Spring St. (between Thompson St. and Sullivan St.)

A new display at Chelsea Girl Couture (186 Spring St.) caught my eye -- that is one bold outfit, quite Studio 54 fabulous if you could pull it off. The display rightfully gives it solo billing in the window, supported by a phalanx of fantastic Japanese bags. I adore that giant necklace, which I believe is a hefty golden owl. Wear it and get your Athena on!

SoHo Snapshot

I had to stand in the middle of the intersection of Sullivan St. and Spring St. to snap this photo of the Empire State Building. It was chilly and overcast in the late afternoon, which lent the sky a moody, bruised appearance.

Spring St. (North Side, between Wooster St. and West Broadway)

Here's the final entry of photos taken on the evening of February 17 . . . and about time, as almost a week has passed since then! I have more recent photographs to post! In my earnestness in getting all of SoHo shot, I've been biting off more than I can digest quickly. Patience, my pretty . . . patience.

These are all taken on the north side of Spring St., on the block between Wooster St. and West Broadway.

At 145 Spring St. is Custo Barcelona, which obviously has no time for subtlety. I'm not loving the male mannequin's pajama pants with those sneakers, although the shirts are rather fun. The silky purple women's outfit nearest to the gilded peacock feather placard might work on a certain type of rich bohemian lady, but I suggest she forgo the white turban the outfit might inspire. The next garment to the right is a cute, short number, but in the colors of a technicolor barf. I can get behind the more darkly intense colors of the rightmost dress, but is that a single-celled organism printed on the front? Or merely a pulsating vagina? Each outfit might function at a party for sheer notability, but all together in a display, standing on mirrored gold and silver disks, they're quite an aesthetic assault.

After Custo Barcelona, the muted, sensibly straightforward display of tasteful shoes at Varda (147 Spring St.) comes as a relief. All these handmade Italian shoes have a refined formality, and look completely wearable. I'm coveting the topmost ankle boot.

A distractingly haphazard and brutally amateurish display at the LF store (149 Spring St.). That spray paint graffiti is just ugly, and obscures the clothes, as does the desperate and bewildering ad text. What I can see of the outfits through the window's clutter isn't heinous -- there's a schlumpy, urban nerd-girl coziness that's almost charming. That nasty silver bag is an affront, though, as it looks like a receptacle for toxic biological waste. How this all connects to that antler chandelier, I do not know. But! 60% off!

I've often been intrigued by this window for a store somewhere upstairs at 151 Spring St., which showcases eclectic and often eccentric antiques. Finally reading the text in that small frame, I discovered this is the display for E. Buk Antiques, which sells oddball items and quirky collectibles, and rents historically accurate props for movie, television, and photography studios. Honestly fascinating.

Another storefront with distracting text, Theory, at 151 Spring St., otherwise has a direct approach to showcasing its clothing that I appreciate. (Although I keep thinking of Marge Simpson telling her family, "We can't afford to shop anywhere that has a philosophy.") I love the striped sweater in the middle. I'm not completely convinced by the messy black-and-white checked print on the flanking mannequins, but it's not offensive.

Comptoir des Cotonniers, at 155 Spring St. I dig how their storefront is designed as a classic house window. The pinkish dress is almost cute, but the proportions are strange . . . it seems too short below that waist panel . . . and the cap sleeves throw off the whole look. The sleek gray trenchcoat is fab, though, as are the scrunchy leather boots.

Also sharing 155 Spring St. is Atelier Minyon, showcasing their Ottoman Empire-inspired handcrafted jewelry. I love the repeated crescent moon symbol (which the Ottoman Empire adopted after conquering Constantinople, and later came to represent Islam in general), especially on the towering bronze display tower. The full window display of their glittering jewelry is opulently overwhelming, but all my other photos showing the complete sweep of gems and gold came out blurry.

