Teen Fashion and Fun Tours Galore!

This past weekend was filled with Teen Fashion and Fun! It started on Friday with 6 women (2 teens and 4 adults) from Michigan. They were ready to shop, shop, shop. They had booked the photo shoot for after the tour and due to time constraints we only had 3 hours to find the teens their outfits. So we were definitely on a mission.

We began the tour at Makeup Forever in Greenwich Village, where Floriane (one of the amazing Makeup Forever sales reps) gave them mini-makeovers and they bought some really cool, brightly colored eye pencils. They didn't want to spend too much time there though. (We already had appointments for them at Mac scheduled for post-tour/pre-photo shoot). So we headed down the street to the first clothing and accessories boutique, Owl's Lab. The teens loved it, not only for the incredible fashion, but because of the fact that many of the pieces worn on Gossip Girl come from this fabulous boutique. They bought some awesome clothes and accessories that were (OMG) very Serena and Jenny.

Next stop was Rugby, which was actually requested by one of the teens. Rugby was her absolute favorite and she bought a few darling-with-an-edge outfits that were very UES prep. The other teen said she was more of a girly-girl so I walked her down the street to Ibiza where I knew she would find some sweet, feminine and bohemian dresses, skirts and blouses.

Following Greenwich Village, we headed to Soho. By this time I had a great feel for each of the teens' personal styles so I knew that we had to hit up TopShop. This was a gold mine for both of them! They found a great mix of edgy, funky fashion along with lacey, frilly and chic pieces. While one of the teens found shoes galore, the other found her perfect outfits for the photo shoot.

After TopShop, it was back in the limo and up to the Mac store on 22nd and Fifth Avenue for their makeovers. While they were getting made-up by the Mac professionals, I headed to Magnolia Bakery (usually a stop on the tour but we ran out of time) and grabbed their cupcakes. Once I got back to the Mac store and handed them their sweets they were ready to hop in a cab and head to the photo shoot on location in Chelsea with professional photographer, Caitlin Greer.



In addition to the above Teen Fashion and Fun experience, I also gave a tour on Saturday for a 16-year-old girl and her father. They opted for the Subway/Walking Tour instead of the Limo Tour. We began the tour on Upper Fifth Avenue, where we visited the usual including the Abercrombie & Fitch Flagship, Henri Bendel and Juicy Couture. Then it was into the subway and we headed downtown to Soho, where the teen wanted to find some back-to-school shoes and dresses. She found a cute pair of much-wanted gladiator sandals at David Z and as far as clothing, Joyce Leslie was definitely her favorite. She found several outfits that she really liked and she was pleased (along with her father) to see the amazingly reasonable prices too.

After the tour, her father sent me an e-mail with this message:

"Thank you very much for the help with shopping with my daughter yesterday! She was thrilled with the whole trip to NYC and the shopping was the highlight for her. We also did well back home - my wife was surprisingly impressed with my daughter's purchases..."

If you'd like to book a Teen Fashion and Fun Tour or Teen Fashion and Fun Tour with a Fashion Photo Shoot, please visit www.shop-nyctours.com/tours for more information. I look forward to shopping with you!

Chic Boutique Tour with Carolina Gal!

I absolutely LOVE North Carolina!  So when I found out I was giving a shopping tour for a woman from Greenville who currently lives in Raleigh, I was really looking forward to some "Carolina bonding."  Afterall, I went to college in Wilmington, and pretty much partied all over the state (in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Chapel Hill and Greenville) during those days of youth..... ;-)  I have a lot of fond memories of NC.  

This woman was really sweet, early 30s and engaged (her fiance lives in New York.)  She works as an attorney and pretty much comes to New York every weekend to visit.  The shopping tour was a gift from him and since it was just a solo tour, he opted for the subway/walking tour which she actually preferred.  She said she felt like walking and taking the subway was more authentic to NYC.  She also commented how she could see tourists really benefitting from having a tour guide to teach them about the subway system.  

At any rate, the tour stops were all the same as usual.  In Greenwich Village, she particularly liked La Petit Coquette (as did her fiance) for their classy lingerie.  (In fact, I think she pointed out some neglige sets she liked to give him an idea of her taste.)  She also tried on quite a few outfits in Owl's Lab, which seemed to be one of her favorites.  She took a card and made a note that she wanted to go back there after the tour.  She wanted to have some time to think about her purchases before she bought them--smart girl!

She actually made a comment halfway through the tour that even though she lived in New York for almost five years and visits every weekend, she had never been to the stores I was introducing her to.  Like most New Yorkers, she was always too busy to explore the often "hidden gem" boutiques in the city.  

When we got to Soho, she really enjoyed New York Look and tried on a few things there as well.  Instead of sticking to the more commercial stores, after New York Look, I suggested we head to West Soho to visit some of the vintage boutiques.  She really enjoyed Chelsea Girl Couture and Laurel Canyon (where she tried on a pair of their awesome vintage cowboy boots.)  I also mentioned Flying A and she commented that she had been there before and had been meaning to go back.  I told her that this would be a good time, since they offer 15% off vintage items to my tours.  

While in transit to the last stop on the tour, we talked about some of the amazing vintage stores in North Carolina, including Buffalo Exchange (which I told her recently opened a store in NYC) and a lot of the cool vintage shops in Chapel Hill.  We also talked about downtown Raleigh and how it's such a beautiful, quaint town.  I told her I went to school in Wilmington and she told me she had been there within the last month and actually bought the sandals she was wearing while she was there.  (These sandals were adorable and she got SO many compliments on them throughout the tour!)  

Darling, in the West Village/Meatpacking area, was the last stop, which I knew she'd enjoy because by this time, I had a good feel for her personal taste and style.  I also think she was a little overwhelmed by this point since we had been shopping for 3 1/2 hours and she had seen a lot that she really liked and wanted to go back to see after the tour.  She had also been awake since the crack of dawn and had plans to go out with friends that evening so I walked her to the nearest subway and pointed her in the direction of her fiance's.  She was really grateful to me for the tour and said she had a wonderful time.  I had a great time too.  We hugged goodbye.  I'm telling you, it's something about those Carolina connections...... :-)

If you'd like to take one of our subway/walking shopping tours, visit www.zerve.com/ShopNYCTours for more information and to purchase tickets.  I hope to shop with you soon!