There’s never a dull moment in the Big Apple, and that very much applies to the city’s shopping scene as well. Despite New Yorkers’ penchant for wearing black clothing, the city lives and breathes fashion—in all shades of the color wheel. Fashion is an essential part of New York’s DNA—the industry employs 180,000 people, or six percent of the city's workforce. Emerging designers and well-established industry names all call New York their home and leave their mark, season after season, on the city’s diverse retail landscape.
From big national chains like Neiman Marcus to independent boutiques, vintage and concept stores, New York City has it all. And you don’t have to travel far to find all of the above. Just look at SoHo, for example. In the span of only a few city blocks, you can satisfy all of your luxury shopping cravings.
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So whether you’re looking for a unique gift or simply want to treat yourself, you’re in the right place. Here, we rounded up the best places for shopping in NYC.
Hudson Yards
Manhattan’s newest neighborhood, located between 30th and 34th street on the West Side, is a haven for luxury shoppers. Head straight to the seven-story shopping mall that houses over a hundred stores. In the middle of it all is New York City’s first Neiman Marcus store that spans three floors over 188,000-square-foot. The store quite literally has everything including a spa, pop-up flower shop, and a private room for jewelry shopping.
Other luxury brands that have retail outposts in the trendy shopping center include Chanel, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Kenzo, and Dior. If you’re looking for something a bit more sparkly, we recommend you pay a visit to Van Cleef & Arpels, Piaget, or Tiffany & Co.
Anthom
This cool 300-square-foot boutique is located in the heart of SoHo and specializes in “thoughtful womenswear.” What does that mean, you ask? Anthom is for the modern woman who is not afraid to stand out. An A-line pull-on midi skirt with undone hemline by Ma Non Troppo and a pair of peach-hued slides with wooden cylindrical heels are some of this week’s new arrivals that caught our eye.
Leather bags, jewelry, shoes, and sunglasses are beautifully arranged on tables throughout the store while apparel neatly hangs on gold-tone racks. We also love that the apparel and accessories come in a wide range of prices. 25 Mercer Street. New York, NY 10013
Opening Ceremony
If you wonder where cool kids in the city shop for clothing and accessories, the answer is Opening Ceremony, founded by Kenzo alumns and friends Carol Lim and Humberto Leon in 2002. While there are two stores in New York—one on 29th street and Broadway and one on Howard Street in Lower Manhattan—we’d head to the original outpost in SoHo that the company calls “the heart and soul of OC.”
The four-story space includes a shoe gallery, a kid’s corner, and a bookshop. And while 35 Howard street is dedicated to womenswear, the company also owns 33 Howard street which caters to men. In both stores, expect to find well-established labels like Acne, Jeremy Scott, and the company’s own in-house label as well as a lot of up-and-coming designers. 35 Howard St, New York, NY 10013
Ina
When fashion influencers and stylish Manhattanites are cleaning up their closets of designer pieces that no longer spark joy, they usually end up at Ina. The company has been around since 1993 and owns four stores in the city where they offer carefully curated apparel and accessories for men and women, all in perfect condition.
Ina’s brand list really reads like something out of a luxury fashion magazine—Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Gucci, Burberry, Versace, Tom Ford to name just a few. It’s not unusual for Ina to sell some very rare items like a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk (that came with a $16,000 price tag) or new limited edition fashion pieces. 207 West 18th Street, 10011 New York
Fivestory
This ultra-chic Uptown concept store is an institution among Manhattan’s most stylish crowd. Founded by New York-native Claire Distenfeld Olshan when she was only 26 years old, Fivestory occupies a historic townhouse on East 69th street and offers an incredible selection of luxury apparel, jewelry, beauty, and accessories, all handpicked by Distenfeld.
Your closet will look a lot chicer after a visit at Fivestory—floral maxi dresses by Ulla Johnson, Rosie Assouline, Zimmermann, and Prabal Gurung, cashmere cardigans by Alanui, and bucket bags by Staud all make the roster.18 E 69th St, New York, NY 10065
Maryam Nassir Zadeh
If you ask any fashionable New Yorker to list her favorite boutiques, you may get a lot of different responses but one name you’ll hear over and over again: Maryam Nassir Zadeh. Zadeh’s LES uber-cool boutique is the fashion source that just keeps on giving in a city obsessed with street style. The store actually looks more like a gallery with a very industrial feel to it (a testament to Zadeh’s impeccable attention to detail and a knack for merchandising) where clothing, shoes, and jewelry are displayed on architectural racks, tables, and the concrete floor.
While Zadeh now has her own line of clothing and shoes, the boutique also carries a mixture of new and established designers like Jacquemus, Saskia Diez, and All-In. 123 Norfolk St, New York, NY 10002
Totokaelo
This concept store specializes in the coolest fashion pieces for men and women as well as lifestyle products such as vases and candles. The company also just launched its first ever in-house menswear collection under its in-house label Totokaelo Archive that includes crisp white button-up shirts with contrast stitching, fleece hoodies, cropped pants, and …pleated skirts.
The store boasts five stories and oozes a very homey vibe—high ceilings, exposed beams, white walls, and hardwood floors. The brand list includes the likes of Maison Margiela, Issey Miyake, and Dries Van Noten. 54 Crosby street, 10012 New York
Dover Street Market
The seven-story New York outpost of the famous London store opened its doors in late 2013 and quickly won over the city’s cool crowd. Since Dover Street Market is owned by Comme des Garçons and the stores are curated by the genius Rei Kawakubo, the space is anything but ordinary. Bright wallpaper covers some of the walls, others sport exposed bricks, while a column is “dressed” in knitwear patches sewn together.
Naturally, you will find Comme des Garçons—and all its lines—very well represented in the store. Other brands include Gucci, Balenciaga, and Rick Owens. 160 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10016
Westfield World Trade Center
Fifteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Westfield World Trade Center shopping center at the Oculus opened its doors immediately transforming lower Manhattan into a retail hotspot. The 350,000-square-foot mall features over a hundred stores among which Boss, Breitling, Longines, and Smythson as well as coffee shops and eateries.
We love shopping here because the area is also a major transportation hub so reaching it from any point in Manhattan—even from New Jersey—is extremely easy. We’ll also never get tired of snapping photos of the Oculus and once we’re done with all our shopping we head to Brookfield waterfront across the street to enjoy the beautiful vistas over Hudson River. 185 Greenwich Street New York NY 10007
