
After a slight detour through Sunset Park (note to subway riders: if you take the N train, don't forget to transfer to the R train at 59th Street in Brooklyn!), we found the Brooklyn Century 21 smack in the middle of a busy shopping area on 86th Street in Bay Ridge. Men's clothing, cosmetics, and women's accessories are on the first floor; women's and kids clothes are on the second floor. The store is cleaner, more well-lighted, and, yes, far less crowded than its Manhattan counterpart. I left MW in the men's section and headed up to the 2nd floor. The contemporary women's section definitely can hold its own with Manhattan; I spotted a good selection of Juicy, C&C California, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and DVF, as well as a whole rack of KA7 at very good prices (silk tunics for $49, merino wool sweaters for a ridiculous $35). The European Designer section had more merchandise than I was expecting, but definitely didn't compare to the Manhattan store; I tried on some ill-fitting Martin Margiela pieces, and there was quite a bit of Helmut Lang, D&G, Antik Batik, and a few other Euro labels that I haven't heard of but that looked well made nonetheless. What the department lacked in selection, they made up for in well-organized, well-spaced racks. It should also be noted that the fitting rooms have private, curtained-off stalls, instead of the one-room free-for-all at Cortlandt Street. Thus, the only person who saw me look like a shapeless blob in Martin Margiela was me.
The lingerie section is not quite as fleshed-out (pun intended) as the Manhattan store, but there was a healthy selection of Cosabella thongs, Simone Perele lingerie, and even Wolford stockings. Back on the first floor, I spotted a shelf of Missoni wavy-stripe scarves for $70, which seemed like quite a good deal to me. The shoe section had a respectable amount of last year's Chloe and Marc Jacobs shoes; prices were not totally outrageous. The handbag section was a bit disappointing, except for a selection of bags from L'Autre Chose, whom I didn't even know made handbags. They were $199 each, but the leather was incredibly soft and buttery. I ended up not buying anything (the story of my weekend, basically), but MW stocked up on underwear, socks, and faux-vintage T-shirts.
The Century 21 in Bay Ridge is definitely a bit of a hike, even for a Brooklynite like myself. Nor is the selection as great as that of the Manhattan location. But, it's cleaner, brighter, more spacious, far less crowded, and, overall, a very pleasant experience. Prices are still kind of hit-or-miss; instead of battling the crowds at the Manhattan location, I'm definitely going to head to the Brooklyn location the next time there's a big clearance sale.
1 comment
I like this branch a lot more, except you're right about the selection. But it's so nice to be able to go shopping without bumping into someone else everywhere you turn!
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