Alice in Dover Street

When Alice first discovered Wonderland, she was led down a rabbit hole into a wonderfully mysterious new world. She discovered an infinite supply of potions, characters, and intriguing vices calling out to her. While I was in New York I found my very own version of Wonderland. Instead of following a white rabbit into a mystical forest I took a cab to Greenwich Village. There were no enchanted cakes or potions or hookah-smoking caterpillars, only a hidden elevator that doubled as my Pearly Gates.more

Three days after arriving in the city, my friends and I naturally thought that we were masters of the subway system. Like Alice leaving her fiance at the garden party an initial wrong fatefully turned turn a quick trip into a city-wide galavant throughout Tribeca, Downtown NY, and finally Greenwich Village. After waving the white flag of surrender, we finally broke down and hailed a cab to our rabbit hole on Lexington and 30th.

Like the portal in the tree connecting England and Wonderland, this seemed like a very normal space. The outside was an inconspicuous beige brick with stone stairs leading inside. Once entered, we all thought that a wrong turn had been made... yet again. We were wrong.

Upon entrance, all that is seen is a quaint, architectural cafe, buzzing with caffeinated patrons. In order to find the rabbit hole, a bit of exploring is required. After following the trail of wildly printed mannequins, we finally arrived at our enchanted elevator.

From the moment we found our portal, we immediately felt a certain presence around us. We entered and ascended, feeling as though we had stumbled upon a whole new world, only available to a select few industry insiders.

The first floor was a magical feel of minimalist meets magnitude.

This space by Stephen Jones was a major focal point, complete with a stack of chairs ready and waiting for The Hatter at tea time. Hyper colors mixed with simplistic black and white pieces made for an amazing impact on visitors. While walking around I was in a perpetual state of shock and awe. Complete shock that anything could ever be so amazing, so unbelievable and awe that I was given the chance to be able to witness this, experience this energy, even just feel the garments.

After walking up a tunneled stairway, enclosed by a purple roof, wonky railing, and amazing abstract pieces, we arrived at the first women's streetwear floor. Now, tread lightly and watch out for Henry the Zebra! Megan almost unknowingly beheaded the zebra skin carpet laying on the floor, total Red Queen moment. Spoken in the same playful manner of the Chessur Cat, one of the workers joked that it's a tough life being Henry, and that people are always treading on his flowing hair.

Every character that we encountered in this wonderful space had an amazing grunge look, like they hadn't slept in about a year and lived off of either caffeine or narcotics. Their wardrobes all looked like they had been put through a garbage disposal while simultaneously exuding the vibe that they cost more than an average person's annual income. No matter how tortured these Armored Cards looked as they carefully watch over their kingdom, every single one of them was amazing once they started talking and immediately shared their story while being there, or exclusive background information about a special garment or accessory.

After getting back into the black and chrome portal of an elevator, we finally arrived at final floor of our new found heaven. As soon as the doors retracted, we knew this was a different experience than anything that had been witnessed before it. We had entered the heart of the Queen's castle, complete with red walls and everwhelming masses of flowers.

Immediately in front of us was an amazing spread of Gucci covered mannequins. Wild colored furs, hyperactive sequins, and amazing appliques were entrenched and immersed within thousands on thousands of dollars worth of designer merchandise. After rows upon rows of Gucci backpacks, heels, tracksuits, and coats we rounded the corner into Supreme box logo heaven and witnessed a group of people dropping K's of what was most likely illegally obtained $100 bills.

I have found my true home, my heaven on Earth, my Wonderland. After an afternoon that I am still not completely convinced was reality, we pried ourselves out of Dover Street Wonderland and returned to the city.

Like Alice, going back to our normal lives was not easy. If it were possible to live in a retail space, I would choose this in a heartbeat. This day trip forever changed my appreciation for high fashion, New York street style, and the artistry known as the fashion industry.

Dover Street Market, thank you for transporting me into a whole new world and showing me what the fashion industry really is. My Wonderland.

[gallery ids="603,604,605,601,602,606,607,608,609,610,611,612,613,614" type="rectangular" orderby="rand"]

XOXO

-HG