Guest Post: How to Shop the City with @VintageBrook

The last guest post from my sister Brook was all about window shopping at Forever21. She found all the best things in-store right now. My personal fav was the Cresent Band Fedora, what was yours? Check out her "Best Things at Forever21" post when you click the link. (http://goo.gl/fQIRf6)

This time around Brook is giving us her tips on how to plan a New York shopping trip. New York City is about 5 hours away from Washington, DC where we live so its an easy day trip. A few weekends ago while I was in New York for bridal fashion week and a friend's birthday my sister came up to NYC for a few hours for a very special shopping trip. Read below to find out more and to see what she purchased! -Brea


Small bags and wallets at &Other Stories in Soho

@VintageBrook


A few weeks ago, while in New York, I entered a raffle at Bloomingdale's and got the shock of a lifetime when I actually won! 

The prize: a dress of my choosing from Bloomingdale's. 

The catch: To claim the dress I had to go back to the Soho, NY store where I entered the contest to and pick one out. 

I decided to use my good fortune as an excuse to spend the day shopping in New York. As a shopping hobbyist I find it peculiar when people get overwhelmed by a trip to their local mall. But even I, a person who has only lived in big cities, can still get overwhelmed shopping in a big city like New York. 

So I'm sharing my tips for executing an amazing (and stress free) shopping excursion in the city.

~

One Neighborhood Per Day

Don't try to shop the entire city in one day or even one trip. 

For my day trip to New York (I was literally only in NY for six hours) I focused on the Soho neighborhood exclusively. This isn't The Amazing Race. If you try to see everything you'll end up feeling rushed and only seeing very little of a whole lot. Instead pick one neighborhood and stay there. Explore it thoroughly and at your leisure. Relax, stroll, enjoy.




Know Yourself

Do you get hangry? Do you hate crowds? Does walking make you sad? Are you scared of shopgirls? 

Be real with yourself. While everyone should step outside of their box and push their boundaries occasionally, there are ways to do this without making yourself miserable. If you need a snack, pack one in your purse. Hate crowds? Try going out mid-day or even in inclement weather (it's amazing how even light rain can clear out a city.) Hate walking? Hop in an Uber, I won't judge you. Scared of shopgirls? ...Sorry, can't help you with that one.




Visit a Flagship

The familiar in a spectacular package.

Flagship stores are designed with the sole purpose of showcasing the brand. As a result they are bigger, sparklier and cleaner than your local store. They also have a much better selection than your local store. You will see things at a flagship store that you've never seen before and probably will never see again. Most major cities have flagship stores but you'll also find flagships in smaller cities where some of your favorite stores are based or were started.


The Uniqlo Store in Soho was the brand's first US store


Go Someplace New

Don't limit yourself to the places you've heard about, found on google or know from home. 

One of the best things about going somewhere new is finding something new. If you see a cool store, stop in. On my day trip to Soho I discovered &Other Storiesan amazing store that sells everything from soap to shoes. &Other Stories opened in October and the Soho location is the first store in the US. They are owned by H&M and the brand was actually created to be the accessories line of H&M. (I found all of this out by chatting with the cashier.)

Bonus tip - Talk to talkative employees!


Rings from my new favorite store &Other Stories



Consider the Journey Home

My shopping-while-traveling mantra: Don't buy things you'll have trouble transporting. 

After a lovely day shopping in Soho I headed to Penn Station to take the train back to DC. Throughout the day I made sure to only purchase small items that were easy to carry. I bought a few accessories and three types of lotion (hand cream, coconut oil cooling spray and a scented lotion from the VS Pink store that is no longer carried in my area.) If I were flying my excessive need for moisturizer would have been a nightmare but these were perfect items to transport via train. I consolidated all of the small shopping bags I'd collected along the way into one medium sized bag... boarded the train and rode off into the sunset.

...actually my Acela was an hour and half late and completely packed, but I was able to stay totally zen as a result of left over good vibes from my wonderful stress free day of shopping in the city!

 What I bought from &Other Stories

For more adventures in shopping follow Brook on Instagram:  

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