SOHO is going through an awkward stage. The luxury stores that opened here in the last two decades look oversize, cavernous and devoid of life. I strolled around one day last week and could count the shoppers on two hands. A mannequin in the grand window of one boutique was dressed in a gaudy silk gown. At one time it may have appeared seductive and aspirational, but now it looked like a scary starlet in 2005 who just flew in from South Beach and forgot to wear something sensible.
You have to sympathize. Last fall we had our rose-colored shopper shades slapped off our faces, and it’s hard for stores to make their merchandise relevant in this new sober era without a radical overhaul and major reconsideration of priorities. That takes months.
It’s sort of uncanny that SLVR, a new line from the Adidas megabrand, can present such fresh clothing so quickly. It just opened a store on Wooster Street, and the merchandise attempts to be functional, eco-friendly, fashion-y and relatively affordable. Of course, Adidas has gobs of money and is German-owned, so it’s easy to imagine it being intensely meticulous and efficient with its time, even if earnings have slowed down along with everyone else’s.
The narrow interior of the store is airy and free of unnecessary décor. Simple chairs and seats have spongy square-cut cushions made of felt. A table near the back is made of wood planks bound together with thick belts. Men’s and women’s apparel is divided cleanly along opposite walls, separated into unobtrusive shades of blue, khaki, black and white, displayed on 100 percent recyclable cardboard hangers (supplied by the company Ditto Hangers).
A long-sleeve T-shirt ($95) had an interesting wide neck and ribbing detail; a gray T-shirt ($70) was yoked on the back shoulders with a panel of thin white cotton material. A thick cotton hoodie ($160) had zip pockets and well-stitched ribbed cuffs. A slim cotton twill parka ($220) fit nicely and felt as if it was constructed to last a while. The store has a future-is-now aura, as if buying these basic designs will help streamline your life. It’s like an Apple Store for clothing.
For the casual shopper, the clothes may at first seem similar to Y-3, the Adidas collaboration with the Japanese avant-garde designer Yohji Yamamoto. Like that sublime line, these garments try to wed high-fashion cool with athletic wear. But they are made of less-expensive fabrics and cost much less. For example, the Light Pack Jacket is a crisp windbreaker made from white translucent polyethylene material.
“They had extra packaging at the headquarters in Germany and decided to make jackets out of it,” said a friendly, smiling saleswoman. It’s $175. At Y-3, this creation would be made of cobweb-delicate titanium mesh and cost $1,000.
Two eco-friendly items, the seven-piece shoe and the Zero Waste Tee, are displayed in the center of the store. The shoe uses only six pieces for the upper, which are stitched to an outsole using little glue. The T-shirt is made from one piece of fabric, cut once and single-stitched around the body. There is taping along the edges to prevent fraying.
One women’s T-shirt is capelike with flared arms like a flying squirrel. A prototype appeared under a glass cube in the middle of the room. A young saleswoman tried to explain how it goes on: “See? Your neck fits through here.” She pointed to a pattern etched on the surface of the glass. I had no idea what I was looking at but gasped “Oh! I see!” as if I understood. I do that a lot.
I was eager to try one on in private and took a sleeveless version of the Zero Waste Tee, along with other items, to the dressing room. A henley ($85) had a covered placket, giving it a smooth look. Its fit was proportional while not overly body-hugging. A khaki overshirt ($160) had nice safari-style pockets and a surprisingly pronounced collar. I think Robert Lansing wore something like it in the cheesy 1977 horror film “Empire of the Ants.” I am so excited this ’70s style jacket is back on the market.
I also tried on a pair of tapered pants ($145). I was dubious because they came only in small, medium and large, but the small fit me surprisingly well. I looked in the mirror at my crisp, modern uniform and indulged in a brief fantasy that I was wearing a little headset and giving an inspiring talk at the TED Conference.
The sleeveless Zero Waste Tee had a skirty triangular fit. The sides were pinched flat into fins, and a notch cut into the collar created a strangely high V-neck opening. The style wasn’t for me. I looked like William Shatner trying to squeeze into his Starship Enterprise uniform. But I appreciate that the brand is encouraging us to accept new shapes and silhouettes that are less wasteful. Anyway, it will look amazing on some willowy N.Y.U. student.
Much of the merchandise is geared toward what trend-spotters call millennials: consumers born after 1980 or so. Apparently they are optimistic, energetic and want to change the world. (I swear I remember the same thing being said about Gen-Xers not long ago, but who cares about those damaged sad sacks now?)
With an abbreviated name that is meaningless to fogies who have never sent a text message, SLVR will clothe our millennials nicely as they go about their day saving our economy, cleaning up the environment and renewing hope. Some of them trickled in and out of the store while I was there. I didn’t see anyone make a purchase, but at least the store was bringing fresh youthful energy onto the anemic streets of SoHo.
I really liked the clothing here, but I held off. Maybe next month, if things get any worse, Adidas will come out with an even less-expensive line of cool clothes called CHPSK8.
SLVR
108 Wooster Street (between Prince and Spring Streets); (212) 941-6580
FUTURE-TIME Adidas presents a new line of sleek forward-looking clothes at midrange prices, invigorating slumpy SoHo in the process.
BIOSPHERE Using organic materials and cardboard hangers and staffed with nontoxic salesclerks, the store aims to be eco-friendly.
ADIDAS-VERSE The giant Adidas store looms nearby on the corner of Houston and Broadway, and an Adidas Originals boutique is down the street at 136 Wooster.
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