Here's the eastern side of the window at Wink (155 Spring St.). Even though at first glance, the storefront appears cluttered, the display somehow manages to give each item its due. Someone understands the progression of eye movement! The store also has an inviting thrift-store atmosphere, although I'm honestly not greatly impacted by the apparel itself, even though I appreciate the styling.

The western side of the window at Wink. That's a chic hat, and while the bag may be too much, at least it's black.

At the busy corner of Spring St. and West Broadway is Sunglass Hut (157 Spring St.), for all your overpriced sunglasses needs. The clerk was sitting in this window, talking on her cell phone, when I first started taking pictures. When she spotted me, she bolted into the back of the store. Either she really hates having her picture taken, or she was afraid she'd get busted by her boss for chatting on her phone during work hours.

Spring St. (North Side, between Greene St. and Wooster St.)

More pictures from the evening of February 17 (yes, I took a lot of pictures during that session), heading west on the north side of Spring St. from Greene St. to Wooster St. Next time, I'll try not to take pictures during rush hour, as there was too much pedestrian traffic. Honestly, though, I'm not sure what the best time is to take pictures on Spring St. -- it's always crowded.

Here's the eastern window of Burberry, at 131 Spring St. All together, the outfit is fashionable enough in a uptight, upper-crust casual sort of way, and the long jacket would hide more egregious ass issues, but that high-waisted pleated pant with the belt and the skin-tight top looks specifically designed to highlight a poochy stomach. The knotted ropes holding up the placards are a nice nautical touch that meshes well with the store's preppy aesthetic.

Not a bad effort toward glitzy evening sparkle in Burberry's western window. The long "ties" are a little too busy when mixed with that long necklace, though, and I'm uncertain about the ankle boots. On one hand, I think the boots are kind of cute with the dress ending above the knee . . . but on the other hand, the boots also look like a businessman's black socks in that awkward, vulnerable moment just after he takes off his trousers.

This sepia-soaked, theatrical display of a decrepit tenement room is in Diesel's eastern window at 135 Spring St. I give them major props for the effort of building such an authentically squalid set, but I'm also reminded of the Derelicte fashion show in Zoolander . . . and of the Nine Inch Nails video for Closer. As for the apparel itself, well, there's not much here, really. That's a cool enough brown shoe on the chair, and the scarf hanging on the wall has some style. I'm not positive what item of apparel that scarf is paired with, though . . . could that be a long wifebeater with a hoodie? Or just a rumpled sack dress? This is why mannequins come in handy.

Another of the funky Diesel windows with their tenement set. I remember in my 7th Grade art class, my teacher told me to leave out all the wires and outlets from the baseboards, unless I wanted the room I was drawing to look specifically sordid and busy. So, here: specifically sordid and busy, but rather lovely in an Ashcan-school sort of way. I believe I already owned that shirt in 1986, when I was aiming for a cool New Wave look with touches of Goth. I guess that can come back.

The westernmost Diesel window, alongside the entrance. I do like their purposefully edgy and schlumpy aesthetic, but has anyone else noticed how surprisingly uncomfortable Diesel clothes can be? It's like they're factory-imbued with scratchy starch.

A street vendor's tables displaying skull-emblazoned beanies and scarves with roses. The booth appeared abandoned, with no actual vendor in sight. He was probably off keeping warm somewhere . . . it was frigid outside, and my hands were getting chapped holding the camera.

Ah, Chanel. 139 Spring St., on the Spring St. side. This is taken from the easternmost window, although these mannequins are in the center of the store, as though they were discriminating patrons themselves. Having money is the only excuse to wear that color. What is that color, anyway . . . coral? Clownfish? Clementine? I love the way the poster in the background appears to hover in the middle of the store, like an apparition of Ophelia floating by.

A Chanel purse and sunglasses. I say that flourichon on the purse is too much. Cute little planner, though. Mary J. Blige could rock those sunglasses.

An impressive goddess gown on the front mannequin in the westernmost Chanel window. The back mannequin is wearing the kind of power trousers that Chanel perfected.

