Legendary costume designer Patricia Subject helped conjure the indelible vogue fantasy of New York Metropolis by the Intercourse and the Metropolis franchise, Ugly Betty and Adventures of a Shopaholic, to call just a few. Alongside together with her stalwart staff, the Pat within the Metropolis: My Lifetime of Vogue, Fashion, and Breaking All of the Guidelines writer trusted Century 21 department shops to place collectively her signature appears. So, when the New York Metropolis mecca of discounted designer gems shuttered in September 2020, costume designers, and fashion-minded customers alike, mourned.
“Prospects would stroll as much as me and ask me my opinion of what they had been shopping for,” says Subject, reminiscing about frequent visits to the unique downtown location. “It felt like a household to me.”
Now — much like how And Simply Like That (AJLT) takes Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) into up to date, extra enlightened however at all times thrilling new adventures — Century 21 makes its much-anticipated return on Could 16. With a refreshed title in addition, Century 21 NYC can be “centered on vogue” and is “extra curated,” says head of merchandising Judy Duzich. She lists a “heavier” emphasis on luxurious and up to date manufacturers, plus unbiased manufacturers reminiscent of Rosetta Getty and NYC-based designers like Heron Preston and Willy Chavarria. The in-house luxurious resale choices embody Chanel.
The hunt for designer treasures can be streamlined and way more environment friendly, with an intuitive structure over 4 flooring and spacious becoming rooms. Checkout stations with categorical lanes can be found on all flooring close to the exits. The inside additionally feels extra fashionable, with stylish gold accents together with pops of signature C21 pink, plus an artwork set up by New York Metropolis-based artist Timothy Goodman.
Inside the brand new Century 21 NYC in New York’s Monetary District
“I spent quite a bit of my grownup life with Patricia Subject in Century 21,” says AJLT co-costume designer and SATC-alum Molly Rogers. Whereas filming The Satan Wears Prada, she remembers inviting Emily Blunt on the Brit’s first-ever C21 purchasing jaunt. Blunt was “recreation” to reach when the doorways opened at 7:45 a.m.; beating the Wall Avenue lunchtime hordes. “I used to be working,” says Rogers. “She was purchasing for herself.” Fellow SATC- and Satan Wears Prada-vet Tracy L. Cox, now designing the Harlem-set Starz collection Run the World, remembers scoring Stanley Tucci’s vogue editor advantageous knits and assertion ties. “[C21 was] vital to construct a closet for a personality,” says Cox.
Rogers stays pleased with a inexperienced satin Vivienne Westwood mini-skirt, with a saucy tulle ruffle bustle on the again, which lives on in lots of “Carrie Bradshaw’s Most Iconic Outfits” lists. “Everyone can not imagine that we bought it at Century 21,” says Rogers.
The unique C21 downtown location can be immortalized within the sixth season of SATC, which recreated the shop on a soundstage. Carrie, chatting on her pink bedazzled clamshell telephone, declares searching the racks “the perfect a part of jury responsibility,” whereas clutching a “Dolce kimono” and an “unbelievable Anna Molinari costume.”
“She scored,” says Rogers, who, together with AJLT co-costume designer Danny Santiago, will unveil a particular venture with Century 21 NYC this summer season. “You may by no means not rating at Century. I’ve excessive hopes for the reboot.”
Century 21 NYC is open beginning Tuesday at 22 Cortlandt Avenue.
