Stores

We’re calling Henri Bendel 2012’s best place to stuff your holiday stockings. The upscale women’s speciality store — which sells everything from parfums to beauty products, gourmet foods to accessories and beyond — is seriously like a one stop shop for all the women (and a handful of men) on your shopping list.

Need convincing? We’ve compiled a list of 7 reasons why we adore NYC’s Henri Bendel.

Location

Henri Bendel’s flagship store is located at 712 Fifth Ave., making it ultra convenient if you plan to hit other stores, as well. It’s right next door to Harry Winston and Bvlgari, which gives passers by a chance to check out the famous star on 57th and Fifth Avenue.

Up and Coming Jewelry Designers

Henri Bendel buys and sells from blossoming jewelry designers. That means shoppers will often find fresh designs at affordable prices. Ask yourself: what makes a better gift than a new piece of jewelry that stands out in a crowd?

Just the Right Size

Feeling cramped while shopping can be a major drag for any customer. Stores that are so massive they overwhelm you aren’t any better, either. Henri Bendel is neither too big nor too small. It’s an intimate venue that has an air of elegance about it. We particularly love their central sumptuous stairs. “They make me feel a socialite has decided to open her doors for the holidays and I am snooping through her stuff,” noted The Style City’s site owner, Mirela.

Budget Friendly

Unlike some of Fifth Avenue’s major hot spots, Henri Bendel is sensitive to shoppers’ wallets. This is apparent even by checking out their website, which groups gifts into different price brackets. You’ll even be able to find some gifts under $10.

Humor Abounds

While refined, Henri Bendel also has a sense of humor. For example, their book selection includes titles such as, “Angry Little Girls,” “Dads are the Original Hipsters,” and “Worst Case Scenario Pocket Guide: New York City.”

More Books

In addition to the humorous selections mentioned above, Henri Bendel sells loads of style books, as well. These make a great gift for any BFF who has an interest in the fashion, style or beauty world.

Candle Obsessed

Luxury candles make the perfect gift for a hostess, mother in law, best friend or even boss. Henri Bendel carries a large selection of candles, including their own line of lauded home fragrances. Mirela particularly loves that they carry her favorite brand, Antica Farmacista, which isn’t always easy to find.

By Wendy Rose Gould

Photos: Micky Filip

The BG Follies of 2012 Bergdorf Goodman’s windows are undoubtedly a sight to behold. They’re a revival of the Art Deco era; displays inspired by various entertainment of years gone by, including the Ziegfeld Follies, Vaudeville revues and Busby Berkeley’s Hollywood ’30s musicals. There are five main acts.

Act I is a black and white homage to Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot, Act II is a tribute to burlesque performer Sally Rand and Act III showcases a collection of mid-century miniature American mannequins a la the 1920s Ziegfeld Follies. Act IV features a runway look from Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and highlights 24 plaster dogs performing every trick under the sun.

Arguably the most impressive, though, is Act V. It’s the result of an idea that, according to BG, has been brewing for the past year: a giant mirrored, rotating kaleidoscope. Approximately 1000 individually beveled mirrors were used to create the window, which is an homage to Busby Berkeley’s overhead kaleidoscopic camera shot seen in Footlight Parade.

The Stylish City decided to check out these gorgeous windows in person. Sure enough, the holiday windows were nothing short of spectacular. In fact, they were enough to lure us right inside to check on merchandise for potential holiday gifts.

While the windows were breathtaking, finding a gift that was affordable was a difficult feat. In fact, we had trouble finding something under $1000. Confident and determined, we asked a sales woman on the first floor jewelry to direct us to something appropriate for a gift guide we were working on.

To our chagrin, the sales person gently brushed us off and suggested we talk to BG’s PR reps about that topic. However, she did inadvertently hint that any gift we’d include in our guide from the store would likely be accompanied by no less than a $500 price tag. I think my wallet just groaned.

In the end, we’d have to say that shoppers will find more affordable options on the cosmetic floor of the store. There are a few gift sets that’d make lovely presents this holiday season. All in all, though, our best advice is this: Soak up the beautiful (stunning, really) windows, but move right along to Henri Bendel where gifts abound.

It’s important to note that we do adore BG, especially as they’ve undergone some major transformations over the past few years. However, it’s not the most appropriate place to do your holiday shopping.

By Wendy Rose Gould

Photos:Micky Filip

There is a truly fabulous Designer Sale underway at Saks Fifth Avenue this week, a precursor to their vast Holiday Sale, where sales grow and prices are slashed right up until New Years Day, when the highest deductions take place. As we mentioned in this week’s Don’t Miss, this is the time to get your shopping on for your holiday party wear, before choices are slim and time is limited. Lucky for you, there is no better one-stop shopping retreat than the Designer Sale at Saks Fifth Avenue this week with up to 40% off designer goodies.