Right outside the Chanel shop, this New Yorker and Vogue cover art street vendor has taken shelter in his car. I first saw New Yorker covers for sale at a street vendor's booth up by Central Park, and I was going to buy a few, but then I realized that they were just color printouts in cheap frames, so I made my own at home.

Trumping

After months of a stop-work injunction that kept construction on the Trump SoHo Hotel Condominium (warning: site has nasty automatic music) ground to an unfinished halt, I've noticed over the past few weeks that the little external construction elevators are moving again, and the glass panels are once again climbing toward the top. I found an unsurprising article in the New York Times that talks about Trump getting his building permit upheld after it was called into question.

Yes, it's entirely out of place in the neighborhood, and yes, it damages the small-village character of SoHo. But I can't fight Trump, so I've decided to get used to that glass monstrosity towering over everything. The picture above is from February 10th, from Spring St., near Thompson St., at dusk.

I was standing in front of Metropolitan Hardware . . . note the little forklift in the bottom left corner.

Spring St. (North Side, between 6th Ave. and West Broadway)

Rather than tackle the whole north side of Spring St. in one blitz, I decided to capture just a few blocks at a time. So here are three blocks of the north side of Spring St., between 6th Avenue and West Broadway.

I overexposed many of today's photos, overcompensating for the darkening effect of the polarizing filter. I'll get it right one of these days! Although probably not anytime soon.

It was a warm, gorgeous day out this afternoon . . . and really crowded. I can't decide whether or not I'm annoyed or pleased when people pause on the sidewalk, waiting for me to take my pictures. On one hand, it hurries me, and as it takes me a few seconds to set up each shot (and wait for the flash, if any), and I wait for a clear spot before shooting, I wasn't going to capture the people in the photo anyway. On the other hand . . . well, it's curmudgeonly to complain about people being considerate, isn't it?

The entrance to the Spring St. Subway station for uptown service on the C and E lines, at the corner of 6th Avenue. I like the tile mosaic on the landing back wall, which the city does a reasonably good job of keeping free of graffiti.

Our neighborhood Tasti D-lite at 203 Spring St., for all our ice cream and candy needs. Yeah, I've spent some time in here filling up little bags with candy from the plastic cases. Their low-fat ice cream tastes like weak chalk, but the regular variety is reasonably decent. That big plastic chocolate and vanilla cone verges on the obscene; chocolate ice cream should never be rendered in plastic.

Despite its terrible name, Hair Box, an old-fashioned barbershop at 203 Spring St., is where I get my hair cut. I like the celebrity pictures in the window, which include headshots of James Gandolfini and other Sopranos. The Styrofoam heads in the window with "hair" formed from clay pebbles are extremely mysterious and creepy.

At 195 Spring St. is Variazioni, which updates their clear-eyed windows frequently. This is a no-nonsense display of Valentine's Day party outfits.

Cigarillos, a friendly neighborhood tobacconist (and head shop) at 191 Spring St. I dig the smoking cricket (or possibly a frog) logo and the bare-breasted cigar-store Indian. It also smells wonderful in there, probably from the wide selection of pipe tobacco. No, I'm not doing very well this week with quitting smoking.

Ah, my good friends at Spring Street Wine Shop, what would I do without you? 187 Spring St., conveniently located on the way home from the Subway.

This display has been up since New Year's Eve. Whatever -- Veuve Clicquot never goes out of style.

I love scotch. Go ahead, put Johnny Walker Blue Label up on a pedestal, it's all right by me.

This isn't a window so much as an industrial archway, leading to a miniature indoor lumberyard right here on one of SoHo's busiest shopping streets. (Metropolitan Lumber and Hardware, 175 Spring St.) I love watching the tourists almost get run over by the little forklift the workers use to shuttle the lumber and bags of cement across the sidewalk.

This is the western window of Flying A (169 Spring St.), which I always think of as the boys' window. Flying A is a little bit like Diesel-lite, but I like that bag and those sneaks. I'm not sure why the mannequin (the one with the head) looks so spaced-out. He'd better watch where he's going!

