bess

this summer i worked and lived in soho. okay, so, i worked in soho but i guess i lived in chinatown. fine! whatever. anyways-- my friend dan told me about a store of wonders around my work that he knew i would love. i never knew the name of it, but one day i stumbled into a small store and suddenly knew it was the magical store he was talking about. 

bess is stocked completely full of two of my favorite things in the world: studs and leather. vintage converse sneakers and old combat boots cover the floor and are studded within an inch of their lives. leather jackets, jeans, dresses, and shirts line the racks that are somewhat haphazardly set up around the empty space. old punks run the store and give the store an air of legitimacy-- you might feel like an ass for paying a ton of money for someone else to stud your overpriced clothing, but at least someone with some street cred actually did it... right? does that count? it's at least a good place to get some inspiration. 

their shoes have been popping up around on some online boutiques. one look at the prices sadly explains why my entire closet isn't full of these things.

check out bess nyc at 292 lafayette between houston and prince

Studded rollover combat boots (photo: idontlikemondays)

Studded moccasins (photo: oaknyc)

Bess women's jeans (photo: jak&jill)

this hardly does their stuff justice. check out their website or, better yet, just go to the store.