CITYist

Taking a cue from Gilt Group with clothes, and Jetsetter for travel, Fab.com is the newest in online flash sale sites that offers modern design for the home, office, jewelry and gifts, selling brands like Public Bikes, Silva Bradshaw, Kid Robot, and Emeco. With daily design deals at up to 70 percent off, it’s the perfect site to browse if you are looking for something unique and creative.

Whether you’re looking for a fun place to try on gorgeous footwear or are on the hunt for a great pair of rare shoes, Ruia is worth a visit. And with complimentary drinks and a television, we have no doubt you’ll have any trouble finding a shopping buddy.

There’s still time to make it to the Sanrio Small Gift Truck today if you couldn’t yesterday. Located on Herald Square, the adorable little truck will be leaving at 7pm. We stopped by earlier to do a little holiday shopping and the constant line indicated that there is a high demand for limited edition Sanrio products. So get there before everything sells out! (Note: unfortunately, the car is not for sale.)

Realm Boutique opened its doors for a grand opening party at 98 Greene St. in Soho last night. Everyone’s favorite fashion-lover and Gossip Girl star Blake Lively came out to congratulate the store’s owner Randi Jacobson on the new space.

Apart from robbing the MOMA, access to appealing, contemporary art is expensive and not to so easy to acquire (Actually, this would only be considered simple for James Bond). But to avoid jail time, because who actually looks good in orange, try this innovative way to obtain quality art. Enter ARTWELOVE, an up-and-coming art-shopping site that allows customers to purchase exclusive, high-quality paintings by contemporary artists. Amazingly, the quality and limited nature of these paintings well exceeds the low prices (works range from a modest $15 to $2,000). Each week, at least one limited edition work is released and ARTWELOVE.com features interesting interviews with each artist, so you can learn more about where each piece comes from.

Before you plan your next weekend trip, consider Las Vegas, Nevada. Earlier this month, a new Prada location was opened at Crystals CityCenter. Somehow, the palm trees just look so picturesque next to the modern and edgy architecture. The store was designed by famous European architect Roberto Baciocchi. And you think the outside is amazing? The internal features of the store are impeccable. With organized shelves and neat displays of accessories, this spot can make a fashionista’s mouth water. Prada men’s and women’s collections are available here, including ready-to-wear, accessories, handbags and footwear. There are also limited edition items created just for Vegas. Hopefully, what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas because we’d sure love to take this entire Prada store home with us.

The quiet opening of Yeholee’s new shop on a calm corner of 38th Street marks a major shift in the New York fashion dynamic. Yeholee is the first designer to open a retail shop in the garment district, and by doing so, she has become a visionary forerunner, pushing the idea of local fashion forward to a reality.

Just imagine: a gallery-inspired setting, a curated selection of Cali’s finest fashion designers and prices that won’t completely overdraft your Chase account. Welcome to LA’s Echo Park Independent Co-op (aka E.P.I.C). Since opening earlier this year, owners/founders Rhianon and Tristan Scott have made it their mission to support and spread the word about local fashion artists and talents on the come up, so to speak. All items are guaranteed to be locally designed and—in most cases— locally produced (take that American Apparel!).

Officially opening just yesterday to the public, Gant opens its first dedicated boutique for their youth-oriented, stylish Rugger line. The store, located at 353 Bleecker Street in the West Village, carries the full range of Rugger menswear in a cozy space that echoes Gant’s industrial New Haven manufacturing plant roots.

With all the options available on the internet—from flash to simply embedding videos—it’s rather surprising that more designers haven’t taken steps to present their products more creatively. Rachel Comey’s new men’s footwear line, however, does just that. Shunning static images in place of short vignettes showing the shoes in actual settings, moving on actual human feet, it’s an interesting way for consumers to ponder their purchase and see the coveted object in action.