Cry Wolf is the rare store that carries chic, cooler-than-thou clothing but still maintains a friendly, laid-back atmosphere. That's mostly due to the owners, a husband-and-wife team consisting of Abiri Ward and Nina Wolff (below), whose welcoming demeanors are a nice break from the aloof attitudes that plague this city's boutiques.   

And the clothing? Think sophisticated clothes for the arty downtown hipster set. The store carries up-and-coming and established men's and women's designers including Unruly Heir, Nudie Jeans, Junk de Luxe and Morphine Generation, to name a few. The sneaker selection is also something special: Shoes from Gram and Clae are unique without resorting to peacock-like displays of wild color.

Cry Wolf's official open date is April 3rd, although it's going through something of a soft opening right now. 

I'm not usually a fan of big fashion chains: Abercrombie and American Eagle lose points for their over-the-top Americana kitsch, Gap and Banana Republic because they're often boring. The only nationwide chain's clothing I actually own (besides H&M, of course) is J. Crew. The brand does simple, sophisticated clothes quite well without ignoring or jumping too readily on the latest trends.

Enter Madewell. J. Crew's foray into a more youthful demographic has been a huge success. The Soho pop-up store was always packed, so expectations were high for the first permanent New York shop.

Well, it's finally here. The Soho space's two huge stories are filled with sunny pop music and 20-something shoppers. The clothing is younger, brighter, trendier and cheaper than J. Crew's. Pink skinny jeans, graphic tank tops and shrunken leather blazers all cater to the text-messaging, blog-reading generation.

Not that anything is too edgy: Madewell is on trend, not ahead of the trends. Plus, you better like color because Madewell doesn't much care for gray. Still, for young trendy girls with sunny dispositions, this spacious store should suit them just fine.

Get the 411 on the new Madewell store, plus take a look at all of New York's newest openings. 

The only thing better than shoes are vintage shoes. Luckily, Girls Love Shoes, who operate a vintage shoe rental archive on Hester Street, are opening a proper boutique on Ludlow.

From the press release:

The new GLS Boutique is located at 29 Ludlow Street. The boutique spans 500 square feet and houses approximately 300 pairs of vintage shoes ranging from the early 1930's to the early 1990's from sizes 41/2 to 12. The shop carries shoes in assorted colors and a wide variety of fun styles that allure shoe connoisseurs to the collection. GLS carries vintage Yves Saint Laurent, Maud Frizon, and Charles Jourdan, to name a few designer favorites. You'll also find many offbeat 80’s labels such as Wild Pair, Candies and J. Renee sprinkled in.

If that wasn't enough, the sisters Zia and Dana Ziprin now sell shoes online, so you can buy those Ferragamo flats without ever leaving your apartment.

New Girls Love Shoes boutique

New Girls Love Shoes website

I love Oak's Williamsburg location, so I was pretty excited when I heard they were opening a Manhattan store. The new store, located on Bond Street between Lafayette and Bowery, is much bigger than the 'Burg and Park Slope (Oak Shoes) locations. Also, it has a crazy black sculpture that looks like it's from outer space, but really it just holds shoes and accessories.

Basically, if you liked the clothes in the Williamsburg store, you'll like the clothes here. Dark, chic men's and women's collections with innovative construction from labels like Daryl K, Opening Ceremony, Comme des Garcons, Nudie, Henrik Vibskov, the store's house label and much more. It's all very avant-garde hipster, but most of it is also very wearable, so those not in the fashion-forward downtown set can still find something they'll like.

Get all the details on the new Oak store, plus check out other "New and Notable" shops.

Not only does boxing help you stay in shape, it's also a great way to keep Clubber Lang at bay. Don't be a fool; check out the new Everlast Shop this Saturday and get free boxing tips from NYC trainer Buddy McGirt, autographs from IBF (International Boxing Federation) champ Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi and, most importantly, free gift bags. Check out all the details on the Everlast Shop at Paragon Sports Grand Opening.

A.P.C. Surplus

Urban Rustic

Oh Williamsburg, the gods of fortune have smiled upon you. First, the much-anticipated A.P.C. Surplus store opened to great fanfare. I've been a couple of times myself, and I can vouch for what a great store it is. Everything is 60 percent off the amount on the price tag, and there is a good split of men's and women's clothing. The collections are from seasons past, but A.P.C.'s style is so understated and timeless that nobody will ever know that the new top you bought is from two seasons ago.

