Barneys, what fashion dreams are made of… I think, actually I know, that all fashion people remember their first Barneys purchase. As well as their second, and maybe even their third. My first purchase was a magenta, mohair skirt from Mark Eisen. It was 1995 so give me a break, ok? My second was a more sensible khaki eye shadow from Nars, when Barneys was the only place you could get it. Both of these purchases were made at the original temple of style, the Barneys store in Chelsea. The Madison Avenue location had already opened when I arrived in New York in the fall of 1994 to attend Parsons School of Design, but you know, at 17 yrs old, I was not a regular on Madison Avenue yet.
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When the Chelsea location closed, we were all forced uptown, but our warm and fuzzy feelings for the location never waned, even when the space was taken over by Loehmann’s. Yeah, I know, ironic. But now…Barneys is back! They may not have the entire of the former footprint but they do have an incredible interior, including, as a nod to the original interior, a breathtaking spiral staircase designed by Andrée Putman.
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A pair of Chanel platform sport sandals with LED lights. Who do you think is wearing these?
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Kyle and I made room at the end of a whirlwind client trip to NY to check out the recently opened store and boy were we happy we did. Natalie Van der Meer, my editor at For Her, joined us on our shopping excursion. What a jewel box! The store is 3 floors, compared to the Madison Avenue location’s 9, but we weren’t missing any of it. Well ok, maybe we missed home and kids a little bit, but the Karl Lagerfeld key chain heads made up for it. And the light up Chanel shoes. And the Anya Hindmarch rainbow stickers. Ok, enough reading. Let the drooling begin! Be sure to let us know your favorites too!
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Vintage Rolexes! Thankfully there wasn’t a purple one.
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Sparkling diamonds from Renee Lewis
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Our favorite stone pendant necklaces dressed up with diamonds. We featured these in February on our women’s gift guide.
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RLS approved: rainbows and diamonds
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We love Valentino’s butterflies! And how fun is this bohemian evening bag?
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The cheerful Anya Hindmarch bag collection that would make anyone smile. Rainbows and smiley faces!
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Karl Lagerfeld has created some of the most fun and creative designs at Chanel and Fendi lately. We fell in love with this $1,100 Fendi bag charm.
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Elephant crossbody bags from Loewe!
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Fendi Buggies Micro Baguettes with a gorgeous white Fendi backpack with a contrast rainbow trim!
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Fendi chelsea boots with Buggie-applique! You can tell we were very into anything completely whimsical, even better if it had eyes.
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Bedazzled Christian Louboutin sneakers!
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Lani Inlander is a personal stylist, working with clients who want to feel their best and look put-together every day. You can find her in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and New York areas.
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