New York City is both an art and shopping capital of the world. The vitality of the city attracts the best and the brightest creative minds from all over the globe who often influence one another. What's being shown in art museums, galleries and performing arts centers often inspires what's coming down the runway, and vice versa. Discover their creations. Choose from these suggestions according to your taste and schedule.
Day One
The Museum at FIT has been around since 1967 and features a permanent collection of over 50,000 garments and accessories, some dating from the 18th century. The museum's specialty, though, is contemporary women's fashion. You'll see pieces by legendary and cutting-edge designers, as well as fashion photography exhibits.
Over 300 galleries call Chelsea their home, and Gagosian Gallery is one of the most prominent. Several acclaimed contemporary artists—Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Cindy Sherman, among others—have shown their work at the gallery. It's a good place to start off your Chelsea gallery hop.
Commes Des Garcon
Is it a store or a spaceship? A curved metal walkway made at a British shipyard leads you into a downtown space once occupied by a car repair shop. Even if you aren't looking for new clothes, walk into this futuristic store just to experience the architecture and design by Rei Kawabuko and Takao Kawasaki.
The name Barneys is synonymous with sophisticated fashion. With this downtown Co-Op store, it's now also known for edginess and cool. Find the absolutely latest styles in a casual setting. Keep an eye out for its warehouse sales, when New Yorkers scramble for high-fashion items marked way down.
Day Two
This relative newcomer has breathed new life into New York City's museum scene. Housed in a striking new building on the Lower East Side, the museum is known for showcasing daring and irreverent works by contemporary artists. Another plus: nearby you’ll find the upscale Bowery Hotel and the shops, boutiques and cafes of the Lower East Side and Nolita neighborhoods.
Next door to the New Museum, in the former CBGB’s–an edgy club where legends like the Ramones, Blondie, and the Talking Heads got their start–designer (and fan) John Varvatos leverages music into menswear. Walls at this high-end boutique are still covered with tattered band fliers, old photos and other memorabilia.
The stretch of Broadway below Houston Street is known for its fashionable stores, but this Prada flagship store is probably the most architecturally important. Designed by world-class architect Rem Koolhaas, the space features an amphitheater-style area for public events and high-tech changing rooms. Take a look inside this and other well-designed stores nearby.
Just southeast of Soho is one of New York's best known places to explore ethnic culture. New York's Chinatown is one of the largest in the country. Great dim sum, silk robes, tea parlors, unique gifts—they're all here.
Give your feet a break and spend an evening at the movies. Film Forum isn't just any movie theater. For decades, it has been nurturing New York moviegoers with films hard to see anywhere else, from revivals to art films to vital documentaries. You'll know why some New York fashion designers' collections often seem "cinematic."
Day Three
As one of the few museums devoted solely to design, Cooper-Hewitt is a celebration of innovation and style. This branch of the Smithsonian Institution is housed in the landmark Carnegie Mansion on Fifth Avenue and has more than 250,000 objects in its collection, from designed products to textiles.
Fifth Avenue
A New York City shopping list should include a stroll along Fifth Avenue. If you want to splurge (or just enjoy some posh window shopping), check out classic superstores like Tiffany’s and Saks on Fifth Avenue and designer flagships from Armani to Zegna, on Madison. Fashion meets art in the window displays, especially during holiday seasons.
This long-time shoppers' magnet has been at its current location on East 59th Street since 1886. Let your eyes do the shopping; the upscale store is famous for its creative merchandise presentation. The store also keeps its customers busy with events and workshops throughout the year.
Day Four
The fresh, quirky look of this Brooklyn shop is a welcome addition to the boutiques and cafes that line Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. Alice Chang’s sophisticated designs mix the downtown and the uptown nicely, and her selection of prints is inspired. Be sure to check out the collection of locally-designed jewelry; these one-of-a-kind designs go quickly.
Step into a French-boudoir inspired store where almost everything is for sale—from the plush couches and frilly lamps to old-school hats and cheap chic fashions. At this vintage boutique on Grand Street in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, carefully collected items include Prada shoes, Dior gowns, Chanel scarves, Michael Kors cashmere and sequined tube tops. An added bonus for the stingiest bargain hunters: you’re allowed to argue about the prices.
The Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn boasts a formidable gallery lineup. Sideshow, on Bedford Avenue, is considered one of the veterans. This dynamic experimental space exhibits an eclectic range of artwork from paintings to installations, as well as readings, concerts and other lively programs that expand from the gallery to the streets. The unique Sideshow Bass choir is a monthly performance with 6 to 15 upright basses. Dance performances feature some of New York’s hottest choreographers.
You can take in a great performance in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, at one of New York’s longest-standing cultural anchors. Founded in 1861, BAM is the nation's oldest continuously operating performing arts center. Each year, the academy presents over 200 performances—some star-studded, some classical, some cutting-edge, and all of them well done.