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young girl

“Similarly, with other people, I remember them only if they were inscribed in the scrolls of my destiny from the very beginning, so that encountering them was, at the same time, a kind of recollection.” - Carl Jung

As a young girl in the early ’80s, I often could be found hiding underneath layers of satin, chiffon, and other whimsical gauze. I would innocently crawl around on my little knees, discovering treasures in beads, sequins, a rare feather or two, and the occasional jackpot: a glistening Swarovski crystal. It was a time when I was magnetically drawn to names that felt so attractively familiar to me, almost before I had even encountered them.

These names have since shaped and guided my life so much that I like to think of them as my own scrolls of destiny: Bloomingdales, Bendel’s, Bergdorf, and every New York kid’s favorite, F.A.O. Schwartz. These were the kinds of Manhattan locales that occupied much of my childhood. For this I am indebted to my parents, who have always been extreme shoppers and are, indeed, quite proud of it! Don’t be fooled: my father comes from very humble roots. He toiled his whole life to give his family everything we could ever need or want—within reason, of course.

My father was guided by the theory that a child who is loved can never be spoiled. Thus our approach to shopping was quite different from that of most people: it was not simply about buying a bunch of “stuff,” but rather about spending time together as a family—our own version of tossing around a baseball or learning to ride a bike. Like sports players, we were a team that spent Saturdays and Sundays together, passing gracefully from store to store and usually ending the day with a movie or a meal: our own post-game celebration.

Though shopping is often perceived to be a frivolous, materialistic, and superficial activity, I must confess that I have always thought that it can truly reflect one’s deeper thoughts and emotions. Among my favorite memories are my frequent childhood visits to a certain jewelry designer who always had a little surprise for me when I walked in. To my young mind, naturally I thought that I must have been terribly special; and while I undoubtedly was, I later discovered that the designer did the same for all the kids!

This memory has always stuck out in my mind, because it reminds me that shopping was not about purchasing something fancy, but about experiencing the excitement of surprise and discovery, of innovation and the extraordinary. Whether or not my family bought something, a plethora of new and different colors, lusters, and textures was a wonderful stimulus to my child’s imagination. But shopping was also about spending time with those whom I loved most.

Perhaps greatest of all was being able to see my parents in love: watching my father anticipate every desire of my mother and surprise her with a delightful gift, which is always a beautiful expression of the understanding one can share with another. This, for me, is the magic of shopping.

My own passion is not shared by all: either it is in your blood, or it is not. But everyone can identify with the pleasure of locating the perfect piece of clothing for oneself, or finding the ideal gift after taking the time to travel to countless stores and later seeing the look of surprise and delight on a loved one’s face.

The goal of my column is to reach those who share in my enthusiasm for shopping and luxury, and to surprise them with all the mercantile secrets hidden away in New York and just waiting to be discovered. But my overriding hope is that all of my readers will enjoy my suggestions, and remember that shopping can be both a way to have fun, explore, and discover new things, and also to show how much we love those closest to us. With these lofty thoughts circling your mind, be sure to prepare yourself for Cole Hann sandals, a chic tee-shirt like the striped ones from Vince, and a bold belt, funky bangels, and all other relevant accessories, because our next stop is the lovely world of SOHO. To be continued …