Customized Shopping Tours - Like Mother, Like Daughter!

Last weekend's customized shopping tours were very unique experiences. (It was fun to create new routes and change things up a bit!) I had two mothers book tours to take with their teenaged daugthers but they had some special requests as far as their daughters' styles and interests.

On Friday, the mother of the 12-year-old girl (they were visiting from California) requested that we visit some of the Teen Tour stores but also some boutiques a la the Chic Boutique Tour that were unique to New York. So we picked them up in a towncar at their hotel and headed to Henri Bendel first since they had never been there. I explained to them that even though they had shopped on Fifth Avenue, Bendel's was a must-see since 1.) it's the holiday season and it's decorated beautifully and 2.) it changes weekly with the different designers they invite to showcase on the main floor. They ended up purchasing some of Bendel's signature holiday items (which make the perfect NON-tacky NYC souvenirs--really the ONLY NON-tacky NYC souvenirs!)

After Bendel's, we headed to the Juicy Couture Flagship Store. Even though the gals have Juicy Couture in California, the daughter is such a huge fan that I recommended we visit this shop at least for a few minutes.

From here we hopped back in the towncar and headed to East 12th Street in Greenwich Village. We made a quick stop at Make-up Forever and since all the make-up artists were occupied, I did a quick demonstration of their products on the daughter. A 12-year-old doesn't really need much make-up, of course, but just a little shimmer eye-shadow on her lids with a pale pink "pop of color" (nothing too drastic) followed by some clear, glittery gloss was the perfect palette.

Our next planned stop was Owl's Lab, but to my dismay they have closed their store!!! :-( They are exclusive to the online world right now and have a messenger service that can deliver ordered fashion right to your door.

Next up was Pia, although it was a stop geared more toward the mother. It was a little too sophisticated for a pre-teen. Same with Ibiza--a little too sophisticated, but nonetheless, still a very unique stop.

Since Owl's Lab was eliminated, I added two other last-minute stops to the tour that I thought the gals would enjoy. We hopped back into the towncar and it was off to LaGuardia Place to Helianthus and Purdy Girl. They absolutely LOVED these boutiques and it didn't hurt that both shops had HUGE sales going on! They made a few fun and funky jewelry purchases at Helianthus where they had everything from miniature pig charm necklaces to elegant floral charm bracelets. At Purdy Girl, they bought an adorable plaid peacoat for the tween and a chic cashmere sweater and scarf for the mother. Afterall, everything in the store was 50% OFF!

At this point we were running out of time so we headed to the must-see TopShop. This was a hit for both the mother and the daughter (although it was a little more funky than their preferred style.) Nonetheless, they took a liking to some of their basic tees and their funky accessories.

Before we parted ways, I gave them some suggestions for dinner in the area, which included a Little Italy favorite of mine--Umberto's Clam House! I also made a map of some other boutiques in the area that they might be interested in, including Jump and Keito (since the mother wanted to find shoes) and Olive & Bette's (which I knew the teen would love.)

Saturday's customized shopping tour (although planned for a Sweet 16 Birthday Party) also had some special requests. It was a mother, daughter and her teenaged friend in a limo and they were looking for some unique, funky, vintage/vintage-inspired and consignment boutiques. It was a very exciting itinerary to plan!

The tour began at City Bakery (where I recommended the gals have brunch since it was away from the bustle of their hotel in Times Square.) (Sometimes the disadvantage to a luxury transportation tour can be sitting in traffic for half the tour--especially during this busy holiday season. To avoid holiday traffic, I suggested we make the tour a downtown-only tour.)

First stop after City Bakery was Irregular Choice. The only store in the US is located in the heart of Soho/Nolita and it's like a shoe carnival. You will never find more unique shoes in your life! They had a blast exploring the British-designed shoes, sneakers, boots and handbags. They even had some unique clothing including t-shirts and raincoats.

Next stop was the Young Designers Market in Nolita which is a unique shopper's treasure trove! You can find anything from
jewelry made of geodes to never-before-seen slogan tees. What's great about YOUNG designers?? They're trying to build their business so their prices are EXTREMELY reasonable! The daughter purchased a beautiful purple dress with crocheted detail for just $40.

Following the market (where they spent a good 40 minutes--you almost have to with over 50 vendors), we headed to one of the more contemporary stops on the tour--Necessary Clothing. I knew they would love the prices and since they're from New Jersey and they have a Joyce Leslie, this would make for a nice alternative. The daughter ended up buying a couple cute holiday dresses while her friend purchased a cute pair of $7 earmuffs.

