I wrote a longer comment below, but it was so amazing before all the boutiques. I forgot to mention FOOD- the restaurant run by artists who volunteered cooking and staffing the place? I must have eaten there 100 times. The food was amazing and I discovered Porto Rico coffee beans there. I miss those days.
as a woman of a certain age that grew up in soho i could not love this more. PARTICULARLY the mystique boutique and daffys shout out. i would not be who i am today without getting complete Ho shit from Necessary clothing with their 5 dollar capris and communal dressing rooms. thanks for taking us back lena. ❤️
Daffy’s!! Spent all my teen money on 8th street and at Canal Jeans, Unique Clothing Warehouse and Reminiscence. How I coveted the Tootsi Plohound shoes at the first store on Prince Street….
Lena, thank you for a great walk down memory lane! Except my parents decamped Manhattan for Queens when she was pregnant with me, where I grew up, (incidentally sitting next to Steven Meisel in 5th grade. He was very generous with his snacks and sharing his Cray-Pas.) But one of my father's early jobs in the 1940s was at 64 Wooster St, (then Jacoby Bender, a watchband factory, now a very expensive commercial office building); my mom, always one to check out the new and interesting all through the city, took me to all of the artist's studios & galleries in the 1970s (some of them with us having to climb onto the loading docks to get in). I was a teenager then and I was enthralled with the cast iron facades of the buildings, architecture I had never seen. I loved being down there when it was undiscovered by the masses (I guess I was one of the masses too, growing up in Queens, but my heritage was Manhattan and Brooklyn so I never considered my self mass 😁) As things usually go, where the artists lead, commerce follows, & Dean and DeLuca, Broome Street Bar, & Agnes B came and I was down as much as I could to soak it all in. I discovered my holy grail look in Soho during that period- Comme, Yohji, and Issey, although I couldn't afford any of it back then but that is how I wanted to look and that's how I look today. I will probably die wearing my clumpy black oxfords or my black lug sole boots. Lena, how lucky you were to grow up right in the thick of it and breathe in the electric air every single day! What a great time that was!
I forgot to add one of my all time favorite places to eat- FOOD. I think it was on Prince. Also Jerry's, but that was later. FOOD was started & staffed by artists who volunteered their time. I wish it would come back.
Very good stuff. Thank you for taking us down memory lane. Observations. I have a background in skateboarding with my event the money cup. Built a skatepark in Queens Corona park flushing meadows. We ran all over downtown in the 2010’s. hung with Charles from Supreme. Is that store still there??? That was dope New York in the 90’s everything about that building. Read like a movie. So great job of painting the picture. And thank you for sharing pictures with us. For me it was Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles. and in the late 80’s and early 90’s in L.A. that’s where you wanted to be. I remember always hoping my mom would take me to ahhs cause that was the cool store. I really enjoyed this piece.
Perfect blast from the past! Daffy’s! Canal Jean’s! OMG Daryl K (my first pleather pants). Lena’s detail of outfits through the years is fantastic. Love this!
I'm from DC still here but I remember an early trip to NYC to Canal Jeans. I bought a pair of black jeans with white stitching and I wanna say an almost barrel leg. Back in DC I wore them to a bar and met my husband. I felt cool confident and New Yorky in those jeans. Thanks for bringing all that back to me. I love when clothes hold the story.
I love that there are so many former Soho shoppers feeling the feels- Necessary Clothing ahhh. It WAS necessary!
a canal jeans pin is all i have left to immortalize that time in retail -but Necessary is FOREVER !
I wrote a longer comment below, but it was so amazing before all the boutiques. I forgot to mention FOOD- the restaurant run by artists who volunteered cooking and staffing the place? I must have eaten there 100 times. The food was amazing and I discovered Porto Rico coffee beans there. I miss those days.
GHOST!!
as a woman of a certain age that grew up in soho i could not love this more. PARTICULARLY the mystique boutique and daffys shout out. i would not be who i am today without getting complete Ho shit from Necessary clothing with their 5 dollar capris and communal dressing rooms. thanks for taking us back lena. ❤️
Daffy’s!! Spent all my teen money on 8th street and at Canal Jeans, Unique Clothing Warehouse and Reminiscence. How I coveted the Tootsi Plohound shoes at the first store on Prince Street….
Lena, thank you for a great walk down memory lane! Except my parents decamped Manhattan for Queens when she was pregnant with me, where I grew up, (incidentally sitting next to Steven Meisel in 5th grade. He was very generous with his snacks and sharing his Cray-Pas.) But one of my father's early jobs in the 1940s was at 64 Wooster St, (then Jacoby Bender, a watchband factory, now a very expensive commercial office building); my mom, always one to check out the new and interesting all through the city, took me to all of the artist's studios & galleries in the 1970s (some of them with us having to climb onto the loading docks to get in). I was a teenager then and I was enthralled with the cast iron facades of the buildings, architecture I had never seen. I loved being down there when it was undiscovered by the masses (I guess I was one of the masses too, growing up in Queens, but my heritage was Manhattan and Brooklyn so I never considered my self mass 😁) As things usually go, where the artists lead, commerce follows, & Dean and DeLuca, Broome Street Bar, & Agnes B came and I was down as much as I could to soak it all in. I discovered my holy grail look in Soho during that period- Comme, Yohji, and Issey, although I couldn't afford any of it back then but that is how I wanted to look and that's how I look today. I will probably die wearing my clumpy black oxfords or my black lug sole boots. Lena, how lucky you were to grow up right in the thick of it and breathe in the electric air every single day! What a great time that was!
I forgot to add one of my all time favorite places to eat- FOOD. I think it was on Prince. Also Jerry's, but that was later. FOOD was started & staffed by artists who volunteered their time. I wish it would come back.
The Carolyn Bessette line about stepping over drunks to get home lands hard. A place forms you before you know it's forming you. Great piece.
Very good stuff. Thank you for taking us down memory lane. Observations. I have a background in skateboarding with my event the money cup. Built a skatepark in Queens Corona park flushing meadows. We ran all over downtown in the 2010’s. hung with Charles from Supreme. Is that store still there??? That was dope New York in the 90’s everything about that building. Read like a movie. So great job of painting the picture. And thank you for sharing pictures with us. For me it was Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles. and in the late 80’s and early 90’s in L.A. that’s where you wanted to be. I remember always hoping my mom would take me to ahhs cause that was the cool store. I really enjoyed this piece.
Perfect blast from the past! Daffy’s! Canal Jean’s! OMG Daryl K (my first pleather pants). Lena’s detail of outfits through the years is fantastic. Love this!
I am from Italy and I have no idea about any of this but I LOVED this newsletter!! Thanks!!!
Daffy’s !!!!
Agnes B still our fave cardi🤍
Yes Rose! I’m looking for a hooded one in size 3 if anyone spots…
The mention of Daffy's just unlocked something deep in my brain. Loved this!!
LOVE THIS! As a native NYer and forever shopper this just HIT!!!
I love your girlhood pics. Your style was chef’s kiss 💋 Adorbs
I think mystique boutique is STILL open
I'm from DC still here but I remember an early trip to NYC to Canal Jeans. I bought a pair of black jeans with white stitching and I wanna say an almost barrel leg. Back in DC I wore them to a bar and met my husband. I felt cool confident and New Yorky in those jeans. Thanks for bringing all that back to me. I love when clothes hold the story.
This is even making me nostalgic and I didn't step foot in New York until my mid-20s haha