Retail
The Primary Essentials, Boerum Hill
This sleek Brooklyn shop offers a range of covetable home goods and giftable objects, most of which will easily fit into a carry-on. Peruse art-and-design periodicals, vintage tchotchkes, scented candles, compact stationery and striped cotton Tekla pajama sets.
Bode, Chinatown
Bode’s Manhattan flagship, with its wood panelling and Italianate painted ceiling, is well stocked with “Made in New York” vintage-inspired menswear. Bode favours texture and colour, transforming deadstock fabric into snappy jackets and trousers.
Casa Magazines, West Village
This encyclopedic shop stocks 3,000 magazine titles, including an impressive range of niche fashion and design periodicals. Print fans will rejoice in the sheer volume of magazines and newspapers, as well as the fragrant scent of paper.
Colbo, Lower East Side
Colbo looks more like a social club than a clothing shop, with customers lounging on outdoor benches and chatting over iced lattes. The boutique stocks clothing, coffee and other knick-knacks, while on weekends it hosts pop-ups with DJs and neighbourhood wine shops.
La Garçonne, Tribeca
Designer Kris Kim’s shop is a must for elegant staples, such as Noguchi lamps and Danish chairs, and established brands including Yohji Yamamoto and Dries Van Noten. There are also smaller outfits such as Japan’s Pas de Calais.
The Maker Shop, Chelsea
The Maker, a craft-focused boutique hotel in upstate New York, runs an elegant shopfront in Chelsea that stocks home and travel necessities, such as trunks and sleepmasks. It also hosts the hotel’s own perfume collection, which adheres to The Maker’s bohemian-luxe sensibility.
Albertine, Upper East Side
Housed in a historic Gilded Age mansion on Fifth Avenue, Albertine is a cultural excursion. The gorgeous independent bookshop stocks the largest commercial collection of Francophone and translated French literature in the country and hosts Francophile-friendly evening events and readings.
Leffot, Greenwich Village
Shop for brogues, loafers and smart boots at men’s shoe store Leffot in Greenwich Village. Apart from footwear, which come in off-the-rack and bespoke options, Leffot sells shoe-care products, leather gloves, watch straps, belts, cashmere socks and other essentials.
Alex Mill, SoHo
New York-based label Alex Mill, which spans menswear, womenswear and accessories, is known for its tasteful designs and frequent collaborations with Japanese craft houses such as denim maker Omnigod. Stop by the shop to stock up on well-made, timeless staples.
The Armoury, Tribeca
Stop by the New York outpost of Hong Kong’s finest atelier for unparalleled service from expert staff and flawless off-the-rack and bespoke menswear and accessories. Pick up anything from three-piece suits and umbrellas to pocket squares, made by artisans around the world.
