After just two years of launching his eponymous line, Phillip Lim’s collection has quickly become a favorite among celebrities, fashionistas, socialites, and girls in the know.  His clothes are beautiful and put together but still have a touch of madness and creativity that caters to both the uptown girl and downtown girl. Lim opened his first flagship store in the heart of SoHo on Mercer Street. The 1600 square foot space incorporates modern pieces made with time-worn materials. The store carries the women’s collection, the men’s collection, 3.1  Phillip Lim for Tatami Sandals, 88 fine jewelry for 3.1 Phillip Lim and debuting this October, 3.1 Phillip Kid’s wear for little girls from ages 3 to 11 years old.

Known for some of the best fitting jeans amongst the fashion know-it-alls, Acne just unveiled their first flagship store on Greene Street in Soho.  The store is a mix of clothes and design featuring a men’s and women’s collection which includes ready-to-wear lines, accessories, and of course, jeans. The new store has fashioned a modern mix of studio furnishings and classic Swedish Gustavian interior. The name Acne Studio is derived from Acne’s history as a creative collective founded in Stockholm twelve years ago. Today the company consists of Acne Film, Acne Creative, Acne Jr, Acne Digital, and Acne Paper - all working together across creative borders from their headquarters in Stockholm and Paris.

A must shop from the Hawaiian Islands, Aloha Rag New York does not carry tropical motifs or raggedy wares as the name may connote. Quite the contrary, this sleek boutique is a haven for cutting edge designers from 3.1 Phillip Lim and Alexander Wang to Ann Demeulemeester and Comme Des Garcons. This New York outpost focuses on esoteric brands from Japan, the UK and other international markets not readily available on the East Coast. Be sure to visit Aloha Rag’s website — it’s one of very few online destinations for hard-to-get designer labels.

A.P.C. is Jean Touitou’s answer to minimal and quality clothing.  Featuring women’s and men’s “insanely ordinary” fashions and attracting a cult-like following for its denim line, A.P.C. is not to be missed.

Atelier’s new space, located on Spring and Hudson, has allowed them to greatly expand their selection of high-end men’s clothing.  The avant-garde selection features designers such as Ann Demeulemeester, Yohji Yamamoto, and Comme des Garçons.  The muted color palette and carefully deconstructed garments are perfect for the gentleman interested in wearing a one-of-a-kind artistic piece.

An offshoot of Barneys New York, the CO-OP offers younger, edgier and trendier labels than its uptown flagship. Designer wares can be found from Alexander Wang, Daryl K, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Ksubi, Stella McCartney, and Vena Cava. There are two downtown locations - one in Chelsea on 18th St and another in Soho on Wooster St. Twice a year in late February and late August, the masses converge at the Chelsea store for Barney’s infamous Warehouse Sale.

One of “New York’s Best Kept Secrets,” Century 21 has more than fifteen departments of European and American designer merchandise at 25%-75% off retail prices. Designers include Marc Jacobs, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Helmut Lang, and Calvin Klein, among others.

Cool, very hip styles from Italian designer Ennio Caspasa: men’s and women’s clothes plus shoes for those who would like to build a classy, minimalist and up-to-date wardrobe from one of the fashion world’s top designers.

You’d think the East Village couldn’t use another store catering to the skinny jeans/tank top wearing Alpha male. But think again-Cry Wolf is just the place we’ve been looking for. There’s plenty of cool graphic printed tee, jeans, and scarves for men, plus a slew of sexy dresses, and tight trousers for women. Among the favorite labels at Cry Wolf are Acne, Freemont Corpus and Vivenne Westwood.

No wonder Sex and the City chose Ina as the place to hold its final wardrobe sale of garments worn by the fashionably frocked cast of four. Although you won’t find anything left from Sarah Jessica Parker’s wardrobe, hip downtown gals will still find plenty of gently used, but still fabulous designer clothes at very reasonable prices. There is also an incredible variety of shoes including labels from Miu Miu, Prada, Sigerson Morrison, Gucci, and Manolo Blahnik.

The stunning New York flagship store of Kiki De Montparnasse (named after Man Ray’s muse) is located in the heart of SoHo.  Laid out over two floors, including a 1200 sq ft gallery, this famous erotic lingerie boutique houses a collection of sophisticated lingerie, ready to wear, jewelry and intimate accessories, as well as home, bath, body and beauty products.

