Bauble Bar Unwrapped x Bonobos Pop-up Shop

Bauble Bar, the online purveyor of high quality great value costume jewelry has launched a pop-up shop called BaubleBar Unwrapped in the heart of the Meat Packing District and invited Bonobos, online purveyor of men's clothes that really fit well (especially pants!), to join them. So for the next few days the ladies can add some sparkle to their life while them gentlemen can get a chance to get dapper.

BaubleBar Unwrapped has been open since the beginning of February to celebrate of the brand’s two year anniversary since launching and give shoppers an in-person glimpse a huge array of best-selling styles, enjoy hands-on styling sessions and even snag a few presents along the way. There is a present wall where shoppers will each be given a surprise present from BaubleBar (celebrating two years of presence with two weeks of presents!) that could contain anything from free baubles, to discount codes and other special treats including a Grilled Cheese truck!

I had the chance to stop by last night for a party celebrating Bonobos moving in with Valentine's Day inspired drinks, giveaways and a chance to see the merchandise in person. With jewelry since there is only so much you can tell about a product online, it was fun for me to see it in person, and feel the weight and explore what pieces might look like on.

I think my favorite Bauble Bar piece has to be this bejeweled collar which was both striking and well priced at just $44.

I also thought these studded friendship bracelets by Gypsies and Debutantes were quite fun although not as bold as those in my iWant post but at half the price, you could get the look for less.

Bib necklaces were plentiful in a variety of fun pop colors in addition to rhinestone encrusted bracelets.

Another look I found to be a bit rock star was the Amethyest ray bib necklace for $38 and the emerald colored stone necklace. While there were plenty of styles of earrings but since I don't have my ears pierced I didn't look very long at them.

As for the back of the pop-up shop, Bonobos took over and is bringing their great service offline at so that guys can try on the brand in-person. The Bonobos Guides, who are experts trained in fit and style are available to answer questions and help men determine what size they would need to place their orders in on their website. Some quick browsing revealed a rainbow of their signature chinos - which every man needs to get a pair of, some casual shirts in plaids and chambray, some smart looking trench coats and some very smart jackets - The Foundation in particular was available in a variety of sizes to try on.

I had fun browsing the merchandise and it was nice to see how the online quality of the merch held up in reality. If you've always been curious on exactly how that jewelry sparkles in real life or how those pants look on, you shouldn't miss this opportunity to stop by.

Bauble Bar Unwrapped, 344 West 14th St (at 9th Ave), M-F 11am-8pm, Sat 11am-7pm, Sun noon–6pm. For jewelry prices range between $15-250

Sample Sale Report Nicholas K Sample Sale

I stopped by the Nicholas K sample sale in this afternoon in the Meatpacking district and found the sale to be relatively serene scene with just a few shoppers casually browsing and everything organized on racks in an orderly manner.  The designer himself was at the sale eating lunch when I arrived.  Prices are straight forward:

Leather Jackets $360, Other Jackets $150, Heavy Sweaters $160, Light Sweaters $120, Sweatshirts $100, Dresses/Skirts $140, Shirts $80, Pants/Shorts $50, Scarves $30, Women’s Shoes $250, Men’s Shoes $100, Jewelry $50.

Immediately to your right there is a table with women's accessories, scarves and shoes. The shoes looked like they were mostly open toe wedge boots in size 38-40.  For the women’s merchandise there was a lot of breezy shirts in trapeze shapes, atypical button ups with cut out shoulders.  Two-tone Cardigans with open backs and tie dye pieces were prominent at the sale.  I also spotted some awesome open knit sweaters that would look great worn with shorts to the beach.  Sizes for women varied from XS-L.

Although the sale featured unisex clothing there are no separate change rooms.  There is only a changing area that is tucked away from the street with a large mirror and racks to place your items on.  If you are shy make sure that you wear a tank top and leggings to the sale.

The back of the sale featured some samples that were apparently marked as low as $40!

As for men’s attire there were quite a number of rugged boots at just $100 a pop.  This leather trimmed sweatshirt looks very flattering on and there were some interesting 2-looks-in-1 jackets that snapped together or could be worn separately.  My personal favorite was a trench coat that also could be a short length jacket once zipped apart.

If you are a fan of Nicholas K’s downtown aesthetic, this sample sale is a must.

Mr. Porter: Pop-Up Shop

A friend of mine came into town this weekend and we decided to check out the Mr. Porter pop-up shop in Meatpacking.  The theme of the shop is titled "Suits and Style" but most of what's available to purchase are accessories, not clothing. Think sunglasses, knitted ties, jewelry and watches - all of which can be paired back with whatever look you choose to sport. 

