Shop Gotham NYC shopping tours is offering a 50% discount! off the May 4th Garment Center “Insider” Shopping Tour (for women). Tickets are VERY limited. If you have ever been curious about those wholesale showrooms and hot designer sample sales, here is the perfect opportunity to save big on your new spring clothes and accessories as well as the tour!

To book.

http://www.shopgotham.com/daily-new-york-shopping-tours.php

code: May4

www.shopgotham.com

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NYC loves this season for a lot of reasons:  the cherry trees blooming at Central Park, the sidewalk cafes re-appearing on the streets, the opportunity to wear peep-toed shoes!  But for those who consider shopping a way of life, spring also means SAMPLE SALES!!

April and May feature some of the best sample sales from some of the hottest designers.  Take a Garment Center Insider Tour to get to some of the following sales.   BUT the highlight of the tour will be going behind the scenes and into  some of New York’s top private designer showrooms.   Sign up today!

April 25-30 Fred Perry

April 27-29 Vivienne Tam

April 27-29 Aeffe USA

April 28-30 Paul Smith

May 3-5 Furla

May 9-27 Charlotte Ronson, Odd Molly, Bloch

May 10-12 Rachel Roy/Pink Tartan

May 18-22 Theory

Also coming this spring:  Tory Burch, J. Crew, Lewis Cho and more!  Stay tuned…

Common Dressing Room Question

At Shop Gotham we hear that question over and over.  But guess what?  Sometimes it’s not you, honey, it’s the store.  Blogger Ryan O’Connell posted this hilarious list of stores guaranteed to make you feel fat! See if your favorites (or least favorites) made the list by clicking on the link!

As a long time New Yorker, this owner of Shop Gotham NYC shopping tours has spent plenty of time in Bloomingdales. While I generally do love the store, a visitor is now more than ever, under siege by perfume sprayers and cosmetic product purveyors. So part tongue in cheek, part real advise, here is the visitors guide to avoiding this madness: Enter at the northern most corner of the Third Avenue side (@60th St). This the Men’s accessories dept, where the sprayers are safely not positioned. Step forward a few feet, look left and spot the UP escalator. Walk towards it without making eye contact with anyone, les a sprayer is possibly lurking in the wrong spot. Once on this escalator you are free to calmly roam the 7 other glorious floors. If however, you do need a handbag, cosmetics or costume jewelry – all which lie on that 1st floor, be ready to buck up and enjoy the scents. For more info on shopping in nyc, visit. www.shopgotham.com

What to Wear:  Spring 2011

If you’re heading to New York this spring, you may be staring at your suitcase unsure of what to pack.  After all, the weather here changes just about every five minutes.  Don’t worry– you can always pick up what you need on a New York City fashion and shopping tour.  Read on for some key spring staples at affordable prices….

Spring 2011 Women’s

1.  Platform Shoes

Inspired by Lady Gaga’s over-the-top footwear, heels this season are drag-queen high platforms.  We’re in love with these nude pumps by Steve Madden with a cute slingback:  another hot trend this season.  And these peep-toe slingbacks by Madewell  put a twist on the classic Oxford.  You can’t go wrong with either of these picks!   These shoes are perfect for a sweet 16 outing or for a night on the town.

2.  White Jeans

Pair your cute platform heels with a stylish pair of white jeans.  This trend has re-emerged hotter than ever after the popularity of white jeans last summer.  This season they’re as blindingly white as possible and come in a variety of cuts and sizes.  Check out this funky take on classic cargo pants by Alice and Olivia:

2.  Tailored Blazer

This bookish, smart blazer by Brooklyn Industries dresses up or down and is the ideal travel accessory.  It doesn’t wrinkle, and be thrown on when the temperature fluctuates, which in New York City is every five minutes.  Purchase it at 15% off on your next Shop Gotham Soho tour!

But for those with the guts to wear it, orange is the hot new shade this season, as evidenced by the orange blazers on socialite Olivia Palermo and  Rachel Bilson.  Ease into this trend with this gorgeous orange cardigan by Tory Burch:

Spring 2011 Men’s

Given that Shop Gotham is now offering a brand-new men’s tour, we want to be sure to update everybody on men’s fashion as well.  Read on for some startling trends in men’s fashion!

