New Store on the Block: Aritzia

There's a new store on Broadway in Soho, called Aritzia.  Haven't heard of it?  Me either!  When new chain stores come to town, I usually have heard of them before and am anticipating their arrival - as with H&M, Zara, Top Shop, etc.

When stores come over from Europe, I believe New York City is usually their first stop along the way.  Not the case here.  Aritzia is from Canada!  The store has already opened in a number of U.S. cities including (unsurprisingly), Chicago, San Francisco and Portland.

Overview

The store seems to be the offspring of Anthropologie and Abercrombie.  The clothing was largely soft, "drapey," cotton pieces mixed in with a large number of basics and a few plaids, chunky sweaters and cargo jackets. I was not enthusiastic about the prices, which were at about a Banana Republic level - with no sales that I could see.  Although I'm not feeling exceptionally impressed after my first walk-through, I did find a few notable items:

My Favorites

I love animal prints.  These warm weather accessories are amazing!  The hats ($25) are reversible, with a solid color on the inside.  The mittens ($18) make the set absolutely irresistible to me!

Other Picks

The items that caught my eye were intimates and accessories.  Aritzia has a number of special bras that are perfect for layering and coming to the rescue in difficult strap situations.  The first collection is lacy, and comes in several colors and neutrals.  These are actually amazing because they are essentially intimates that can be (partially) shown without looking cheap. They are great under a sheer blouse, or peeking out from a strapless one.  I recommend a black and neutral one for everyone...plus a favorite color.

The second collection was plain, and came in mostly neutrals. These are great  to wear in place of a regular strapless bra, or even over one - for better support and more seamless layering.  They are suuuper comfy too!

Both sets were reasonably priced at $25 and $22 each, respectively. Although not blown away by Aritzia, my random talent of always being able to find something to buy has held up.  I will stop by again in the coming months to see if new goodies catch my eye!