The last stops on the tour were Eye Candy and Zachary's Smile (both on Lafayette Street.) They loved browsing Eye Candy for their unique, vintage accessories and they had even more fun in the "Bargain Basement" at Zachary's Smile where the daughter found a cute holiday blouse for $5!

Since the time with the limo was up, I walked them over to their final destination--Urban Outfitters--the perfect ending for a day of shopping for teens with vintage style.

If you'd like to take a Customized Shopping Tour in New York City, contact us at www.shop-nyctours.com!

Teen Shopping Tours for the Birthday Girls!

Last weekend's Teen Shopping Tours, despite the weather, were fun, fun, fun! On Friday, the tour was for a 13-year-old birthday girl, her mom and her grandmother. I picked them up in a limo at 10am and we headed to our usual first stop on the Upper East Side. What made this tour extra special was that we had a stylist meet us at the first stop (the Abercrombie & Fitch Flagship). Kelly Mealia of Kreative Kouture and Ollie & Boo Jewelry had several outfits whipped out in no time and after a whirlwind in the dressing room, we were on our way to Henri Bendel while the mom purchased their favorites.

At Bendel's, we focused mostly on accessories since most of their women's clothing would be too large for the tiny teen. Kelly hand picked several headband options and again, it was a quick show for mom and grandma (who even bought some things for themselves--how could they not at the "Girl's Playground"???).

After the Bendel mini-spree, it was back in the limo and down Fifth Avenue to the Juicy Couture Flagship store where once again, Kelly put several cute pieces together to form some fabulous outfits. And the grandma picked out one of their signature terry-cloth track suits for HER daughter :-)

On the way to Noho/Soho, Kelly rode along with us and showed her beautiful jewelry collection, Ollie & Boo, which had just been seen on The Today Show the previous morning. The teen picked out her favorite earrings and Kelly left us at this point of the tour.

We continued on to Soho, where we stopped for a quick lunch break. While mom and grandma finished up eating, me and the teen headed over to the much-anticipated TopShop! This store was awesome because all 3 of the lovely ladies found clothing that worked for them here. The teen ended up getting an adorable jumper and a sweet bohemian top while the mom bought a stunning black cocktail dress and the grandma a beautiful floral blouse.

We were running out of time at this point so we had to head uptown to the MAC store where it was time for a teen makeover in preparation for her photo shoot. While the make-up artist applied some colorful and fresh eyeshadow and lip gloss, the grandma got a "smokey-eye" lesson.

At this point of the tour, it was time for me to leave them as they continued on to the photo shoot on location in the Meatpacking District with Caitlin Greer Photography.

These gals were super sweet and had a wonderful time, as did I! It made me want to take a shopping trip with my mom and grandma....so fun!

On Saturday, the tour was for a Sweet 16 Birthday and the group came into the city for the day from New Jersey. I met them at Penn Station where the limo picked them up. From here we headed uptown to Henri Bendel, where I assured them they would enjoy browsing the "Girl's Playground."

Since they wanted to focus more on unique, NYC shopping, we skipped Abercrombie & Fitch and Juicy Couture and headed downtown to Noho to Joyce Leslie and Necessary Clothing. On the way, they enjoyed their "teeny" cosmos. Since they're from New Jersey they were actually familiar with Joyce Leslie but they definitely loved shopping at Necessary Clothing. They found some amazing clothes, shoes and accessories at this stop but I assured them that they needed to save up some energy for TopShop--and they did!

TopShop was a super-successful stop as the sales going on were absolutely AMAZING! There was something for everyone and they made a lot of their purchases there.

After this stop, we headed to the West Village and they enjoyed their cupcakes along the way. There was a line at the Marc Jacobs Special Items store (as there often is) so I waited in line for them while they browsed Olive & Bettes and Juicy Couture Bleecker Street.

We were running out of time and I had mini-makeovers planned for the teens after the tour at Makeup Forever so we quickly finished up in the West Village. (Their mom told me these teens loved, loved, loved makeup so I knew this would be a nice addition to the tour for them!)

The limo dropped us off at Makeup Forever and while they waited for each teen to get their makeover, I mapped out a quick itinerary for them to eat dinner after, continue discount shopping and end up back at Penn Station. All in all, it was a fun birthday!

For more information about ShopNYC Tours OR to book a tour for YOUR teen's birthday, visit www.shop-nyctours.com!