Last weekend’s customized shopping tours were very unique experiences.  (It was fun to create new routes and change things up a bit!)  I had two mothers book tours to take with their teenaged daugthers but they had some special requests as far as their daughters’ styles and interests. 

On Friday, the mother of the 12-year-old girl (they were visiting from California) requested that we visit some of the Teen Tour stores but also some boutiques a la the Chic Boutique Tour that were unique to New York.  So we picked them up in a towncar at their hotel and headed to Henri Bendel first since they had never been there.  I explained to them that even though they had shopped on Fifth Avenue, Bendel’s was a must-see since 1.)  it’s the holiday season and it’s decorated beautifully and 2.)  it changes weekly with the different designers they invite to showcase on the main floor.  They ended up purchasing some of Bendel’s signature holiday items (which make the perfect NON-tacky NYC souvenirs–really the ONLY NON-tacky NYC souvenirs!) 

After Bendel’s, we headed to the Juicy Couture Flagship Store.  Even though the gals have Juicy Couture in California, the daughter is such a huge fan that I recommended we visit this shop at least for a few minutes. 

From here we hopped back in the towncar and headed to East 12th Street in Greenwich Village.  We made a quick stop at Make-up Forever and since all the make-up artists were occupied, I did a quick demonstration of their products on the daughter.  A 12-year-old doesn’t really need much make-up, of course, but just  a little shimmer eye-shadow on her lids with a pale pink “pop of color” (nothing too drastic) followed by some clear, glittery gloss was the perfect palette. 

Our next planned stop was Owl’s Lab, but to my dismay they have closed their store!!! :-(  They are exclusive to the online world right now and have a messenger service that can deliver ordered fashion right to your door.

Next up was Pia, although it was a stop geared more toward the mother.  It was a little too sophisticated for a pre-teen.  Same with Ibiza–a little too sophisticated, but nonetheless, still a very unique stop.

Since Owl’s Lab was eliminated, I added two other last-minute stops to the tour that I thought the gals would enjoy.  We hopped back into the towncar and it was off to LaGuardia Place to Helianthus and Purdy Girl.  They absolutely LOVED these boutiques and it didn’t hurt that both shops had HUGE sales going on!  They made a few fun and funky jewelry purchases at Helianthus where they had everything from miniature pig charm necklaces to elegant floral charm bracelets.  At Purdy Girl, they bought an adorable plaid peacoat for the tween and a chic cashmere sweater and scarf for the mother.  Afterall, everything in the store was 50% OFF!

At this point we were running out of time so we headed to the must-see TopShop.  This was a hit for both the mother and the daughter (although it was a little more funky than their preferred style.)  Nonetheless, they took a liking to some of their basic tees and their funky accessories. 

Before we parted ways, I gave them some suggestions for dinner in the area, which included a Little Italy favorite of mine–Umberto’s Clam House!  I also made a map of some other boutiques in the area that they might be interested in, including Jump and Keito (since the mother wanted to find shoes) and Olive & Bette’s (which I knew the teen would love.)

Saturday’s customized shopping tour (although planned for a Sweet 16 Birthday Party) also had some special requests.  It was a mother, daughter and her teenaged friend in a limo and they were looking for some unique, funky, vintage/vintage-inspired and consignment boutiques.  It was a very exciting itinerary to plan!

The tour began at City Bakery (where I recommended the gals have brunch since it was away from the bustle of their hotel in Times Square.)  (Sometimes the disadvantage to a luxury transportation tour can be sitting in traffic for half the tour–especially during this busy holiday season.  To avoid holiday traffic, I suggested we make the tour a downtown-only tour.) 

First stop after City Bakery was Irregular Choice.  The only store in the US is located in the heart of Soho/Nolita and it’s like a shoe carnival.  You will never find more unique shoes in your life!  They had a blast exploring the British-designed shoes, sneakers, boots and handbags.  They even had some unique clothing including t-shirts and raincoats. 

Next stop was the Young Designers Market in Nolita which is a unique shopper’s treasure trove!  You can find anything from jewelry made of geodes to never-before-seen slogan tees.  What’s great about YOUNG designers??  They’re trying to build their business so their prices are EXTREMELY reasonable!  The daughter purchased a beautiful purple dress with crocheted detail for just $40. 

Following the market (where they spent a good 40 minutes–you almost have to with over 50 vendors), we headed to one of the more contemporary stops on the tour–Necessary Clothing.  I knew they would love the prices and since they’re from New Jersey and they have a Joyce Leslie, this would make for a nice alternative.  The daughter ended up buying a couple cute holiday dresses while her friend purchased a cute pair of $7 earmuffs. 

