TWO GOOD TURENS BEGAT ANOTHER
by ANITA SARKO
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| • Clockwise from top center: JOHNNY FARAH SMARTPHONE CASE. Leather. $122 ... LAURA B. Chain Metal Mesh and Swarovski Crystals BOMBAY MULTIUSE BAG. $998 ... Custom-designed Hand-Painted ("By the store!") CHANEL BAG. $3000 ... RIBON Woven Wool CLUTCH BAG. $200 ... Handmade Multi-Leather WALLET. $30 ... JOHNNY FARAH POCKETWALLET. Leather. $100. |
| FINALLY ... something to do if you can’t get into the fabulously popular MEATBALL SHOP or if you have a LONG time to wait before a table is available. Directly across the street is the equally fabulous boutique, A. TUREN (85 Stanton St., 212.533.8200, Tuesday-Saturday: Noon-8PM. Sunday: Noon-7PM. Closed Mondays). And, because they have clothing for both females and males, everyone in your group can take turns breaking the monotony of lingering or getting over the fact that there was no room for you at the inn. Of course, if something you love at A. Turen is a bit snug or you literally cannot fit your chubby self into it at all, this might discourage you from actually going to the Meatball Shop or ordering seconds once you do get a seat. The bright side of this dour situation: Isn’t it best to know BEFORE you feast on all of those fats and carbs?
I’m not usually fond of these soirées, but this one was a bit glitzier than usual. Not only were members of the storied Ronson/Jones clan milling about (both matriarch Ann Dexter Jones and daughter Charlotte Ronson have items in the store), but I also recognized Gene Pressman, of the infamous Barney’s founding family. “Whoever these people are, they are quite connected!” I gossiped to the hubby. A day later, I received an email from a couple I had been quite friendly with in a previous lifetime, Edward and Jan Turen. The last name hadn’t rung a bell because we all knew each other so long ago; I needed this email to nudge the dormant brain cells awake. They had seen my picture on Patrick McMullan’s coverage of their daughter’s store party and were wondering if I was the same person they knew back in Miami. “Oh my God!” I said to the hubby. “I know the parents of the girl who owns that shop we were at last night! We used to call them The Young Adorables because they were always so ... well ... ADORABLE!” I knew Edward and Jan as young newlyweds. They were both as beautiful as dolls and had flawless wardrobes. Neither was the type to have a hair out of place or a wayward thread. If they weren’t so damned nice, we might have hated their perfection. |
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| • Left to right: TIMO Knife-Pleat DRESS. Polyester-blend Crepe. 40% off sale (Regularly $490) ... TIMO Hand-knitted Waist Cutout Merino Wool SWEATER. 40% off sale (Regularly $290). TIMO Button Skorts. $238. From Spring line. "They are such a flattering shape!" |
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| • STOULS Astrid CARDIGANS. Lambskin and Cashmere Blend. Nude (above) and Brown (below). $781. |
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| And now The Young Adorables had an equally gorgeous and beautifully turned-out daughter named Ashley. And, happily, Ashley’s as nice as her parents. What a terrific reunion! I returned to the boutique because I had seen a lot of items that were really worth another look and I was certainly curious about Ashley. Seems she was brought up in Tenafly, NJ, graduated from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, hoping to be an actress, but changed her mind a few years later. The new career began when she painted over an old leather jacket in her closet, which led to painting over just about everything else she and her friends had lying around. She took the leap into retail with a shop in her LES neighborhood. Quickly outgrowing that, she moved to her present location. “My first shop was a 350 sq. foot space on Ludlow St. I moved because I wanted to expand my vision. I primarily only sold the painted pieces there and I wanted to create a full experience.” |
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| • STOULS INEZ TOP. Lambskin and Cotton blend. $550. |
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• STOULS ROBERTA DRESS. Lambskin. $846. |
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| STREETWISE Rock Skeleton T-SHIRTS. "They're all printed on vintage white T-Shirts." $198. |
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| • Left to right: WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND FOR A. TUREN CHANEL 4 Pocket Sparkly CARDI-JACKET. $2950 ... WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND FOR A. TUREN OSSIE CLARK Celia Print Chiffon SKIRT. $1250. |