Plus the space is just beautiful: high, wood plank ceilings, incredibly detailed window moldings, exposed brick walls. It feels much closer to a Soho boutique than a discount store. I will definitely be checking in often to see what new merchandise the store has.

Another fantastic addition to the 'hood is Urban Rustic. Those who have read Michael Pollan's books or seen the documentary "King Corn" know about the adverse effects of American industrial agriculture. "King Corn's" director Aaron Woolf decided to take his mission one step further by actually opening an organic grocery store full of meat and produce from local, sustainable farms within 100 miles.

Grass-fed beef, organic produce, paper towels made from recycled materials--it's all there. What makes Urban Rustic special is the cafe, serving sandwiches, breakfast plates and more in a charming elevated dining area in the back of the store.

Check out these and other new NYC shops in our "New and Notable" feature.

Having cool glasses used to be easy. Just slip on a pair of black Buddy Holly frames, and poof--insta-hipster! Oh, how times have changed. Now guys like Terry Richardson are raising the bar when it comes to unique specs. What are beautiful, vision-impaired downtown kids to do?

Luckily, Silver Lining Opticians has just opened in Soho. All the frames are handmade by independent labels like Anglo American and Hamburg, plus there are lots of vintage frames from Balenciaga, Persol and much more. The glasses all have a masculine edge, meaning no rimless or super-modern styles, just old-school aesthetics with modern shapes, like The Strokes of the eyeglass world.   

Some people are brave enough to wrestle alligators, skydive, or wait in line during the opening of a new Apple Store. I am not one of those people. Shortly after leaving my office Friday evening, I snapped some pictures of the madness outside of the nearby opening.

Why the absurd lines, where some people had been waiting since 10am? Well, maybe people just loooove Steve Jobs, although my bet is on the iPods they were giving away.

Anyway, I visited after the madness had died down, and I have to say it isn't too exciting. I mean, if you've been in any of the other Apple Stores you know what to expect. The coolest thing about the Meatpacking District location is that it offers free classes on programs like FinalCut Pro. Also, it has three stories, which is, like, one more than I've ever seen in an Apple Store.   

MUJI madness!!! I waited outside in the cold for exactly 34 minutes to be let into the store. Inside I discovered there was another huge line to check out. Fun! Also, they kept playing Irish jig music, just in case shopping for minimalist Japanese products made you want to burst into a jaunty dance.

Inside was a variety of useful objects in MUJI's clean, modern style: Dishes, cookware, stationery, bedding, clothing and so much more. They even had a make-your-own-pen section, where you could assemble your own customized pen from a variety of different parts. Y'know, because who just wants to buy a plain old pre-made pen? Not me!

The clothing wasn't too exciting (or cheap) but there were some stand-out items. Pairs of cool Converse-like shoes were selling for $21, but alas, the largest men's size was 9 1/2. I eventually settled on a large slouchy beanie and a pack of 20 chopsticks.

And the extra super-special gift at the end? A blank MUJI canvas bag with a gift inside. I got a notebook while my friend got colored pencils, as if the MUJI gods themselves picked out gifts that complemented each other. Thanks MUJI!

When I saw that the Museum of Art and Design was doing a show called Pricked: Extreme Embroidery, I thought to myself, is Dan Cortez from MTV Sports (you know you remember that show) gonna host this gig? I quickly found out that the  "extreme" portion of the show dealt with the current state of the art world and their use of the embroidery medium.  The show tackled more than just the usual ABC sampler or cutesy  embroidered pillowcase; artists dealt with subculture, pop culture, society and politics. Art pieces include military jackets embroidered with personal history, embroidered art pieces (photo, left) embroidered tattooed arms (photo, right), an embroidered couch, and life-like figure drawings embroidered with chicken wire.

Big props to the M.A.D. for allowing crafters and fiber artists to shine! Check out the exhibit on view now until March and be sure to sign up for some of the accompanying events, such as the class on Embroidery 101 offered by the museum.

(Photo Courtesy of Nava Lubelski, Benji Whalen and MAD)