Henri Bendel fashion, RIP

Just learned that Henri Bendel, one of Manhattan's greatest small department stores, is folding its fashion departments due to poor sales. It's a shame, I always loved browsing there. One favorite memory is seeing Custo Barcelona tops there for the first time in the early 90s, and thinking how very cool they looked. Their buyers were superb at sourcing offbeat labels that went on to become fashion standards.

In demise, the fashion floors join other great names from Manhattan's past--Franklin Simon, B. Altman--that stood for a certain kind of quality for women like my mom, who'd take the train in to do some serious adventuring in retail.

But just because these fashion registers have shut for good doesn't mean the names don't linger on. Oftentimes on eBay I'll key in the names of dear departed department stores rather than the names of specific designers. What turns up is often a revelation.

Here's something from Bendel that caught my eye--for some nouveau hippy chick who wants to get her groove on. Looks homemade, but the quality will be awesome.

Thanks Bendel's fashion buyers--you won't be forgotten.