1.  Sun-Faded Denim

For those not quite willing to sport floral patterned shorts, no matter who designed them, stick with classic denim.  While a good pair of jeans is essential no matter where you live, here in New York, sun-faded denim is making its way back into the mainstream.

Levi’s has paired up with Opening Ceremony to create this gorgeous, high-quality chambray line:

2. Military, Military, Military

Even if you’re not the type who ever harbored fantasies of becoming a soldier, chances are you will be embracing military-themed clothing this season!

This ultra-sexy leather military jacket from John Varvatos is worth every penny.  Varvatos puts his signature rock and roll twist on a classic jacket in butter-soft leather.  John Varvatos’ Bowery flagship store is among the stops on the newly launched men’s tour.  PIck one up at 20% off on one of our tours this spring.  It’s a must-have for a cool evening.

Orlando Bloom is sporting  sexy skinny cargo pants for men in the Uniqlo ads featured on the subway and billboards of Manhattan.  Here at Shop Gotham, we’ll take one of each:  Bloom and his pants!  Pick up a pair for the guy in your life (also available for girls!) on a Soho tour today.

3. Comfy Slip-On Shoes

We love our heels at Shop Gotham, but we can’t help feeling a little envious of how easy men have it this season.  Slip-on shoes have long been a staple of summer, but this year the uber-casual footwear has caught the eye of one of our favorite designers, John Varvatos.  (Again!  We love him.  We’re shameless.)

This time we’re really excited by his collaboration with Converse for a classic, All-American look that dresses up or down.  On our most recent men’s tour, the employees were quick to point out this top seller:

This urban twist on an American classic is very New York.  For this and other trends, take your man on an NYC fashion and shopping tour today!

Once in a while you have to toot your own horn. This recent review of our Garment Center “insider” tour made us feel so good, we needed to share. Come along for the fun. www.shopgotham.com

“If you even remotely enjoy shopping, schedule your Garment Center “Insider” tour NOW. This is a highly personalized, absolutely amazing insider peek in the garment district of NYC. You will not only see cutting edge fashion, you will also meet wonderful designers in their showrooms who take their creative passion and turn it into salable beauty on a daily basis. Plan on shopping along the entire route.  So  many gorgeous and sumptuous choices. I walked away with shockingly affordable pieces. Sharonb – Yelp

Shop Gotham is all about NYC; not just shopping. We share with you more reasons why NYC Rocks: 

1)Because: At 8:30 am this morning, the phenom country band Sugarland played in Central Park for free as part of the Good Morning America concert series.  New Yorkers not being ardent country music fans, the 150 or so watchers had a near private concert in the most perfect setting imaginable

2)Because Kelsey Grammer can be seen and not bothered while hanging out on Columbus Ave.

 3)Because most NYC women still have original unenhanced  “god-given” breasts.

4)Because if you ate out 3x a day 365 days a year, you would still not have covered all of the restaurants here (because 1/2 of those you ate in will have been replaced by another by year’s end)

5)Because today the cast of In the Heights played the cast of Billy Elliot today in teh Broadway Show League

If you like what we like, you will also love our shopping tours. www.shopgotham.com.

See ya in NY! 

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Take Mom shopping. Or yourself. You know that’s the best gift!

In honor of the occasion, enjoy 15% off for this weekend’s Soho & Nolita Chic Boutiques shopping tours. Offer good: May 7, 8, 9.

To book: www.shopgotham.com. Code: Mom10.

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So… we at Shop Gotham recently took some major fashion magazine editors shopping. Would love to drop names but  alas, cannot. Suffice it to say, these stylin’ gals have seen it all and then some. They had just come from the top 2010 fashion “shows” in Bryant Park, have been courted directly by all important designers and likely over time received plentiful freebies. So we hit some of the uberfab independents in NYC.  Yes, they loved Kirna Zabete, Deco Jewels, and Opening Ceremony. But where did they drop their $?? At UNIGLO!!! They were pumped up about the new + J line (Jil Sander), specifically the black jackets in 3 lengths, which are oh so Prada reminiscent, but a mere $79- $99. Who would have thunk?   www.shopgotham.com

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Join us Wed & Fri for the last Garment Center “Insider” Tours of the year. www.shopgotham.com.  Happy Holidays to all