The last stops on the tour were Eye Candy and Zachary’s Smile (both on Lafayette Street.)  They loved browsing Eye Candy for their unique, vintage accessories and they had even more fun in the “Bargain Basement” at Zachary’s Smile where the daughter found a cute holiday blouse for $5! 

Since the time with the limo was up, I walked them over to their final destination–Urban Outfitters–the perfect ending for a day of shopping for teens with vintage style.

If you’d like to take a Customized Shopping Tour in New York City, contact us at www.shop-nyctours.com!

Last weekend’s Teen Shopping Tours, despite the weather, were fun, fun, fun! On Friday, the tour was for a 13-year-old birthday girl, her mom and her grandmother. I picked them up in a limo at 10am and we headed to our usual first stop on the Upper East Side. What made this tour extra special was that we had a stylist meet us at the first stop (the Abercrombie & Fitch Flagship). Kelly Mealia of Kreative Kouture and Ollie & Boo Jewelry had several outfits whipped out in no time and after a whirlwind in the dressing room, we were on our way to Henri Bendel while the mom purchased their favorites.

At Bendel’s, we focused mostly on accessories since most of their women’s clothing would be too large for the tiny teen. Kelly hand picked several headband options and again, it was a quick show for mom and grandma (who even bought some things for themselves–how could they not at the “Girl’s Playground”???). 

After the Bendel mini-spree, it was back in the limo and down Fifth Avenue to the Juicy Couture Flagship store where once again, Kelly put several cute pieces together to form some fabulous outfits. And the grandma picked out one of their signature terry-cloth track suits for HER daughter :-)

On the way to Noho/Soho, Kelly rode along with us and showed her beautiful jewelry collection, Ollie & Boo, which had just been seen on The Today Show the previous morning. The teen picked out her favorite earrings and Kelly left us at this point of the tour. 

We continued on to Soho, where we stopped for a quick lunch break. While mom and grandma finished up eating, me and the teen headed over to the much-anticipated TopShop! This store was awesome because all 3 of the lovely ladies found clothing that worked for them here. The teen ended up getting an adorable jumper and a sweet bohemian top while the mom bought a stunning black cocktail dress and the grandma a beautiful floral blouse. 

We were running out of time at this point so we had to head uptown to the MAC store where it was time for a teen makeover in preparation for her photo shoot. While the make-up artist applied some colorful and fresh eyeshadow and lip gloss, the grandma got a “smokey-eye” lesson. 

At this point of the tour, it was time for me to leave them as they continued on to the photo shoot on location in the Meatpacking District with Caitlin Greer Photography. 

These gals were super sweet and had a wonderful time, as did I! It made me want to take a shopping trip with my mom and grandma….so fun!

On Saturday, the tour was for a Sweet 16 Birthday and the group came into the city for the day from New Jersey. I met them at Penn Station where the limo picked them up. From here we headed uptown to Henri Bendel, where I assured them they would enjoy browsing the “Girl’s Playground.” 

Since they wanted to focus more on unique, NYC shopping, we skipped Abercrombie & Fitch and Juicy Couture and headed downtown to Noho to Joyce Leslie and Necessary Clothing. On the way, they enjoyed their “teeny” cosmos. Since they’re from New Jersey they were actually familiar with Joyce Leslie but they definitely loved shopping at Necessary Clothing. They found some amazing clothes, shoes and accessories at this stop but I assured them that they needed to save up some energy for TopShop–and they did!

TopShop was a super-successful stop as the sales going on were absolutely AMAZING! There was something for everyone and they made a lot of their purchases there. 

After this stop, we headed to the West Village and they enjoyed their cupcakes along the way. There was a line at the Marc Jacobs Special Items store (as there often is) so I waited in line for them while they browsed Olive & Bettes and Juicy Couture Bleecker Street. 

We were running out of time and I had mini-makeovers planned for the teens after the tour at Makeup Forever so we quickly finished up in the West Village. (Their mom told me these teens loved, loved, loved makeup so I knew this would be a nice addition to the tour for them!) 

The limo dropped us off at Makeup Forever and while they waited for each teen to get their makeover, I mapped out a quick itinerary for them to eat dinner after, continue discount shopping and end up back at Penn Station. All in all, it was a fun birthday!

For more information about ShopNYC Tours OR to book a tour for YOUR teen’s birthday, visit www.shop-nyctours.com!

