While studded and shredded anything is Fall '09 at it's trendiest, at Bess NYC on Lafayette Street, it's not so much a passing phase as an actual trade- the store and it's house line (also called Bess) were around long before studded Minnetonkas were inhabiting shelves at Zara.
The line somehow feels above the trend, despite the timeliness of the pieces they produce (studded combat boots, disintegrating Levi's with square spikes on the back pockets and leather jackets studded to perfection) not to mention the fact that Erin Wasson may be sporting the same shorts as you if you indulge. But the offerings at Bess feel like the launch of the craze, not the result.
Some of the real gems in the store come in the form of dresses: a particularly insane suede and natural leather strapless version fetches a rather large sum of $800+ but we can dream...or invest in a piece that will definitely still be relevant (and sexy!) in a few years down the road.
A sea of studded boots flood the floor of their shop- which incidentally occupies the space of the old Keith Haring Store, a fact not lost on the owners who also happen to stock Doc Marten's customized with Haring's signature sketches.
In order to reconcile our infatuation with all things rock right now, we're seeing this as legit version that won't fade away into 2009 obscurity.
Bess NYC is located at 292 Lafayette St. between Houston and Prince St.
