WABC Reporter, Kemberly Richardson of  Eyewitness News, visited the Loehmann’s Chelsea store in New York for the best in discount clothing.

Looking for the hottest fashion trends of the summer as identified by Lucky Magazine, Kemberly was on the hunt to find the best of the best; all for under $100. Of course, Loehmann’s is the place to find the best in designer must have’s at discounted prices.

Floral patterned dresses and tunics plus colorful and trendy beads and bangles were had. Kemberly found summer shorts of all lengths including fun nautical styles. Also on the list was groovy “bohemian chic” maxi dresses in colorful patterns. 

Unable to pass up on super savings and fabulous finds, Kemberly even bought a wondeful white spring coat and sundress for herself!

 The segment will be aired on Monday, June 9th during the 5 o’clock news at approximately 5:40pm.

If you are wondering what summer trends might be waiting for you at your local Loehmann’s, then this will give you a nice tempting peek and inspiration. Don’t miss it!!

Esteemed New York City Blog, the Gothamist, wanted to find out what were the best places to shop for bargains in New York. They went and used Just Ask The Locals™ and also asked their own professional sources, the Gothamist readers.

It is no surpirse to anyone that knows Loehmann’s, but a prime spot on the Top Ten List went to the big L.

So many New Yorkers have grown up with Loehmann’s as part of their shopping training as Loehmann’s has been a New York icon for decades.  Granted, there are other discount stores in the running now as well, but the original discount designer department store still holds it’s own and manages to inspire, impress and satisfiy new customers every day.  It’s a great feeling to see new shopper’s discover  Loehmann’s bargains.

 On the very same day, May 16th, TeamSugar published a great post called “Nifty, Thrifty Fashion Tips”.

That post listed Loehammn’s as well as the best place for both accessories and handbags.

With Loehmann’s on your side, it’s very true, as Sarah Jessica Parker says:

 ”Fashion is not a Luxury”.

The word eclectic is defined as: “Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles”.  To define the word “eclectic fashion” one has to go no further than Iris of this style and the master of the genre. The proof of her perfection resides in the well deserved and on-going attention that the contents of her closet demand. 

If you missed the MET’s exhibit of her collection in 2005, then you definitely want to add Nassau County  Museum of Art to this summer must see and do list. Beginning next week, May20th, the museum will be exhibiting the amazing collection of her wardrobe and even more amazing finds have been pried from Iris Apfel’s closet. Iris Apfel:  Rare Bird of Fashion is not to be missed. 

Now in her 80’s, Iris continues to be a role model and inspiration to legions of women both past and present. She doesn’t really follow fashion despite being an intimate of many designers, nor did she really go forth into fashion design despite a “fling with dressmakers, bag makers and shoemakers”. She admits to being “a closet designer who could never sew or cut”. She even claims that she didn’t collect for the ideal of having a collection, what amazes and inspires us is simply her wardrobe. 

Born an only child in Astoria, Queens in 1922, the appreciation for beautiful things and art began when she read art history at NYU and attended the University of Wisconsin art school. By 1950, with husband, Carl, she began Old World Weavers, a textile and design company, which specialized in ancient techniques and exact reproductions of antique fabrics.  She was a famous interior designer, with clients such as Greta Garbo, Estee Lauder and White House, and hob knobbed with high society of the time, but it is not her fame or notoriety that makes her worthy of her legendary status.  It’s simply the contents of her closet, collected over a range of 60 years from around the world, and then, her art of combining those items with their polar opposites  that begets her reign as a true original. For Iris Apfel, true style was not dictated to her or even by her, but was fun and serious and whimsical and amusing, all at once.

It is beyond fitting that Loehmann’s is sponsoring the exhibit as for Iris, like a Loehmann’s shopper, the “thrill was in the hunt”.  And hunt she did just like the rest of us. In an interview with Marilyn Kirschner, Iris speaks of her finding a “true gem”:

“Oh there’s something I just found in Loehmann’s….. For my birthday I go to Loehmann’s because I get a 15% discount, it’s very exciting…and I found this wonderful, wonderful completely beaded coat from Ralph Lauren and it is so gorgeous …all the way down to the floor and I won’t tell you its price because it’s ridiculous…it’s divine and very Marlene Dietrich with crystalline beads on white chiffon…and it was way too long although I am fairly tall…and I went to three dressmakers and they all said they were afraid to tackle it and I didn’t know what to do…Ralph Rucci said he’d fix it but I didn’t want to trouble him…then I met Mr. Ralph Lauren and when I told him he said “Oh we’ll fix it”. So it’s now being fixed.’”

The pieces in the exhibit are from flea markets, houses of haute couture, East Indian Bazaars, thrift stores, discount department stores, Old European artifacts, and handmade boutiques from all over the globe. With over 60 years worth of collecting, Iris was able to pair brand new finds and old:  “mix something I bought last week with something I’ve hoarded for 30 years.” 

