My New York Shopping Experience, Part 1: Brands you Don’t Get In London

Oddly enough, I went shopping a lot in New York but barely bought anything. And now about my shopping situation – sizes in America just don’t work for me which is why I didn’t end up buying too much. There is definitely a trick to shopping in New York – you need to know which brands to buy in New York and which brands have a better price and variety in London so you can skip these for New York. This first part of the post will include a list of stores you should visit in New York which are either more expensive in London or just not available. The second part will include what New Yorkers refer to as ‘consignment stores’ – stores which sell half price Chanel (and Hermes and Celine and the rest of it) so definitely look out for that next week!

The basic rule is that it’s a good idea to buy American brands in well, America and skip for British or European brands.

Department Stores

For instance, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and similar brands, although you get them all in London, I would recommend buying them in the USA. They are way cheaper. We went to Macy’s and Nordstrom Rack and got some great deals.

However, I would still recommend visiting the following department stores and have a look around:

1. Saks 5th Avenue
2. Bloomingdale’s
3. Barney’s
4. Macy’s
5. Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack – there is a physical Nordstrom store for women now in the works although there is already a Nordstrom Rack (and a men’s store).
6. Bergdorf Goodman
7. Neiman Marcus

Fashion Brands and Stores in New York

These were the main stores I wanted to visit – basically all the fashion brands you hear about but which can only be ordered online.

8. Petite Studio

I actually didn’t end up going to this store in the end. I did want to since it sounds like a great deal for someone petite sized like me but I wasnt particularly feeling whatever I saw online so didn’t bother especially since I didn’t have a lot of time.

9. Everlane

I ended up buying a tee and a pair of black boots from Everlane. These boots are gorgeous and similar to my wish list boots. I will probably end up doing a proper review for the boots in the coming months once I have used the boots for some amount of time. I also want to do a review for the boots since there are a lot of review for Everlane clothes but not much information on their shoes or boots so hoping it will be helpful.

10. Ann Taylor

All my friends told me to check our Ann Taylor. They are quite popular for formal wear and have a good petite collection. However, I wasnt a fan . Most (almost all) of their clothing is polyester and didn’t feel nice against my skin and their designs didn’t make me particularly excited. I liked one of their coordinated trousers and top look but it was so similar to something I already have I didn’t bother.

11. Reformation

You guys know I was really looking forward to shopping at Reformation but I have to say, I was disappointed. They do stock Reformation in Selfridges so it’s not like its impossible to find in London but I had hoped the collection in their New York stores would be larger and have more variety. Unfortunately, that wasnt the case. Absurdly, they don’t stock either the plus size or the petite collection in any of their physical stores in New York. This seemed like a really stupid strategy because even if they had a small collection of these sizes people would be encouraged to try on to confirm the fit and then but online. For such a environmentally friendly company their reliance on getting people to order online seemed really odd to me. This was also the case in Everlane – I am sure I will talk about this in more detail once I do the review.

12. Splendid

I didn’t know about this store till I saw it in New York. They are not very ‘fashiony’ but more of the elevated Gap variety. I did like their simple tees – lots of colours and variety of cuts.

13. Banana Republic

I do like their collection and have reviewed their clothes before. Also a major tick in the box is their petite collection. However, I didn’t find anything very special although DJ did some shopping here. The Banana Republic brand in London has closed shop so you definitely need to go to the States to shop here.

14. J Crew

Of course although J Crew is available in London, their prices is the USA are much cheaper. I do somewhat regret not buying anything but the jacket I was really after was just way too expensive. But either way, I would definitely always recommend checking out J Crew.

15. Scotch & Soda

I kept seeing this brand everywhere in New York (they have one store in London as well)! Lots of people wearing it on Instagram and in real life all around the city so I was quite excited about checking them out. I have to say I was sorely disappointed. Poor quality, cheap fabrics and tacky, copycat designs did not encourage me to purchase anything in this store. their clothes are on the expensive side and definitely not worth it since most are polyester and the knits are mostly acrylic. I don’t know why and how its become such a New York favourite!

Camp Exhibit at the MET

16. Vince

Beautiful clothes, gorgeous materials and very high prices is a basic summary of this brand. But honestly, I don’t think they are overpriced like Scotch & Soda for instance. Their knits are cashmere and wool and designs are classic and timeless and the prices reflect that – which I don’t have a problem with. If you budget allows, check out this store. Again, Selfridges has a Vince section but definitely not as expensive a collection as you can find in their standalone stores.

17. Eileen Fisher

I have heard a lot about this brand but finally did not end up going into a store because their clothes are definitely not for petite sizes. Check out their website and see if you like their styles and take a call if you want to visit.

18. Loft

I do like the tsuff at Loft usually but didnt go inside since the window didnt look all that interesting but check it out.

19. Club Monaco

Loved some of their stuff although some of their stuff I found a little boring. Again, you can find this store in London but definitely much cheaper in New York.

20. Aritzia

I bought a nice silky summary top here. I would highly recommend going to Aritzia. It feels like fast fashion but much better quality and more expensive than the budget fast fashion brands. I could have bought more items in Aritzia but a number of items I liked didn’t have them in my size sadly.

21. Madewell

You do get Madewell in J Crew stores in London but they have separate stores in New York which are quite extensive. I actually find Madewell clothes a little too basic but I love their accessories – the shoes, some of the knits, bags and jewellery is lovely.

22. Kith

We actually ended up going into this store to shelter from the rain but I would really recommend checking out this store. It has some very cool street wear brands and clothing.

23. Otte

We ended up checking out this store only because it was near where we were staying in New York. It’s definitely one of those cute ’boutiquey’ stores. The stuff is expensive but looks like nice classic designs in good quality fabrics.

As usual originally this was one post and then I separated into two separate posts when it’s started getting too long. So next week you will have all the details on thrift stores, consignment stores, outlet malls and the rest of the New York fashion shopping experience.

I hope you guys are enjoying my New York posts on the blog and on Instagram. Please make sure you are following us on there and of course we are on Facebook, Twitter and all the rest and would love to hear from you.

– Anisha