When you’re talking about Isaac Mizrahi, it’s best to let Isaac Mizrahi do all the talking. He (rather boisterously) said it himself in last month’s Fashion’s Night Out PSA: “Let’s make shopping fun again!”

The man who calls his designs “ice cream and cake” serves up Madison Avenue à la mode to indeed make shopping a lot sweeter. He recently swung open the doors to his brand spanking new Manhattan flagship mecca on East 67th Street. Tucked into the main floor of a newly renovated brownstone, just 1,500 square feet that houses the mille-feuille of Isaac’s eccentric empire - crayon-box-colored apparel, whimsical hats, brilliant handbags, sleek shoes and even his icing-on-the-cake couture.

Isaac’s signature style is something of a formula: stark walls and barely finished floors contrast small touches of his favorite baroque furniture (upholstered in shocking orange, of course) and elegant antiques (personally scouted by Isaac). The formulaic interior always allows his product to sing. When you design clothes that not only sing, but boast full-volume operatic bravado, the bones that house them are best left a quiet canvas.

The flagship unfolds as you meander through the narrow space. The first delight, Isaac’s ready-to-wear, peppered here and there with signature accessories from mod-prep initialed belts to quirky fishbone earrings. Hidden in the back, overlooking a petite terrace, is the warm, gooey center: Isaac's couture confections on display and done, for the first time, his way.

The Isaac way usually involves over-the-top theatrics. Take his recent Spring 2010 runway show, a choreographed production involving rain machines, golf carts and a full-on film crew set on a Hollywood soundstage with a live jazz band. In Manhattan. And then there were the clothes: Sequins, tinsel, cardboard hats and lobster-shaped jewelry which were all snippets of Isaac’s predisposition towards showmanship.

But, back to the boutique, as that’s where all the goodies will be available for consumption come Spring, set upon a most appropriate stage. Go for a gander, and treat yourself to a taste of his spectacular spectacle. Should you choose to walk away with even the smallest tasty morsel, it will be you who will be getting all the applause.

Isaac Mizrahi NY Flagship - Open Monday thru Friday
10:00am - 6:00pm

23 East 67th Street New York, NY 10021
Call: 212.288.8111
Visit: www.isaacmizrahiny.com

WISE EYES
Clearly, Silver Lining owner Jordan Silver has a vision. As the trend for spectacle spectacles continues to grow, the long-time eyewear collector had the foresight to open his small but stocked Soho shop and sell his rare finds and cool frames. With an old-world feel and a friendly vibe, it has quickly become a must-see for the top bespectacled celebrities and stylists.

In 2007, along with friend and (conveniently) licensed optician Erik Sacher, Silver opened up the cases to his massive collection of vintage eyeglass and sunglass frames, an archive so big that despite pawning off styles to stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Opening Ceremony, and Jeffrey since 2005, there’s still a lot to spare. Among wood displays and leather chairs Silver’s serious frames fill drawers, display cases, and are often quirkily set-up in the various tongue-in-cheek window themes - the recent Presidential election provoked the politically-neutral red, white and blue display “Vote Glasses 2008!”

Situated on Thompson Street, just across from Vesuvio playground, Silver Lining is the epitome of a neighborhood shop. On a typical weekend visit you might find either owners on the store’s stoop laughing heartily about the shameless specks Silver Lining fan Kirsten Dunst wore on her last spree at the store. Sacher’s young son, Jett, might be there, too, modeling his dad’s latest obsession. Step inside and despite the stiff upper lip surroundings, it feels like a friend is showing off his fashion-forward grandmere’s heirlooms more than anything else.

Silver and Sacher call themselves “tailors for eyewear” and among their selection of hard-to-find brands, including Oliver Goldsmith, Persol (Silver’s all-time favorite), one-of-a-kind Balenciagas, and the ubiquitous Ray Bans, they guarantee you’ll find the frames that fit you perfectly. When you do, Sacher will create prescription lenses right on the spot.