| Fashion was in Ashley’s blood. “I grew up with two grandparents in retail.” She explains. “My grandmother had an amazing, eclectic boutique in Birmingham, AL. My grandmother passed her love of fashion and all things ‘special’ down to my mother, and then onto me.” Of course, the LES is bursting with cute little clothing establishments, so I wondered what Ashley felt distinguished hers from the rest. “Everything in the store is special, from the Lalique doorknob to the clothes and accessories. I select each item carefully by hand, not because it may be trendy at the moment, but rather for its timeless and special appeal.” |
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| • Clockwise from top left: A. TUREN LEGGINGS "Wearable art. Hand painted. Coated Lycra. "I used to call them the Liquid Eel leggings. The paints are all oxidized metals. These are my staple. All are one-of-a-kind. All are different." $180 ... WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND FOR A. TUREN Vintage sequined BLOUSE from the '80s $398 ... A BY A. TUREN SHRUNKEN BOYFRIEND BLAZER. Polyester and Viscose. Silk lining. Available in red, bright navy (pictured here) and Army. $210 ... KIMBERLY OVITZ  jersey ponte "YORI DRESS" $435 ... WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND FOR A. TUREN PUCCI Fringed DRESS $1750. |
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| • Left: A BY A. TUREN PERFECT TANK. Jersey. Available in black, red, white, blush, and steel with the signature star "a" embroidered on the nape of the neck. $78. • Right: A BY A. TUREN PERFECT SLIP TANK. 100% silk. Available in golden, black, turquoise, and baby pink. $198. |
| Naturally, her taste is wonderful. As you can see from these pictures, the selection is quite eclectic. Not only will you find current faves, including Timo Weiland, Kimberly Ovitz, the aforementioned Ronson/Dexter Jones items, J Brand, Tim Hamilton, Rad Hourani, Jonathan Simkchai, Iro, Clover Canyon, Current Elliott, Kristenson du Nord and Stouls, but there are also interesting vintage selections, coordinated with the infamous What Goes Around Comes Around. What you see on this page is mainly for women, but there are a lot of options for the other gender, courtesy of Weiland, Hamilton, Hourani, Duckie Brown, Spurr, and Stone Island. Not content to paint over old clothing, be the buyer for the “constantly evolving” designs of others, or curate a vintage collection, Ashley is now creating her own line of basics. “(These items) compliment all the out-there items in the store.” Turen says of her A BY A. TUREN line. “It makes shopping easy, and allows the customer to be able to take risks, but look sexy and elegant all at the same time.” All of these items are stamped/ embroidered/ tattooed with her store logo, which is a star and an “a." |
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| • Clockwise from top center: GOTI Chain Metal and Sequins on Leather SILVER COBWEB NECKLACE. $1082 ... Mad SAVAGE Re-Worked MOUTH BELT. Tooled Leather with Metal. $363 ... ANN DEXTER JONES Sandstone and Rose gold Plated BRACELET. $2200 ... THIERRY LASRY GLASSES. Clear Framed. $425. Tortoise Framed. $372 ... LUIS MORAS Black Diamonds on Gold On Onyx Beads. $1500. |
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| • Clockwise from above: AMORES PERROS NECKLACE. 20" shiny gunmetal-plated brass chains, desert rainbow threadwork with multi charms and acrylic pearls. $435 ... VENESSA ARIZAGA "WHAT WHAT EAR EARRINGS." $150 ... DANNIJO "IRIS BIB NECKLACE." $545. |
| Expansion is afoot, initially with footwear, jewelry, and home accessories, then availability at other stores. An e commerce website is in the works and, finally, global domination. We like people who don’t think small, don’t we? So, what all began with a scheme to refresh some old clothes in a single closet has now become a “concept”: “What makes A. TUREN truly unique is its core concept of recycling your closet; taking something you already own, and turning it into something completely unique and fresh, hence the hand painting.” So, there you stand in the middle of Stanton St. On both sides are places where you can spend your money for something that will, eventually, show up on your body. Choose wisely. |
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| • L. to r.: TIMO "LEVEN DRESS." $388 ... JONATHAN SIMKCHAI "TWEED SHEER DRESS." $539 ... TIMO chiffon and silk "PLEATED SHIRT DRESS."  $388. |
Twitter: ShoppingDiary |
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