Customized Shopping Tour - Couple from Germany

So I have to admit that our tours are more popular with women, however, we do get the occasional request for tours that offer shopping for men too! Such was the case with the couple from Germany.

They were a lovely married couple in there 30s/40s and the lady had a strong love for trendy fashion whereas the guy definitely appreciate a simpler, classic style. I decided it would be best to start our shopping with the the women's store since shopping for women can be a little more difficult and time consuming than shopping for men.

We began the tour in Greenwich Village at Pia, where I knew the lady would find some beautiful handbags and some very unique clothing by Debra Moorefield as well. She ended up taking a strong liking to one of their Treesje handbags (which I love) along with some of their beautiful Scottish cashmere. She actually ending up purchasing a black cashmere sweater that could be worn several ways (3 to be exact) which made it a very, very practical purchase.

Moving on from Pia, we headed next door to Ibiza where there was a huge sale going on since they're moving to their new store very soon. The lady tried on several of their tops by Custo Barcelona along with some of their beautiful coats. It was another successful stop as she walked away with a dress, top and a beautiful black trench with mesh detail.

After Ibiza, we walked across the street to La Petite Coquette where, although a women's lingerie store, was equally fun for the guy to shop, of course! The owner, Rebecca, was there and it was a pleasure to finally meet the creator of this gem-of-a-shop. Again, the lady walked away with some beautiful underwear by La Perla and beautiful hosiery by Wolford.

From here, the limo picked us up and I was told that we needed to find snow boots for the guy since it was due to start a blizzard at any moment. I took them to Keito in Soho on West Broadway and it was a little too fashion forward for the guy's liking. So instead we went up the block to Reno fashions, where I knew they had more casual, sporty boots and shoes. Here they bought a classic pair of black boots for the guy along with some colorful Ugg boots for their two daughters.

It was back to the fashion track after this stop. The lady specified that she needed jeans so we headed down to Flying A in Soho where I knew they had a huge selection including: Domino, Notified, Paper Denim, 2 Blocks South, Maje, Joe's Jean's, and Eden. She tried on a few pair while the guy browsed the men's selection but they didn't have much luck on sizes.

We walked down the block and I suggested they take a peek in Olive & Bette's since we were waiting on the limo. I knew they would be able to find different sizes for Joe's Jeans here and also James Jeans as well. It was a success! She found jeans and a few cute tops to match which I believe were Plenty and Splendid.

After this stop, the lady insisted that she was through shopping and that we needed to focus on her husband. They enjoyed a glass of champagne while in transit and then the limo dropped us off at Inven.tory which ended up being a little too trendy for his liking. We were running out of time so we couldn't get over to the East Village from Soho and have enough time so I suggested a last-minute stop in Noho at Save Khaki on the way back uptown to their hotel. It was a perfect fit--figuratively and literally. The guy was pleased with the style and the sizes also fit him well. He ended up purchasing a few sweaters, shirts and a couple pairs of pants. So although the lady left the tour with a small new wardrobe, the guy ended up doing well for himself too.

If you'd like to schedule a customized shopping tour for you and your hubby (or boyfriend), visit our website at www.shop-nyctours.com for more information. Happy New Year and we look forward to shopping with you!

Chic Boutique Tour - Bachelorette Party!

Saturday's tour was the first Chic Boutique Tour that I've given in a while.  My Vintage Boutique and Teen Fashion and Fun Tours have been more popular, probably because of the state of the economy.  The Chic Boutique Tour definitely visits boutiques with higher overall price points than the other tours, but you can still find select items that don't cost a fortune, and window shopping is always welcome too.  

The group was a lot of fun.  There were two women from Reno, Nevada and then, of course, the bachelorette party, from Pittsburgh, PA.  Due to the size of the group, we took a limo, which always puts a smile on women's faces--especially when it's a surprise.  

First stop was in Greenwich Village at Make-up Forever.  The bride-to-be got some advice from the sales associates (who are all professional make-up artists) about how to do her makeup for the big day.  A couple other ladies in her party made some purchases too, while the ladies from Reno visited an art gallery across the street.  

Around the corner on University Place was Pia, where all of the ladies took a look at the beautiful handbags.  Bruce, the owner, was friendly, as always.  They all loved the store but the price range wasn't in their budget.  So I suggested, since it was a bachelorette party, that they head across the street to La Petit Coquette to take a look at the cute, feminine and funky lingerie selection.  The ladies from Reno showed a strong interest in gift shops and housewares stores so I pointed them in the direction of William Wayne & Company.  In the last 15 minutes of our stop in Greenwich Village, both groups ended up in Ibiza, which they all seemed to take a strong liking too.  They were all pretty amazed with their beautiful collection of jewelry, their cool hats and their funky handbags.

After Greenwich Village, it was back to the limo and off to Soho.  Since I had a good feel for the group by this point, I decided to take them to the west side of Soho rather than the east side, since the boutiques in that area are more unique than commercial but still reasonable in pricing.  They visited Laurel Canyon Vintage (one of the ladies in the bachelorette party wanted to see their cowboy boot collection after viewing the video), Chelsea Girl Couture (one of the ladies from Reno was interested in the Moon Bags after viewing the video), The Hat Shoppe, Lunessa and DKNY to name a few.  The ladies from Reno also visited Clio (a housewares store.)  This was a perfect area for the combination of groups since there is such a wide range of boutiques.  There was definitely something for everyone.  

After Soho, we got back in the limo and they each enjoyed a glass of champagne as we headed over to the West Village/Meatpacking District.  Next stop was Darling, which is one of my personal favorites.  Darling is awesome because they have a range of contemporary fashion, vintage fashion, vintage-inspired fashion and of course, a lovely dress collection on the lower level.  They also have some amazing accessories like broaches, earrings, necklaces, belts, and hats to name a few.  Darling carries some select handbags and shoes and some scented candles and oils for the home, which gives the entire store the most pleasant smell.  

Everyone enjoyed this store but since the bachelorette party was taking more time than the other women, I suggested they head over to the next block where they could visit Mxyplyzyk, which is one of the coolest gift shops in the city.  I also suggested that they visit Tea & Sympathy across the street where they could find some great gifts as well.  I would normally suggest The Bathroom too but it turns out that they're Greenwich Avenue store closed.  Times are definitely tough.

The West Village/Meatpacking was our last stop and after some successful purchases, the limo picked us up and dropped off each group at their requested location (another advantage of having a small group), which they really appreciated, considering it was raining like crazy all day.  

If you'd like to do something special in NYC for your bride-to-be, visit www.shop-nyctours.com and book one of our tours.  Both public and private groups tours are available.  Hope to shop with you soon!