Alyssa Pallett, owner of The Sweet Ones, models an antique silk dressing gown that already has the interest of Courtney LoveI know I've exhibited shameless bias towards the achievements of my friends in many previous blog posts. Still, objectively speaking, the new store that my friend Alyssa Pallett opened just one week ago is the best vintage shop I've seen yet in the boutique overrun neighborhood of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Dubbed The Sweet Ones (EDIT: located at 132 Allen St. between Rivington and Delancey), Alyssa managed to fill the store in one month (!!!) with a treasure trove of goodies that would satisfy both vintage junkies and label whores alike. Alyssa culls her collection from a wide variety of sources (including her own enviable closet), to create a rare selection that dates back to Victorian era jackets, and then covers every era up to last season's Alaia. Highlights include a mint condition vintage Geoffrey Beene dress, a hot pink 80's era Theirry Mugler suit, a never-produced headpiece made for an Adolfo runway show, and last season's Mary Poppins inspired Marc Jacobs dresses.
Born out of Alyssa's love for constantly buying clothing, The Sweet Ones reflects her wealth of sartorial knowledge, and downright fashion nerdyness. The cozy store is expertly curated, and Alyssa can tell you about the designer if you are not familiar with them (although I did get to school her on one of my 90's favorites, Voyage!). Alyssa's warm Canadian cheer adds to the homey environment, which is perfect for sitting and hanging out, or better yet, a wild game of dress up.
While the treasures are too numerous to name, I've compiled pictures of a small selection of my favorite pieces. Still, none of these photographs does justice to the texture and the weight of most of these pieces, which are incredibly heavy and luxe. Prices aren't cheap, but they're incredibly reasonable for what you're getting. The best deal? The white Alaia dress I tried on, which is priced under $500. An almost identical version in black is currently hanging on the Alaia racks at Barneys for full price, which is way over $4,000. If you are in the New York area, make sure to stop by and take a look for yourself. And don't forget to tell her who sent you!
One of the best deals (I'm seriously tempted): a structural wool Prada coat priced at $365
A gorgeous velvet burn-out wedding dress 
A Victorian jacket with full mutton sleeves!
Just a tiny selection of the shoes. I'm particularly crazy about this pair of hot pink Louboutins.
A frilly mannequin dressed to match the print hanging on the wall
Alyssa wearing a 20's coat and a vintage fur Christian Dior hat
I tried on this Alaia dress, which is almost identical to the current Alaia dresses hanging at Barney's for over ten times the price. I'm standing in front of my favorite rack in the store, where the oldest and most delicate pieces hang.
Alyssa showing off a velvet Norma Kamali jacket
A customer walked in looking for a fur muff, and Alyssa immediately took the suggestion to heart and found this gigantic one for the store 
It's difficult to tell from this picture, but this is a floor length skirt that it completely covered in studs
Alyssa shows off a pair of Givenchy thigh high boots with laces up the back
The super cozy interior, perfect for hours of trying on clothes!
EDIT: Here is the mint condition Geoffrey Beene dress that I forgot to include-Tiffany
No comments:
Post a Comment