Aubrey O’Day of Danity Kane and Making the Band 3 has officially launched, Dare to Love, which is the newest line from Heart on My Sleeve.  The launch party was held last night at Owl’s Lab, which is featured on ShopNYC Tours’ Chic Boutique Tour!  Among Aubrey, some other celebs that joined the party were models Jaslene Gonzalez and Jessica Gomes, Russell Simmons, and actress Samantha Swetra.  Here are few of my pics:

If you’ve taken a shopping tour with ShopNYC Tours, please take a moment to review us on TripAdvisor.com by filling in the form below. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. And as always, thank you for shopping with us!  

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This past weekend was filled with Teen Fashion and Fun!  It started on Friday with 6 women (2 teens and 4 adults) from Michigan.  They were ready to shop, shop, shop.  They had booked the photo shoot for after the tour and due to time constraints we only had 3 hours to find the teens their outfits.  So we were definitely on a mission.

We began the tour at Makeup Forever in Greenwich Village, where Floriane (one of the amazing Makeup Forever sales reps) gave them mini-makeovers and they bought some really cool, brightly colored eye pencils.  They didn’t want to spend too much time there though.  (We already had appointments for them at Mac scheduled for post-tour/pre-photo shoot).  So we headed down the street to the first clothing and accessories boutique, Owl’s Lab.  The teens loved it, not only for the incredible fashion, but because of the fact that many of the pieces worn on Gossip Girl come from this fabulous boutique.  They bought some awesome clothes and accessories that were (OMG) very Serena and Jenny.  

Next stop was Rugby, which was actually requested by one of the teens.  Rugby was her absolute favorite and she bought a few darling-with-an-edge outfits that were very UES prep.  The other teen said she was more of a girly-girl so I walked her down the street to Ibiza where I knew she would find some sweet, feminine and bohemian dresses, skirts and blouses.

Following Greenwich Village, we headed to Soho.  By this time I had a great feel for each of the teens’ personal styles so I knew that we had to hit up TopShop.  This was a gold mine for both of them!  They found a great mix of edgy, funky fashion along with lacey, frilly and chic pieces.  While one of the teens found shoes galore, the other found her perfect outfits for the photo shoot.  

After TopShop, it was back in the limo and up to the Mac store on 22nd and Fifth Avenue for their makeovers.  While they were getting made-up by the Mac professionals, I headed to Magnolia Bakery (usually a stop on the tour but we ran out of time) and grabbed their cupcakes.  Once I got back to the Mac store and handed them their sweets they were ready to hop in a cab and head to the photo shoot on location in Chelsea with professional photographer, Caitlin Greer.

In addition to the above Teen Fashion and Fun experience, I also gave a tour on Saturday for a 16-year-old girl and her father.  They opted for the Subway/Walking Tour instead of the Limo Tour.  We began the tour on Upper Fifth Avenue, where we visited the usual including the Abercrombie & Fitch Flagship, Henri Bendel and Juicy Couture.  Then it was into the subway and we headed downtown to Soho, where the teen wanted to find some back-to-school shoes and dresses.  She found a cute pair of much-wanted gladiator sandals at David Z and as far as clothing, Joyce Leslie was definitely her favorite.  She found several outfits that she really liked and she was pleased (along with her father) to see the amazingly reasonable prices too.

After the tour, her father sent me an e-mail with this message:

“Thank you very much for the help with shopping with my daughter yesterday!  She was thrilled with the whole trip to NYC and the shopping was the highlight for her. We also did well back home – my wife was surprisingly impressed with my daughter’s purchases…”

If you’d like to book a Teen Fashion and Fun Tour or Teen Fashion and Fun Tour with a Fashion Photo Shoot, please visit www.shop-nyctours.com/tours for more information.  I look forward to shopping with you!

ShopNYC’s Guided Shopping Tours are very informative considering the information provided by the tour guide about NYC shopping and the video fashion updates shown prior to stopping at the boutiques.  The benefit of having a tour guide is that they can pretty much answer any questions you might have about shopping in NYC and NYC in general.  Also, with the guided tours, there is the opportunity to learn about the NYC subway system from the tour guide on our Subway/Walking tours or the opportunity to be chauffeured around the city on our Luxury Transportation tours.  There are, however, some people who prefer to explore shopping in NYC at their own pace, without a guide.  While private, guided shopping tours can be customized to their liking (as far as length, type of stores visited, time of day, etc.), they are perfect for someone with a slightly bigger budget.  ShopNYC Tours wanted to offer something that provides those on a smaller budget with the opportunity to take a tour at their own pace with almost all of the amenities provided on the guided tours (detailed directions, boutique descriptions and options for lunch, cocktails, etc.) which is why we’ve created Self-Guided Tour Itineraries.

