A Trip to the Fine and Dandy Pop-Up Shop

Draft beer is the perfect accessory when shopping for accessories.

Last weekend TD and I headed over the to East Village because our friends Matt Fox and Enrique Crame who run the online store fineanddandy.com were hosting their first ever pop-up shop. It was located in the back of the Blind Barber on East 10th Street across from Tompkins Square Park.

We weren't sure we were in the right place but walked through the barber shop and found the dandy boys in the back where they had set up their wares – "accessories for dapper guys." We were glad to be there early because it got more crowded later in the day.

On hand also was my friend artist and illustrator Richard Haines who was doing charcoal portraits. Here are Matt, Enrique, yours truly, and Richard.

I love textiles, and accessories are a fun way to add fabrics to an otherwise simple outfit, plus they're great gifts: one size fits all. There was a selection of ties and pocket squares in cottons, silks and wools.

plus socks, cuff links, tie pins, scarves and leather goods.

They even had some dove grey spats to slip on over shoes.

I told Matt I would love some dove grey gloves, which you never see but I think look very Edwardian.
TD had his portrait sketched by Richard which we will add to the two drawings by Richard we have at home.

TD also got a fantastic complementary shoe shine which I would have enjoyed as well but I was wearing my brown suede Adidas Sambas.
All of that activity required some refreshments. Luckily there was a bar adjacent equipped with draft beer. Here is our bartender:


I got some gifts, and for myself a lightweight plaid wool scarf which Enrique said was made from a men's suiting fabric. Tres chic.

Fall Days in New York

A cloudscape on Bowery.

The last two days in New York City have been beautiful, with thin white clouds skittering across a clear blue sky like shallow water lapping at the shore. Fortunately I have some free time to enjoy it!

On Wednesday I went up to midtown to have lunch with my friend Abby and then I attended a reading at the library where my friend author Michael Gross was talking about his new book Rogue's Gallery, about the Metropolitan Museum of Art – more on that in a subsequent post. Later I went to a birthday party for my friend artist Richard Haines in a tiny, rockin' East Village gay bar.

Thursday, I hopped on the blue Schwinn and headed downtown along the Hudson River Park. The river sparkled through the green.


Fall colors are coming to the trees


and the grasses that line the park.


Downtown, I had lunch with my friends from the ad agency. It was great to see them.



Back on the bike, I headed to Soho to check out some stores. Opening Ceremony, on a little street called Howard Street, carries avant garde fashion for men and women. Odin, on Lafayette, has cool clothes for guys. Then I went to one of my favorite stores in New York, John Derian, on East 2nd Street.


I've been writing here about Rough Luxe, and John Derian is a master. The store has a country vintage feel, and he offers iron tables with wood tops, lamps made out of industrial parts, and tee shirts printed with nineteenth century images.


The front of the store features tableware and handmade decoupage objects.


There is peeling paint and a weathered edge but still everything is very refined.

Next door he has another store which sells textiles and is a little softer. It's always fun to visit John Derian. And it was a pleasure to be outside enjoying the city on these afternoons. I still get amazed by the sheer power and population of New York. Uptown, downtown, east side, west side, day or night, the city's energy and its people go on in every direction. I've lived in New York for twenty-six years but sometimes on the street I still look around and think to myself, "I love New York so much."