From a fashion stand point alone, the exhibit is worth seeing as it features exciting couture clothing from every major European and American designer including Chanel, Dior, Armani, Galanos, Ungaro, Ralph Rucci, Geoffrey Beene, Lanvin, Norell, and Bill Blass among others. Separately, the results of her collection bespeak of a journey though time and fashion that could set the pace for a who’s who in the history of couture. In addition, her accessories and jewelry collections are incredible and also historic. What makes this all so much more is that her outfits are displayed “exactly’ as she put them together herself including her signature oversized black glasses on the mannequins. It’s not so much as the “what” she wore, but the “how” she wore it. 

The originality of her style is revealed in her mixing of Dior haute couture with flea-market finds, Dolce & Gabbana lizard trousers with nineteenth-century ecclesiastical vestments, pink Lanvin worn with ropes of Navajo turquoise. A selection of audacious accessories also comes under the spotlight: a giant necklace made of bear claws, a turn-of-the-century Indian horse ornament worn as a necklace, a parrot’s-head brooch in colored glass and rhinestones.

The final results are unforgettable. When fashion defies limits, creativity soars and taste is redefined.  What Iris Apfel does is remind us that we must be true to ourselves and what we love. Our “look” is then defined by ourselves and what we adore, what we resonate with, what is the outside epitomey of our own souls. It is an opportunity for our self defined inner beauty to be seen on the outside and therefore is nothing that can be prescribed by the trends of the seasons or other outside influences. 

When we view the now “art” that is Iris’ closet and see that this non-conformity is beyond our wildest dreams, it can indeed re-inspire us to find our own inner Iris.

**** 

This exhibition was first seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute as Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Barrel Apfel Collection. It has been adapted for its showing at NCMA and now includes even more stunning items of clothing, accessories and jewelry from Apfel’s collection. Later shown at the Norton Museum in Palm Beach as “Iris Apfel: a Rare Bird of Fashion”, the exhibit at the NCMA is sponsored by Loehmann’s with support from Astoria Federal Savings. 

“Iris Apfel: a Rare Bird of Fashion” opens to the public on May 20^th at Nassau County Museum of Art and runs through September 7^th. Located off Northern Boulevard in Roselyn Harbor, admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $4 for children with an additional $2 parking charge on weekends. Museum members are free. For more information go to the museum website at: www.nassaumuseum.com or call (516) 484-9338. 

In addition, cultural historian Dr. Charles A. Riley II presents “Extreme Iris” a multimedia presentation and “interdisciplinary exploration of genius at work” on Sunday June 22 at 4pm. 

For a rare treat, the museum also offers a Private Tea & Tour of the Exhibition on June 11^th at 2:30 pm. This behind-the-scenes glimpse at the museum’s current exhibition is introduced by the museum’s director, Constance Schwartz, and features a private guided tour followed by a menu of tea, sandwiches, scones and sweets in the beautifully refurbished Café Musée. Space is limited so reserve early.

Admission for Dr. Riley’s lecture is $10 for museum members and $20 for guests.Admission for each Tea & Tour is $35 (museum members, $25) and includes admission to the museum. To reserve, call (516) 484-9338, ext. 12 or write to reginaforlenza@nassaumuseum.com. 

 If you just can’t make it there at all, then check out the book from the original collection shown in 2005 at the Met show in NY: “Rare Bird of Fashion; the Irreverent Iris Apfel” is available at Amazon. With an essay by the fashion maven herself, an introduction by Harold Koda, director of the Costume Institute, and  169 photos by fashion photographer, Eric Bowman, it’s the next best thing to being there.

Shopping at Loehmann’s enables a customer to make some serious fashion purchases and save money at the same time.  It’s a great feeling to get your heart’s desire and not feel that regretful shopper’s guilt.  Now Loehmann’s has made it even easier to shop guilt free:

This Thursday evening, only at their Manhattan store in Chelsea, not only will you spend less on designer fashions, but 5% of your purchases will directly be given as a donation by Loehmann’s to Gilda’s Club New York City.

Named in memory for Saturday Night Live original, Gilda Radner, who lost her battle with ovarian cancer in 1989, Joanna Bull, Gilda Radner’s cancer psychotherapist together with Gilda’s husband Gene Wilder, and  several of Gilda’s other friends founded the first Gilda’s Club in 1991.  Since 1995, the signature red doors have been open and welcoming persons diagnosed with any form of the disease.

Gilda’s Club is distinguished by its unique philosophy and program. Completely free of charge, Gilda’s Club encourages a sense of “expertise” among members, and emphasizes community-building, collective wisdom and shared experience.  Gilda’s Club‘s unique philosophy of helping people learn how to live with cancer, whatever the outcome, not only for those diagnosed but also for their family and friends. The support groups, workshops and social activities all provide much needed life assistance for people living with cancer and their families.

With 5% percent of the evening’s proceeds to benefit this important organization, think with your heart as you shop till you drop. Every $500 donated will sponsor one Gilda Club member affected by cancer for one year allowing him or her to participate in the full range of Gilda’s Club programs. For a location like NY and a store like Loehmann’s, it’s not hard to imagine that it is possible. 

Only this Thursday evening, March 27^th from 4:30pm - 8:30pm all the goods of the Chelsea store, located at 101 Seventh Avenue, will be waiting for you. Please join Loehmann’s in supporting this very important organization and go at little crazy. It’s for a good cause.