The Self-Guided Tour Itineraries that ShopNYC currently offers are Fashionista Favs, for those looking to shop hip and chic NYC boutiques, Vintage Chic, for those vintage and consignment lovers, and Home Décor, for those who want to add a unique flair to their home.  While our guided tours are usually 3-4 hours allowing approximately 15-20 minutes in each store, the Self-Guided Tour Itineraries typically provide a 4-5 hour day of shopping which can easily be modified to a 7-8 hour day if you want to spend more time in each boutique.  Another perk of the Self-Guided Tour Itineraries is that they start at $9.95 for an e-mailed version and go up to $19.95 for a printed version that can be delivered to your hotel OR mailed directly to your home.  If you have a group of people, you can explore NYC with just ONE itinerary for $9.95 or $19.95, as opposed to paying $29 PER PERSON and up for a guided shopping tour.

Something else that’s great about the Self-Guided Tour Itineraries is that they can be customized, meaning we can create an itinerary based on someone’s preferences.  For example, I had a customer last week that contacted me about the Home Décor tour but they had some special requests for stores and neighborhoods that they wanted to visit.  So I came up with a Customized Home Décor Tour Itinerary for just $59 and delivered it right to her hotel. 

Depending on what people are looking to do, we can customize tour itineraries for high fashion boutiques, consignment boutiques, vintage boutiques, gift shops, home décor stores, pet stores, Bride-to-be boutiques, and Mommy-to-be boutiques.  All of these itineraries can be customized to a preferred length and preferred mode of transportation.  Customized Self-Guided Tour Itineraries have a slightly longer turnaround (approximately 1 week) and prices vary based on your requests.

We will soon be offering 2 new itineraries: NYC Nightlife and Low-Key Lounges.  These itineraries will provide detailed directions and insider tips for a night out in NYC (for club-lovers and lounge lovers alike.) 

If you’d like to BUY a Self-Guided Tour Itinerary or REQUEST a Customized Self-Guided Tour Itinerary, visit www.shop-nyctours.com/self-guidedtours.

Last weekend’s Teen Fashion and Fun Tour didn’t just consist of shopping the hottest teen spots in NYC, but it also allowed the teen birthday girl to show off her new outfits in her very own photo shoot following the tour!

The day began at Bryant Park as usual, with the soon to be 13-year-old and her mother who were visiting from Louisiana.  Since it was just the two of them, they decided to take the subway/walking version of the tour which provided them with a budget-friendly option and also an opportunity to take the tour at a slightly slower pace.  It also gave the teen birthday girl more time to try on clothes, which was important since she would be going straight to the photo shoot after.  From Bryant Park, we headed up Fifth Avenue and the first stop was the Juicy Couture Flagship store.  The birthday teen was super-excited to visit this store and headed straight upstairs to find some dresses for her photo shoot.  She ended up opting for a very fashionable item—a black velour, tank with long pants jumpsuit.  It was adorable on her and also very now.  While her mom made the purchase, I took the teen over to the doggy corner where she looked at all the cute merchandise and told me about her two chihuahuas!  

After Juicy, we headed up to Henri Bendel where I told the Louisiana ladies that they could actually see some unique, independent designer jewelry and they could also watch some fabulous 30-minute shoemakers as they cobble their designs.  The birthday teen even bought a pair of these beautifully made sandals.  The process began with the shoemaker choosing a sole that fit her foot, and then the birthday teen had to choose the color straps she wanted (there were about 25 colors to choose from), any gold, silver, or rhinestone ornaments she wanted (such as butterflies, starfish, hearts or stars) and the pattern she wanted the straps to follow.  After all of that was chosen (which took about 25 minutes), the ladies were told to come back in 30 minutes to pick up the shoes.   They still had a lot of shopping to do so the cobblers offered to hold the sandals for them to the end of day.

We continued one more block up Fifth Avenue and headed to the Abercrombie & Fitch flagship, which is ALWAYS a favorite of the teens.  We browsed for some dresses but didn’t have much luck so she decided to go the skirt route.  They had some really cute summer skirts and tees to match.  The only drawback of that store was that we had to spend more time in the check out line than we had spent shopping.  So I offered to wait in the line upstairs while they waited downstairs and that speeded things up a little at least.

After Abercrombie, we walked over to the subway and headed to Soho.  They were really hungry but we were running out of time to shop so I suggested they grab a slice of Two Boots Pizza, which is one of the best in the city.  Yum!

