SOHO MEWS-A New Shopping Destination
311 West Broadway, SOHO-NYC
words/images Judith Ecochard
A few yards away from the cacophonous, somewhat gritty Canal Street...the posh Soho Mews building has opened to quite fanfare---the retail kind, hosting two new posh spaces plus the next-door trendy Jezebel restaurant--- that are emblematic of the sophisticated international destination that NYC is...
Recently, we attended the glam fashion store debut, hosted and assembled by the young and clearly talented Pamela Gonzales--- a gal who shows her beautiful evening wear through the forward thinking Nolcha Fashion Week collective.
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| en famille- |
The concept store features a carefully curated collection of worldly fashion and accessories designers who craft upscale contemporary collections for women who appreciate not wearing apparel that's mass marketed.
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| A Lady Gaga approved dress --- one would actually wear-by Carlos Luna |
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| holding RUSK products |
Models wore several of the designs sold at the store---and we have to say the rack we perused---by the charming Carlos Luna---was one of our favs---especially the Fall 2012 collection dress that has adorned Lady Gaga (also available in white)---and one of the few items we have ever seen on this celebrated singer/songwriter that regular gals could wear.
Other designers featured include NYC' s own Loris Diran and international independents Alice Yim, (http://aliceyim.com/), Antonia Paris (http://antoniaparis.com), Arefeh (http://arefehfashion.com), Carlos Luna (www.carlosluna.co) , Jess Rizzuti (http://www.jessrizzuti.com), Jessica Barkley (http://www.jessicabarkley.com/, Mel en Stel (http://www.melenstel.com/) , Nuvula (http://www.nuvula.com/), and Sandra Baquero (http://www.sandrabaquero.com/)
http://www.pamela-gonzales.com
A few days later, the champagne flowed at the totally luxurious OSSWALD Boutique---that is the NYC retail store for the Zurich based parfumerie and skincare emporium.
As a dual citizen, (Euro/USA)...among the many differences we notice in regards to skincare and scents---is that the average western European-male and female- seem to spend more of their discretionary income on high quality beauty/grooming products and perfumes/colognes---as the daily use of these items seems more integral to their everyday life...maybe because they have their healthcare paid for...ahem.
Whatever...
The Osswald Boutique, a family owned entity- is absolutely a godsend for fragrance junkies who cannot find their preferred scents anywhere across the POND. We were thrilled as many of the niche houses that we discovered at the ELEMENTS Showcase...including high-end skincare as well as aromatic products...can only be found here or in their Zurich establishment.
And although there are websites the carry a few of these artisan fragrances and skincare---the ability for customers to sniff and slather on samples, we feel is invaluable. After all, scent wise---is such a personal experience!
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| MDCI PARFUMS (from France)---bottles are keepers |
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| Werner Abt-CEO and Zurich store manager |
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| best selling in Europe-collection |
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| housewares---including this exquisite line of quartz crystal bathroom accessories |
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| back wall display of over 400 parfum bottles---amazing how dust-free it was |
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| model Carol Alt-guest |
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| cellmen |
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| Amouage |
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| La Colline |
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| Cellosmet skincare |
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| Valmont skincare |
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| Hamman Manicure |
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| Cell Premium |
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| Gossip Girl Kaylee Defer (left) and Grandaughter of founder and current Brooklyn resident the charming Tanja Dreiding Wallace (right) |
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| Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris--- |
There was much to covet---our favorite scent belonged to this exclusive line of scents-estblished in a series of SIX SCENTS each- in conjunction with a fashion designer....
ALSO AVAILABLE-cosmetics BY TERRY and scented candles.
BONUS: we had a nice chat with Tanja Dreiding Wallace---the third generation of retail maestros---who of course speaks three languages fluent ---with a working knowledge of another two---no doubt the command of vocabulary is very handy when sourcing exotics cents from all over the world.
As a dual citizen, (Euro/USA)...among the many differences we notice in regards to skincare and scents---is that the average western European-male and female- seem to spend more of their discretionary income on high quality beauty/grooming products and perfumes/colognes---as the daily use of these items seems more integral to their everyday life...maybe because they have their healthcare paid for...ahem.
The Osswald Boutique, a family owned entity- is absolutely a godsend for fragrance junkies who cannot find their preferred scents anywhere across the POND. We were thrilled as many of the niche houses that we discovered at the ELEMENTS Showcase...including high-end skincare as well as aromatic products...can only be found here or in their Zurich establishment.
ALSO AVAILABLE-cosmetics BY TERRY and scented candles.