The amount of merchandise available was a little disappointing compared to other pop-up shops I've been to but the selection is well curated and doesn't compete with the business Mr. Porter is actually in - online retail.

There is a spot that you can get your shoes polished, grab a cup of java and even an interactive workstation spot where you can dress someone head to toe in Mr. Porter gear and style it the way you would wear it.  The interactive panels let you pick everything from your skivvies to your belt to your tie - and if you don't like what you pick, it's just a matter of dragging and dropping something else onto the body form.  Here's a quick recap of the outfit my friend ended up styling.  

Once you're done with your look, you can email the entire outfit to yourself and if you're a Mr. Porter member, add everything to your wishlist automatically so you don't have to fish around for all the pieces again online.

Overall, while I was a bit sad that there wasn't more merchandise to actually shop from, the interactive panel was definitely interesting in its own right.  The stellar ride outside the pop-up shop didn't hurt either!


The shop is open now through June 17, 2012 at 72 Gansevoort St (b/n Greenwich and Washington St).  12pm-9pm daily.

Mr. Porter: Sale and Pop-Up Shop

Mr. Porter's online sale started earlier this week with lots of merch going for up to 50% off.  Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the site.  Hands down, it's been my fave online retailer ever since launching and blows other online retailers out of the water.  The editorials are amazing, there's tonns of product info including measurements, free shipping/returns and is amazingly curated..

In other Porter news, they are opening up a pop-up shop geared towards suits & style for a week - I can't wait to check it out! The temporary shop opens June 9-17, 2012 at 72 Gansevoort St (b/n Greenwich and Washington St).  12pm-9pm daily.

Sensorium by Sephora

This weekend I randomly checked out Sensorium - an exhibit in meatpacking put on by Sephora. I didn't really know what it was but since I was in the area and the cost of the exhibit ($15) is given back to you in the form of a Sephora gift card - why not!

The exhibit starts off at the beginning of a long corridor, with this neat little table with different buttons that you push that release different scents for you take a whiff of. I initially went a bit too close and got a blast of star anise which I wasn't too crazy about...

 

Further down the hallway, there were plenty of little exhibits, displays and tidbits of info for you to read. on one side of the wall, the history of certain scents are written on a timeline for you read as you progress down the hallway.

Mirrored glass panels are set up at the end of the first corridor which display random facts information regarding aromas, scents, etc. I think I was more interested in the mirror itself than whatever info it was spitting out. The mirror had a sensor at the bottom of the frame which looked like a regular mirror when you approached it, but displayed facts as soon as you moved out of the sensor's range.

 

The next part of the exhibit was different to say the least. There were little cubicle rooms lined with foam with a set of headphones for you to listen too. I was feeling a bit claustrophobic once I entered the space so I didn't listen to the headphones and randomly poked the wall instead...very mature - i know... I found a lollipop next to the headphones which I took but it ended up having no taste. I think there was a story behind the lollipop and the lack of taste - but you were supposed to listen to the recording to understand it...so it still remains a mystery to me.

The next area had displays set up which lit up at different times and released scents for you to smell. The glass tubes above were supposed to smell like bacon - but really - it smelt like the dentist's office to me and Erin....

The fourth area of the exhibit had areas set up for different types of scents: casual, playful, addictive and polished. Each type of scent had one booth with three different scents which represented those adjectives. Each scent had a place for you to put your hand under and touch a rollerball which dabbed the scent onto your hand. Overall, a pretty neat exhibit with one flaw...there 12 different scents to test - but you only have ten fingers....so smelling everything became a bit complicated.

The second last exhibit was set in a dark room where different words were displayed on one end of the wall. You had to stand back, walk forward to this orb-flower thing and smell something. Again - kind of cool but I didn't get it.

The last part of Sensorium was in my opinion the best and the most practical. Different fragrances were used to perfume glasses and marked one through six (with 4 different sets for a total of 24 different fragrances). All were unmarked so you couldn't tell what brand of perfume you were smelling - similar to a blind taste test except with scents. A booklet is provided for you to take notes and mark down what you like and what you don't. At the end of it, your favorite scents are revealed and some are definitely surprising! Personally, my favorite scent was the coffee beans which were laid out for you to sniff in between perfumes to help cleanse your nose palate - though I don't think that was the goal.

If you're in the area and want to check it out, the exhibit is running until November 27, 2011.
Who: Sensorium
What: Interactive fragrance exhibit. Cost is $15 which comes with a $15 gift card to Sephora with entrance.
When: Now through November 27, 2011. Mon (closed), Tues-Wed (3pm-10pm), Thurs-Fri (12pm-10pm), Sat (10am-10pm), Sun (10am-6pm)
Where: 414 W 14th St (b/n 9th & 10th Ave)