Legendary costume designer Patricia Field helped conjure the indelible style fantasy of New York Metropolis by way of the Intercourse and the Metropolis franchise, Ugly Betty and Adventures of a Shopaholic, to call a number of. Alongside along with her stalwart staff, the Pat in the City: My Life of Fashion, Style, and Breaking All the Rules writer relied on Century 21 department shops to place collectively her signature appears to be like. So, when the New York Metropolis mecca of discounted designer gems shuttered in September 2020, costume designers, and fashion-minded consumers alike, mourned.
“Clients would stroll as much as me and ask me my opinion of what they have been shopping for,” says Area, 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 all the time thrilling new adventures — Century 21 makes its much-anticipated return on Could 16. With a refreshed identify in addition, Century 21 NYC shall be “targeted on style” and is “extra curated,” says head of merchandising Judy Duzich. She lists a “heavier” emphasis on luxurious and modern 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 rather 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 Area 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 buying 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 searching for herself.” Fellow SATC- and Satan Wears Prada-vet Tracy L. Cox, now designing the Harlem-set Starz sequence Run the World, remembers scoring Stanley Tucci’s style editor effective knits and assertion ties. “[C21 was] essential 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’t consider that we obtained 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 cellphone, declares shopping the racks “the most effective a part of jury obligation,” whereas clutching a “Dolce kimono” and an “unbelievable Anna Molinari gown.”
“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’ll be able to 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.
