The Newest NYC Store You Won't Want to Miss

Yesterday I took a whirlwind day trip up to Canada to check out Aritzia's Spring 2011 Collection. Technically a whirlwind afternoon trip after a three-hour de-icing of the PJ (what us editors came to affectionately call the private wings Aritzia had organized for the excursion).

The 26-year-old Vancouver, BC-based chain has quietly opened a handful of stores here in the U.S. over the last three years--including in my hometown of Seattle, which I frequent on trips home--and come May a gigantic flagship in the two-story former Gap space in Soho on the corner of Broadway and Spring will mark its official U.S. presence. But you won't have to wait three months to start shopping--a pop-up shop on the third floor opens this Saturday, February 5.

Yes, they carry de rigueur hipster labels like See by Chloé, Acne and Marc by Marc Jacobs--but the real reason to visit is for Aritzia's eight in-house labels. If eight sounds like a lot, the weekend casual knits, cool tailoring and romantic dresses and skirts all mix and match rather effortlessly in a Frenchie-chic way (cue the sound of friends asking, "where'd you get that??"), and at Club Monaco-like prices: jackets from one of the lines, Le Fou, are under $300; wear-with-everything silk tanks under $90.

Here are my favorite looks from last night to put on your shopping list: