There’s a reason that Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” has become an international phenomenon. She knows that cleaning out your home is not just a chore on your to-do list but an act of cleansing that leads to renewal. It can be a way to completely refresh how you look and feel both in and out of the house. This winter, gut your closet to make way for your new look in your new life at Extell Development’s One Manhattan Square condos — a task made easy by the fact that you will be smack in the middle of the fashion mecca of the Lower East Side. Stores like Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Totokaelo, Frankie Shop, and Of Mercer will provide you with exactly what you need to restock with elegant wardrobe fundamentals, and find those standout pieces that turn an outfit into a statement of Downtown luxury.
Maryam Nassir Zadeh is a shop on Norfolk Street owned by the designer herself, and is the perfect place to outfit yourself for a night of gallery hopping in the neighborhood. Of her own designs, Zadeh said to Vogue this fall, “My collection is always so much about my life, and [while] I’m obsessed with New York and the speed and intensity of the city, it’s also such a deep part of my life to go away and travel. So I loved the idea of fusing both of those worlds.” Part of the charm of these clothes is how that juxtaposition, the overlapping of many worlds, captures what it means to be a New Yorker. At the shop, you can find a transparent pink raincoat by Marine Serre that intersects the practical with the eye-popping in a way that perfectly captures Downtown chic and the playful aesthetic of the Lower East Side.
Where, you may ask yourself, can you find a room spray inspired by the French Surrealists, contained in a handcrafted Tuscan glass bottle, to set the tone for your new home and your closet clean-out? The answer is Totokaelo, a shop that feels like a gallery because the clothes and objects for sale are truly works of art. Here, you will find pieces by Issey Miyake, Dries Van Noten, and Jil Sander that manage to transform familiar articles of clothing into wearable charisma — with a minimalist touch.
At Frankie Shop, you can find a pair of houndstooth tweed pants by Nanushka and a colorblock beret to create a look that reinvents what it means to be classic. Of Mercer offers the Morgan Dress, which is basically the platonic ideal of the work-to-play little black dress. You can also book a shopping appointment with a stylist who will hand-select pieces just for you.
With shops like these near your new home at One Manhattan Square, you can take your look, and your life, to the next level.