This ultra-chic, lifestyle store is modern, friendly, and downtown-cool. Merchandise is arranged by designer, and there is a whole gamut of fashion luminaries from Chloé and Balenciaga to Alice Roi. The array of shoes and accessories includes products from Sonia Rykiel, Anna Hindmarch, Lulu Guinness, and Lambertson Truex.

Owned by one of Australia’s hippest designers, the Nolita flagship store Ksubi offers some of the best denim around—pieces that you’re bound to see Kate Moss and the Olson twins sporting around town.  But don’t go just for the jeans; Ksubi also offers fashionable sweaters, dresses, shirts, and sunglasses.

Though not a shop, per se, New York-based designer Lauren Felton’s line debuted with her women’s collection at the Spring 2004 Gen Art Fresh Faces show. Now, upon completing her fourth collection, Lauren’s trademark is an intellectual and sculptural approach to construction—a thoughtful and serene beauty that unites each piece. Her clothes can be reconfigured and worn in multiple ways to create new and altered garments for different moments and moods. Felton sells her collection in specialty boutiques in New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Singapore.

J. Crew’s first ever Men’s store opened in TriBeCa in the summer of 2008.  Housing a carefully curated collection of J. Crew favorites that showcase unique washes, quality fabrics and tailored design, the shop mixes the current collection with limited collection and vintage pieces.  The original features of the historic landmark building have been maintained - even the bar.  With dark floors and grey walls accented by vintage photographs, art, decanters, and whiskey bottles, this is a great place to stop in and browse.  The store also hosts a variety of events so be sure to add yourself to the mailing list.

So unassuming in a two-story brick building with virtually no signage, this store attracts clientele like fashion editors and fashionistas who pop in and out for clothes, shoes, accessories, and must-have jeans—anything labeled Marc Jacobs.

Nom de Guerre is located in a multi-level subterranean space that is well known in downtown circles as a former meeting place of the Black Panthers. The store carries streetwear and rare sneakers of the best fashion labels the world can offer.

Odin, at both locations, is known for its fantastic service and style.  It’s where elegance meets streetwear meets accessories—for men, that is. That’s right, this place is menswear only—bags, rings, jewels, fragrances, gift items, and books. The creative clientele browse through deconstructed selections including unconventional wool blazers with asymmetrical details. Hip t-shirts, shoes, and designer jeans are a plenty, and featured brands include Engineered Garments, Trovata, and Surface to Air, among others.

Opening Ceremony is a multi-faceted environment combining retail space, showroom, and gallery.  Their focus is on emerging American talent, as well as young international designers and artists.  Pieces from notables such as Renee K, Amus Kitterick, Oi, and Lo Sang are sold alongside one-of-a-kind vintage pieces from Hong Kong.  Prices run the gamut from inexpensive to expensive depending on the showcased designers.

This vintage Nolita hot spot has a selection that stands apart with sought-after pieces by Emilio Pucci, Courreges, Gucci, and Halston, to name a few.  Though prices are lofty, Resurrection’s stylish customers don’t mind laying out the cash for what they know will be elegant designer or modish ’60s and ’70s pieces. And, the funky store is easy to navigate since it’s arranged by color and style.

Seven New York’s much awaited flagship boutique in SoHo is a minimally designed space selling men’s and women’s apparel and accessories. Since April 2000, Seven New York has succeeded in unifying forward-thinking fashion designers from around the world into a single space, coupling retail and editorial exposure with special event production and media relations within the fashion, music, and lifestyle markets. Some of the fashion forward brands featured at Seven include Preen, Eventide, Boudicca, Kim Jones, and Imitation of Christ.

Located just one block south of Tribeca Grand, Steven Alan is a lofty showroom featuring the city’s best, along with undiscovered designer clothing, accessories, skincare, shoes, and even music for both men and women. You will find Steven’s own designs as well as those of emerging designers such as Ong, Veena, Rittenhouse, Stellapop, and Christopher Dean.

Founded in 1992, TG170 existed long before the Lower East Side became the shopping destination for fashion savvy New Yorkers that it is today. Originally an art studio, it evolved into a boutique as young designers began expressing an interest in selling their clothes there. TG170 now prides itself on selling interesting collections by young and local designers together with more well-known brands. They currently stock collections by Surface 2 Air, Beckerman, Stetsis; jeans by Cheap Monday, Judy Rosen and J Brand; and a fabulous selection of accessories including purses by Rachel Nasvik and scarves by Sunshine and Shadow.