Air Market
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Neighborhood: East Village Type of Place: Clothing Description: Maybe because I'm approaching another birthday, the girl-woman vibe of Air Market caught my eye from the street. With its one-foot-in-chic, the-other-in-cute style, it seemed geared toward women who dress like teenagers and can successfully pull off the look. Or maybe toward teenage girls who want to look like women? Or teenage boys who want to look like girls, or men who.... Well, I had to step in to investigate. The style here is very Shonen Knife/Cibo Mato; if you know those Japanese girl groups, you'll know what I mean. If you don't, picture a seemingly ageless, cute-as-punch Japanese female. If she's as young as she looks, how is she ordering a whiskey neat at the bar? But if she's in her 20s, or older, how is she wearing a pinafore (and looking just fine in it)? And what's with the drumsticks/guitar case/up-to-the-minute laptop she's got? Who is this person? One of the first things I noticed was a "Please don't talk on your cell in the store" sign. Right on! I support this trend and wish every shop would adopt it. Free of cell ringtones and attendant loud conversations, I browsed the racks. There's lots to admire here, and a good amount of it is on post-holiday sale: like the ruffled metallic-grey cardigan, $61.60; the brown lace empire-waist tank top, $62.50, which could be worn through the spring and summer and into next fall (or next winter, if that one's as mild as this year); and a big, appealingly slouchy black sweater with frilly touches but lots of room--just in case, like me, you've got holiday bulges to conceal, $76.50. Round vinyl purses with gold metal chain, now $40, are utterly adorable. Along those lines, it's really in the accessories that this shop's girliness shines brightest: the wool-pom-pom necklaces, $25; the fuzzy, cute-animal-laden ponytail holders, from $5; the talking watches, in Japanese and English versions (but I couldn't understand either one too well), $22; the white or pink sachet, $8, shaped like bear--perfect for a girl's room, but sold next to a candle set (also $8), which, though also very sweet, wouldn't be right as a kid's decoration. Along those lines, I must mention the lighters ($4) that look like toys, and whose toyishness did not make me happy. But my spirits were revived a bit by the "rescued paper" notbooks made from (clean) discarded paper, from $12. Amen to them; and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks a paper bag that contained, say, a pair of socks is hardly ready for the garbage, or even the recycling bin. For men's stuff, I loved the t-shirts (from $35, less on the sale rack), printed with groovy abstract designs and made of great-feeling cotton. I also liked the refreshingly unusual home-decor stuff, like the electric-guitar-shaped pillow, $38. As I was getting ready to leave, I spotted an item that seemed to sum up the store's style: a floral blouse decorated with decals of a monster, a heart, and Che Guevera, $79. Who's it meant for? Anyone who can wear it with the proper spirit and verve. I asked the cashiers who the shop's customers generally are. "Well, it might looks like it's for teenagers, but mostly we get people in their 20s...30s...40s...even 50s," she answered. "Men and women." Exactly. Age, shmage, and gender, shmender; it's all in the attitude. - Pamela Grossman; Jan 11, 2007
Air Market 97 3rd Ave New York, NY 10003 (212) 995-4888 Map Subway
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