For the holiday season, Barney's harnessed the imagination of Lady Gaga for their seasonal window displays, but now "Victorian Punk" artist and icon Colette is calling her out for stealing (it wouldn't be the first time?). more ›

Nothing says Christmas like marketing gimmicks, so Barneys decision to bring in Lady Gaga into their campaign this holiday season is actually pretty natural, we suppose. The high end retailer will be giving Gaga her own floor in Manhattan—the 5th, which is the men's department—for her own version of Santa's Workshop, called Gaga's Workshop. But... how many of Gaga's little monsters can actually afford to shop there? more ›

The Humane Society of the United States has gone on a fur-finding mission and found that a Phillip Lim brand faux fur parka sold online by Barneys New York... is actually made of real animal fur. They tell us "the same coat was sold in their Madison Avenue flagship store without the 'real fur' label required by New York state law." The group is now asking Barneys to become 100% fur-free, like other retailers and designers have done. more ›

Should you be able to afford Barneys Co-op, the latest addition to Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue, you may not be able to fit into the clothes sold there. One reporter recently tried on a $315 dress, only to discover Barneys offers clothes in three sizes: 1, 2, and 3 (representing small, medium, and large). more ›

Barneys Co-op has officially opened its doors in Brooklyn (and there's probably nothing the Park Slope Food Coop can do about it). NY1's Roger Clark was reporting from there earlier this morning, and Pat Kiernan Tweeted this photo of his co-worker after being done up by Barney's Creative Director Simon Doonan. (Sadly, they didn't let him keep the clothes.) more ›

With Barneys Co-op moving in to downtown Brooklyn, the NY Times declares the borough to be "the new bastion of cool for many New Yorkers... poised to go mainstream chic" (*shivers*). Allegedly following the well-heeled lead of Barneys—Jonathan Adler, Swarovski Crystal, Anthropologie and other high end retailers have been snooping around for some prime real estate in the neighborhood. more ›

Starting Tuesday, the windows at Barney's are getting a makeover courtesy of 20 of the city's street artists and one iconic chair. The Eames Foundation, Eames Office and Herman Miller have teamed up with the Public Works Department of New York to present 20 Eames® Molded Plywood Chairs designed by graffiti and street artists like Peru Ana Ana Peru and Billi Kid. They'll be on display next week through the end of the month in Barney's windows. The chairs will simultaneously be auctioned off online through June 1st to benefit Operation Design, a mentorship program that matches creative professionals with public school students to work on artistic projects. Too bad Shepard Fairey was a little busy. more ›

The Park Slope Food Coop isn't too happy about the new Co-op in town: Barneys. The department store is slated to open on Atlantic Avenue this year, and general manager of the food coop, Joe Holtz says they have illegally coopted the word co-op! The misuse of the term is considered a violation of state law, and a misdemeanor could have the retail giant facing a fine of... 500 bucks. more ›

Downtown Brooklyn isn't only getting a Barneys, a Trader Joe's and an Urban Outfitters... it's also getting a more artistic mark of gentrification: public art. The Daily News reports that there are plans to turn an old parking lot at Hoyt and Schermerhorn Streets (rendering at right), into an art-themed park, covering up eyesores with installations. But not everyone is happy (of course)—some longtime merchants in the area are reportedly feeling squeezed out. One small business owner said, "Eventually there'll be no small stores left. They're making it harder and harder to operate a business." And about that Barneys moving in? One local said, "When I think Barneys, I think of SoHo and Chelsea and all that pretension. That's one of the things I like about living in Brooklyn, it's not pretentious." Yet! more ›

The big department stores all have their holiday cheer on display. Katie Sokoler went to check out what they had to offer, hitting up Saks, Macy's, Bergdorf's, Lord & Taylor and Barney's. She tells us: "Bergdorf and Macy's definitely had the best ones. Saks was just terrible!" We'd have to say that Lord & Taylor also looks a bit drab, though they get props for keeping it traditional each year — in fact, this year's looks very similar to last year. If you're interested in checking out the big stores yourself, here's a helpful map. more ›

Is Cobble Hill slated to be the luxury department store mecca of Brooklyn? Crain's is reporting that the trendy shop is planning to open in the neighborhood (though nothing is confirmed)—this would be their 5th store in the city (with three Co-Op stores in Manhattan, and their Madison Avenue flagship). One real estate expert told the site that: “Brooklyn is a logical move for them." Hopefully Brooklyn will also be the next logical move for Apple... but what other shops does the borough "need" that it's currently missing? more ›

• Use a Queens manufacturer as an example: The NY Times reports that Crystal Window & Door System of Flushing benefited from the federal stimulus bill's "tax credit for homeowners who install energy-saving windows and doors. Last year, Crystal began improving the energy efficiency of its products, a shift that has been more effective than it could have hoped...A day after the president signed the bill, Crystal began getting calls for its products that met the standards to qualify for the tax credit." Which avoided layoffs and further reductions.
• Defend the pace of stimulus spending: Biden said, "There's been some criticism that we've not gotten enough money out so far. Well look, since I'm the guy who was put in charge of it, I want to make sure in the first 100 days we do it right...The one thing that could undermine this whole effort is if you'd read stories in the last 100 days about how this money is being wasted in the tens of billions of dollars." He did promise that spending on roads and bridges would speed up in the coming months.
• Have a bit of a gaffe: On Monday night, Biden referred to Governor Paterson as NY's "once and future" governor, which was taken as an endorsement. Biden later said, "It was a statement of friendship and admiration for the governor, and was not intended as a political statement."

Even Dubai is having money issues! Bloomberg News reports that the Dubai-based Istithmar World PSJC "may sell the luxury retailer for less than half what it paid two years ago as the state-owned fund seeks to raise cash to meet debt payments." Istithmar paid $942.3 million for the retail store in 2007, but sources say bids seem to be in the $350 million to $600 million range. An analyst points out, "It’s a buyers’ market. The fact that luxury-goods stocks have fallen more than 30 percent in the past year is also going to weigh on expectations.” Right—especially since some customers can't get credit! Related: The Barneys Warehouse Sale starts tomorrow. more ›

Abraham Lincoln is so totally "in" these days, so some teenagers attending Abraham Lincoln High School teamed up with the with New York Historical Society to pay homage to the 16th President inside of Barneys Madison Avenue windows. A full set of the display can be seen here, where it's noted the kid's "original portraits may be purchased for $100 each," and are going fast (though none of them seem to include the famous stovepipe hat!). more ›

Early this morning Barneys New York unveiled its 2008 Holiday Windows, which are being called: "Peace & Love: Have a Hippie Holiday". The theme was chosen in honor of the peace sign's 50th anniversary, and style guru/creative director Simon Doonan is the man behind the 60's holiday vibe (which incidentally leaves out any political references). more ›

Aside from the concerts, there isn't much reason to go to the Southstreet Seaport unless you're 14 and need to hit Abercrombie & Fitch. The NY Sun reports that General Growth Properties, the developer who owns the rights to the area (the Seaport and Fulton Fish Market), is on a mission to turn that all around; but is their mission misguided? With a commercial and residential project that promises a floating pool and a community center...it also looks to bring in more stores! The big retail names are mostly big bucks shops: Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Barneys New York. Though Target is also rumored to be interested. more ›