And this would be the eastern window of Flying A, the "girls' window". Basic women's daily wear, kinda cute, a little chilly-looking for the season. Although that bust in the lower right corner is working her hat!

It seems as though this woman selling Russian-themed t-shirts on the street is enjoying her soup.

A street vendor selling accessories on the northwest corner of Spring St. and West Broadway.

Spring St. (South Side, between 6th Ave. and West Broadway)

On Monday, February 2, I thought I'd tackle one of the main streets in SoHo -- Spring St. There are so many stores along Spring that I decided to start with the shop windows along the south side of the street only at first. Still, it was a big undertaking.

I also discovered a big limitation with my point-and-shoot digital camera -- no matter at what angle I photograph the windows, I get a lot of glare off the glass . . . and very detailed reflections muddying the displays. I've learned that I need a polarizing filter to help lessen the effect of the reflections, and so I've ordered a cheap one to try it out. But for now, we're all just going to have to deal with the apparitions hovering over the merchandise on display. Sorry about that.

On to the tour of the south side of Spring St. Clicking any picture will open the full-size image in a new window.

We'll start with the cute Psychic: Readings by Fatima store on Spring St., by 6th Ave. I dig that bench, and the way the ATM almost color-coordinates with the storefront colors. Maybe I should pop in and consult with Fatima sometime about my future.

At 198 Spring St. is Iradj, the home of the jewelry designer Iradj Moini, a former couture designer for Oscar de la Renta. Who doesn't love a turquoise or amethyst chunky necklace?

Ottiva, at 192 Spring St. Boots! Shoes! All very classic. Notice the first of the SALE signs . . . even SoHo is being hit hard by this recession.

Also in 192 Spring St. is AGI Brooks. The clothes in here remind me of every female executive I've ever worked for in my life. Another big sale going on.

Chelsea Girl Couture at 186 Spring St. always can be counted on for funky windows showcasing the top vintage trends. That Japanese purse in the lower left corner is to-die-for. Again, sale sale sale.

Close up of the Chelsea Girl Couture window, showing a few more stunning vintage bags. If I had any extra cash (which I don't), I'd totally buy that mosaic bull purse for some Taurus chick.

Until a few months ago, this store on the corner of Spring St. and Thompson St. was a dentist's office, but recently the dentist moved, and the storefront was gutted. No new retail tenant rented quickly, so now it's occupied temporarily by the SoHo Flea Market, which is like a bargain basement, filled with street vendors who were smart enough to come in from the cold. Note the Psychic Readings by Elaine sign -- that makes two psychics on this block! I have a feeling Elaine has set up a little booth in the back, shielded from the tourist customers by a rack of coats.

Psychic Elaine was on the sidewalk, passing out her cards, and she was nice enough to pose for a picture by her sign in the vestibule.

Ah, LeSportsac. Moved away from 176 Spring St., alas. I mocked this store for years, using it as my example of the general uselessness of SoHo as a livable neighborhood. Where am I supposed to get my groceries? I'd say. LeSportsac? Now I guess I'll have to find another store to scapegoat. I won't miss the displays of their ugly '80s bags, though. Some of them were dag nasty.

Another slashing sale at Big Drop. Occasionally, this window has clever slogans across the front, which makes up somewhat for the generic nature of some of the clothing.

I'm not sure how Union at 172 Spring St. survives selling hip-hop caps, hoodies, and t-shirts in SoHo, but they've been here since 1989, so they must be doing something right. I suppose it's good to corner a niche in the neighborhood.

And here's Le Bo at 172 Spring St., having a blowout sale on their bags. They used to have funkier leatherwear in their windows, with very sexy mannequins in suede pants . . . but it looks like they're closing up shop.

At the corner of West Broadway and Spring St., a big Origins looms. The window displays are actually quite colorful and modern, but unfortunately the glare really ruined this picture.