squalor was where all the fun was happening. In my span of years in NYC I lived on Washington Square Park, Soho, Tribeca, and the East Village.

Uptown is about the same these days as it was in 1985. Downtown has moved to Brooklyn.

[shah]

i lived in brooklyn and commuted to manhattan for a couple years until 2009. I've since been back to the city 3-4 times, and I definitely got the feeling it was less and less dense in terms of population. I wasn't sure exactly why but, for example, I felt there were plenty more cabs available at all times as compared to when I was there. It seems unoccupancy is a real thing, reaching 29% according to some estimates ?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/realestate/new-york-citys-emptiest-co-ops-and-condos.html?_r=0

[LOVE]

I wish it felt emptier here

[Arkady]

i lived in brooklyn and commuted to manhattan for a couple years until 2009. I've since been back to the city 3-4 times, and I definitely got the feeling it was less and less dense in terms of population. I wasn't sure exactly why but, for example, I felt there were plenty more cabs available at all times as compared to when I was there. It seems unoccupancy is a real thing, reaching 29% according to some estimates ?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/re...ndos.html?_r=0

It's a consequence of skyrocketing median rent -- no need to fill occupancies quickly, especially since vacancy decontrol was capped around $2,500 until it was allowed to expire. Brooklyn is starting to feel quite dense but the push East seems to be as intense as anywhere.

There is also quite a lot of real estate that's owned for asset sheltering / other purposes and has no one living in it. This is more of a phenomenon in expensive Manhattan neighborhoods than elsewhere though.

[PIERRELEGRAND]

Can anyone recommend somewhere that can do some dyeing for me? BK or Manhattan is ok as I'm mobile.

Specifically looking to get that dark black back on a handful of garments. Thanks!

[Faust]

Colibri Dyeing Studio - 450 W 31st. Tell Costas that Eugene sent you.