After a quick bite, the teen told me she wanted to look for shoes so I took them to several shoe stores.  She was hoping to find the Converse tennis shoes that lace up to the knee like boots so I took them to a store where they had over 200 styles of Converse.  Unfortunately we found out that they don’t carry those specific shoes anymore.  I also suggested they take a quick look at Joyce Leslie since they carry some shoes that are both stylish and inexpensive.  We stopped for a moment but since we were running out of time they marked it as a place to visit again the next day.  We didn’t have time to head to TopShop or to the Marc Jacobs Special Collection store in the West Village either, but I explained that the maps and addresses of these stores along with all the other stores we visited were in their ShopNYC Tours Printed Shopping Guides that they could refer to after the tour.

We headed back uptown and since I didn’t have time to serve the Teeny Cosmo on the tour, I gave her the glass and the drink in a separate container to use as a prop in her photo shoot.  The birthday teen found her photo shoot outfits while on the tour which is really all that mattered. She went straight to hair and make-up (the make-up artist met her at their hotel) and then hopped in a cab to Chelsea for the photo shoot that was going to be done on location.  Overall, this was a great birthday present and a memorable New York experience!

I absolutely LOVE North Carolina! So when I found out I was giving a shopping tour for a woman from Greenville who currently lives in Raleigh, I was really looking forward to some “Carolina bonding.” Afterall, I went to college in Wilmington, and pretty much partied all over the state (in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Chapel Hill and Greenville) during those days of youth….. ;-) I have a lot of fond memories of NC.

This woman was really sweet, early 30s and engaged (her fiance lives in New York.) She works as an attorney and pretty much comes to New York every weekend to visit. The shopping tour was a gift from him and since it was just a solo tour, he opted for the subway/walking tour which she actually preferred. She said she felt like walking and taking the subway was more authentic to NYC. She also commented how she could see tourists really benefitting from having a tour guide to teach them about the subway system.

At any rate, the tour stops were all the same as usual. In Greenwich Village, she particularly liked La Petit Coquette (as did her fiance) for their classy lingerie. (In fact, I think she pointed out some neglige sets she liked to give him an idea of her taste.) She also tried on quite a few outfits in Owl’s Lab, which seemed to be one of her favorites. She took a card and made a note that she wanted to go back there after the tour. She wanted to have some time to think about her purchases before she bought them–smart girl!

She actually made a comment halfway through the tour that even though she lived in New York for almost five years and visits every weekend, she had never been to the stores I was introducing her to. Like most New Yorkers, she was always too busy to explore the often “hidden gem” boutiques in the city.

When we got to Soho, she really enjoyed New York Look and tried on a few things there as well. Instead of sticking to the more commercial stores, after New York Look, I suggested we head to West Soho to visit some of the vintage boutiques. She really enjoyed Chelsea Girl Couture and Laurel Canyon (where she tried on a pair of their awesome vintage cowboy boots.) I also mentioned Flying A and she commented that she had been there before and had been meaning to go back. I told her that this would be a good time, since they offer 15% off vintage items to my tours.

While in transit to the last stop on the tour, we talked about some of the amazing vintage stores in North Carolina, including Buffalo Exchange (which I told her recently opened a store in NYC) and a lot of the cool vintage shops in Chapel Hill. We also talked about downtown Raleigh and how it’s such a beautiful, quaint town. I told her I went to school in Wilmington and she told me she had been there within the last month and actually bought the sandals she was wearing while she was there. (These sandals were adorable and she got SO many compliments on them throughout the tour!)

Darling, in the West Village/Meatpacking area, was the last stop, which I knew she’d enjoy because by this time, I had a good feel for her personal taste and style. I also think she was a little overwhelmed by this point since we had been shopping for 3 1/2 hours and she had seen a lot that she really liked and wanted to go back to see after the tour. She had also been awake since the crack of dawn and had plans to go out with friends that evening so I walked her to the nearest subway and pointed her in the direction of her fiance’s. She was really grateful to me for the tour and said she had a wonderful time. I had a great time too. We hugged goodbye. I’m telling you, it’s something about those Carolina connections…… :-)

If you’d like to take one of our subway/walking shopping tours, visit www.shop-nyctours.com/tours for more information and to purchase tickets. I hope to shop with you soon!

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Mammi-Ama (also known as the Purple Vintage Space Princess!) I was at the Vbar Cafe (or what I refer to as my office) on Sullivan Street ordering a coffee and she approached me about being on “Tough Love.” We had a short conversation about the show and then she went on to tell me about her music and her passion for vintage fashion. We exchanged cards in the hopes to network since she is so fond of vintage and I give a Vintage Boutique Tour here in the city.