The mood for holiday dress shopping is immediately set in place as you take a gander at Saks’ glorious windows decorations. This year acts half as one major advertisement for — you guessed it — holiday party wear. From a Mad Men theme in one window, to flapper style in another, right up until the latest trends, windows depict the ultimate cocktail dresses and accessories in a glitz and glamour manner. The second half of the windows feature the main event, where tourists and locals alike, flock to snap their digital cameras and “ooh and ahh” over the imaginative displays. I must say, these are one of my favorite window displays of recent Saks’ holiday seasons.

Beginning with the sale on designer shoes, I was overwhelmed by the selection and size availability. This floor is definitely among the highlights of Saks’ sale. Jimmy Choo had the perfect party flat with their Black Sequin Loafer ($385, orig. $550, pictured), while Gucci offered a Cement Suede Strap Heel ($455, orig. $650, pictured), and taking the gold was Reed Krakoff with his Red and Mango Melanie Cut heels that would make any little black dress pop ($525, orig. $750, pictured), as well as his Leather Buckle Military Boots ($906.50, $1295, pictured).

The women’s contemporary wear on the 5^th Floor took 1^st place with the best of the sale. I was completely obsessed with 3.1 Phillip Lim’s Green Shearling Motorcycle Jacket with leather detail ($570, pictured) and his Knee Length Ivory Coat as well ($570, pictured). The sale selection of 3.1 Phillip Lim in Saks definitely trumped Lim’s less than thrilling sample sale last month.  Moving along to Vince, I loved their Brown Cords and Grey and Orange Denim ($117-$136.50), as well as their massive Oatmeal Wrap Cardigan ($267, pictured). I certainly saw some great party options from Rag and Bone’s Agra Shirt, for a casual option ($174, pictured), to Milly’s Winter White Dress ($237, pictured) and Diane von Furstenberg’s Black Dress with Leather Cap Sleeves ($298, orig. $498).

I wasn’t so impressed with the sale on denim. Corduroys seemed to take charge of this section, with J Brand Brown Lioness Cords ($105) and 7 For All Mankind Plum Cords ($106).

Your classic little black dresses are all waiting for you. Within this great selection is a traditional Ali Ro Black Dress ($184), a cute Belted Shoshanna Dress ($198), and Nahalchand’s Black Dress with Lace Cap Sleeves ($358). For a glitz and glamor look, check out Monique Lhuillier Dazzling Sequenced Dress ($358), B44’s Black Sequenced Dress w/ Bow ($136), and lastly Aidan Mattox’s Crochet Knit Bead Dress ($210). Employees were still rolling out dresses to this section, with heaps of options for all tastes and sizes.

On the designer floor there was a small selection from Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Derek Lam, Jean Paul Gaultier, Doce & Gabbana and the works.  I wasn’t so impressed by these collections as they offer very little options. In the ten or so pieces on sale from Jason Wu I fell in love with his divine Red Lace Dress ($1,107, pictured).

The fur coat sale section was buzzing with shoppers, while around the corner the Stella McCartney sale racks wow-ed with her Bat Wing Sweaters ($738), Vibrant Blue Belted Dress ($933) and Blue Midnight w/ Gold Sequence Sleeveless Dress  ($2,475).

Do check out the Ralph Lauren racks with a color palate of nudes and mint greens, as well as the plum and white blends in Burberry’s sale assortment.

The Designer Sale at Saks Fifth Avenue is ready to doll you up and prep you to party. I highly suggest going, not only for your holiday outfits, but also to get the designer merchandise you have been lusting over all season, as it is highly unlikely it will be there as prices drop and sales continue. If that means paying 10% more for an item you’ll wear to death, then I say it’s worth it.

By Caitlin Colford

Photos: Caitlin Colford, Micky Filip

The much-anticipated Target/Neiman Marcus holiday collaboration collection opened today at a NYC Midtown location, for one day only. Last night designers and VIP shoppers rubbed elbows with celebrities at a preview of the stylish collection. Among the celebrities present at the event were: Zoe Saldana, Kate Bosworth, Allison Williams, Leighton Meester, Shay Mitchell, Karlie Kloss, and Lauren Bush. The collaboration was made possible by CFDA, organization that all participating designers belong to. While VIP shoppers showed significant enthusiasm last night, with merchandise flying off the shelves, the tone was rather subdued today. Our fellow bloggers at Wreak Havoc NY were disappointed with the event, stating that “putting a limit on purchases and prohibiting running with merchandise on a narrow pathway is just the opposite of what should have been done”

While we personally see no harm in trying to keep the event orderly and to reduce the eBay resale phenomenon, we find the collection rather uneven.

We have picked our favorite items to share with you. Here they are.