Last week when I was visiting New York the top spot on my list of places to go was the Karl by Karl Lagerfeld Pop-Up Shop. I was so excited to learn that the shop would remain open until August and word on the street is that Uncle Karl himself will be stopping by sometime between now and then. Not only is the shop open, but stock is replenished so if you missed out on a particular item during the online launch or didn’t make it to the pop-up shop opening you are still in luck.

The decor of the shop is black and white – no surprise there – and is pretty minimal so all the amazing product can do the talking. I really love this collection – much more than the capsule collection Lagerfeld did for Macy’s last year. There are great apparel pieces and some really stellar accessories – those collars and gloves!

Not only did the shop have the Karl collection but it had many of Karl Lagerfeld’s latest collaborations including books of his photographs, his glasses collection with Orrefors and his makeup collection for Sephora. I was especially excited to see the Sephora collection as it was not released in the U.S. so now ladies stateside can get their fingers on Karl silhouette-shaped eyeshadow.

The vibe of the shop was relaxed though I’m sure it was anything but on opening day! The staff was very friendly and super-helpful which I love. So much of a shopping experience can be made or ruined by retail staff and I’m happy to say that Justin, Jonathan and Alex made my Karl experience a memorable one.

It was impossible for me to leave empty handed. I tend to be an accessories girl because I’m petite and pretty much wear a uniform that fits my shape so I didn’t go too crazy on apparel. It was hard to narrow down all the stuff I wanted but I ended up getting: a tank for myself, leather fingerless gloves (cut sooo low on the hand and embossed with Karl’s profile!), a tank for a friend, two pins for myself, a tote bag and a limited edition doll for my daughter (for when she’s older – it would not survive the terrible 2s!). I mentioned to Justin the store manager that I wrote a blog about Chanel and he happily let me take photos of the shop and even gifted me a tote and t-shirt that was given out to lucky shoppers at the shop opening. My lucky day!

Take a look at my photos of the shop and the goodies I took home with me below. If you are in the New York area you definitely should check out the Karl by Karl Lagerfeld shop.

Karl Lagerfeld Pop-Up Shop
375 Bleeker Street
New York, NY 10014

Photo: Harper’s Bazaar shot by Karl Lagerfeld, all 3 dresses Chanel

I love the 1920s – it’s one of my favorite decades and I wish I could have lived during that time. In a recent shoot for Harper’s Bazaar, Karl Lagerfeld shot a fashion spread for Harper’s Bazaar entitled Café Society inspired by the Jazz Age. It’s a lovely shoot and one of the shots features three Chanel dresses from the Spring 2012 collection. Check out the video below to hear Karl’s thoughts on the shoot…