brown shoes.

These three styles from Giraudon are on their way to catbird right now. I suppose it goes without saying, but I love them. Think how great they will look with tights and wool skirts. Sort of a cool, WWII style.

new fall looks.

Level 99 Vest
MinkPink white blouse with black bow

Dace hanky blouse
Kyumi navy wool high waist A-line skirt

Ali Ra green scooter dress
Lily+Jae Navy Bedford Coat

Kyumi silk blouse with tie
Lily+Jae Suspender dress

Fall clothes are just irresistible.
We also have some great new knee socks to ratchet it up a notch or two. Come see.

shhhh.

One of our absolutely favorite designers, Stephanie Simek (the creator of the quail egg necklace), has created another piece of wearable art. What could be better than actual, soft, little, pussy willows gently brushing your neck every time you move? Um, someone walking behind you scratching your back all day and telling you how awesome you are?

Stephanie calls them "silent wind chimes". They are perfect for this Falliest of Falls we're having here in New York. The first one sold after it had been in the store for a hot minute.

new old hollywood.

Tippy Porter, my right hand lady and really, truth be told, my second brain, has just opened a beautiful store that everyone needs to go to. Often. Here's the deal:

We listen to records and wear petticoats. We drink bourbon and eat coconuts. We ride skateboards in mini-skirts. We play accordions and develop film. We are Old Hollywood.

That right there tells you all you need to know. That, and also that Tiffany does everything right. Check out her jam in person at 110 Meserole in wonderful Greenpoint, Brooklyn. And read all about it here.

the owl and the pussycat.

These two rings, by the super sweet Kimberlin Brown, are at the Bedford store right now. The kitty has a movable collar and sparkly eyes. The owl, we are pretty certain, can see in the dark. Both rings perfectly ride the fine line between cute and badass. Hand made in New Yawk City by the loveliest of lovelies.

glamorama ding dong.

A nice collection of photos to add a sprinkle of glamour to your day. I needed it between fighting with inurance companies, paying sales tax and cleaning up baby puke.

svens are here.

Best. Boots. Ever. The rest of your shoes are gonna wonder where you disappeared to. And we have the ones with the most comfy, bendy sole. You will wonder what you ever did before them. Trust. For real.

dru shoes

Dru shoes are perfection. The toes are always exactly right and the styling is cool and easy to wear. They hit the nail on the head every time. (There's a gross toenail joke in there somewhere.) These two beauties just came in. The bottom, patent ones have a mirror-shiny silver wedge. It's like if Audrey Hepburn starred in Barberella.

hats off.

(the pics below and above are of the same, reversible hat.)

I love hats. A hat done right, makes everything better. Hides bad hair, frames the face, snazzes up a boring outfit. I am positively certain that hats are magical and can make you feel better. In fact, I like to wear a hat right after I wash my hair - we call this "cookin' it in a hat" - to ensure a fine, matted look, straight outta the shower. So, all that translates into me buying LOTS of hats for the store. Many styles, purposes and price ranges.

One of my favorites is Tsuyumi hats. They are all made by hand and each hat displays "a flair for controlled exuberance". (yes, that line is stolen from her bio.) They are just too great. We started Spring trade shows yesterday and placed a big order with her for spring (very Gatsby). Above are some favorites from her that are in the store right now. (The fur one is my favorite, and it is reversible.) (note: it is FAKE FUR. should have specified this earlier.)

Also in the store right now are beautiful, simple, undyed cashmere winter hats that we could not keep in stock last year. (We also have them in black this year.) They are in and we sold a bunch this 90º weekend. And Christy's of London (who have been around since 1773!) is in too. Super styley, amazing quality, old world fedoras at prices that seem to have stayed the same since 1773.

Coming very soon, the huge, great Mischa Lampert hats - available at Barneys for three times the price. Sheesh Barneys. Try not to be so greedy!

Q is for Quail.

More new stuff on the way from Quail. Take a gander. Really great, interesting constructions, Easy flattering style. Cool and very affordable. (Everything falls well under $200.)

fall. oh how i lurv thee.

New fall merchandise has been streaming in and it is oh so great. (I am really resisting using lots of caps and exclamation points here.)

Our favorite new line right now is Mink Pink. It's from Australia, where apparently they know a little sumpin sumpin. Oh and you thought it was all koalas and dingos eating babies. The prices are friendly as can be (under $100) and it is just irresistible. (So irresistible, in fact, that we sold some stuff to a smart and discerning cookie before we had finished unpacking the box.)

More pics to come! Please come by and check out the new wares in person. We did all the work for you and edited like crazy. There is a really wide price range and the styles are fun, flattering, easy and exciting to wear. Set yourself apart this fall by not wearing what everyone else is lazily picking up at Urban and H&M. We just got in lots of awesome new designers that will soon get scooped up by all the Big Names - get in on the action early. You'll be happy you did.

the good, the bad and the AWESOME.

Judi Rosen jeans are at catbird right now. Do you know how great they are? Do you!? She, and everything she touches, is golden. We are the only store to carry them in the whole of the outer boroughs. Limited quantities, so do your butt a favor and come quick. (Available in black and two blue washes.)

happy anniversary to us!

This week marks the four year anniversary of the Metropolitan store and the two year anniversary of the Bedford store. This is a picture of the Metropolitan location after I'd been open for a few weeks. I'm pretty sure I thought I was overstocked. It's soooo empty, it looks like I cleared the space in preparation for a dance.

The back corner, where the green pegboard hangs, was the Do It Yo'self corner. There were iron-on letters, elbow patches, ribbons, embroidery kits, cool stuff like that. I miss that corner.

Before me, the space was a rather burned-out hair salon that was running drugs. My fantastically able and multi-talented husband, his super handy, architect sister, my incredibly talented friend Peter and I built the store from the busted shell that it was. Good times, good times.

My very first sale was a Seda France candle - China Musk to be exact. I still carry them. Come into either store this week (between today and Friday) and mention this Happy Anniversary blog post and get 20% off one Seda France candle!

(This is 100% unadvertised so you're gonna have to speak up. While supplies last.)

anouk of the northeast.

These boots - a new take on the designer's old riding boots - are en route to catbird right now, as I type this. My feet are tingling in anticipation. These will be my go-to boots for YEARS to come. They are simple and classic but manage to still be interesting. Not trendy, just ultra cool. Just like old riding boots, the Italian leather will age incredibly. (I bought them because the designer was wearing a pair that was a few years old, and just unbelievably perfect.)
(limited quantities)

jean shopping is hard.

It's universally acknowledged that jean shopping is hard. But we all know that having a few pairs of the right jeans is a surefire way to help you walk the earth with a sure and confident stride. They're what you wear when you don't know what to wear, or are feeling less than awesome. So, to ease your burden, we developed these tags that will be attached to each member of our insanely well-edited selection of jeans. Each tag has the brand and style, a picture and some details about the fit. Not all skinny jeans are made alike you know! (Tags coming soon - almost done!)