Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Anthropologie 101
Posted by Missy Wilkinson on Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 8:44 PM
It's a little shameful to admit that, although I'm the fashion editor here at Gambit and therefore a more-or-less professional shopper, I've never set foot in Anthropologie. So I can only nod blankly when my peers wax poetic about the high-end home and clothing retailer due to open its first New Orleans location this August in the Canal Place mall. During said waxing (proselytizing?) Anthropologie customers assume aggressively beatific expressions indicative of the ultimate retail speedball: total shopping contentment cut with frenzied material desire. I don't know what Anthropologie is putting in the Kool-Aid, but I want a taste.
New Orleans artist and self-avowed "Anthro girl" Sarah Ashley Longshore, whose chair line exemplifies the distinctive Anthropologie aesthetic (sweet but not cloying, old-fashioned but not geriatric, chic but not sterile, whimsical but not twee), explains the store's allure this way:
They are an absolutely amazing company to work with because they completely maintain my artistic integrity. When I heard they were opening a store in New Orleans, I was beyond elated! Having them here in my home city makes me happy, because I know that through their incredible design and products (including my own), this city will be a more interesting place!
It's hard to imagine this city being more interesting than it already is, but anything is possible, especially when dealing with a company whose Web site features bees that bombinate and skirts that undulate with the pass of a curious cursor. Until the store opens, we will have to content ourselves with these digital fixes--or a trip to the Baton Rouge location.
Comments (2)
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I went to one in Seattle once (still haven't made it to the Baton Rouge store) and I liked the aesthetic but I felt like some of it was sort of overpriced for what it was. Mind you, this was probably 7 or 8 years ago, so things could have changed, but I know they're still sort of an upscale sister to Urban Outfitters. Both stores have styles I like, but generally I feel like there are a lot of independent designers who do similar stuff better, and for a better price point, and I can buy it directly from them. I have been known to lust over the shoe selection at Anthropologie's website though...
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