Despite being exhausted by work at work, when it comes to my blog I have felt fired up, inspired and kind of “whyred”. This week my challenge was to find a way to continue to re-imagine myself in the world of fashion and to feature a brand where “the expected meets the unexpected in a nonchalant elegance”. What better scene as a background for both stories than the new(old) Barneys?

I have been wanting to go since the new space opened in February. Having frequented the old version in the very same spot before it closed in 1997, I was curious to see how the store would reinvent itself in a neighborhood that now includes the Highline and Google. Avoiding the trap of nostalgia, modernity is the order of the day, starting with a stainless steel awning rather than those with traditional fabric and polished bronze door handles that look like sculptures. Footage of New York Icons like Yoko Ono and Patti Smith stream in the windows, courtesy of Bruce Weber.

Once inside your eye is caught by the spiral staircase in the middle of a glass atrium that allows everyone to see and be seen. Marble, granite and stainless steel are used to make display cases in amorphous shapes and discrete signs and liberal comfortable seating invites one to sit awhile. At times you think you are in a gallery of incredible and beautiful objects. There is a sense in this space of the city coming in; unlike the usual department stores that keep the outside out. The new store is everything you would expect from Barneys: wit, intelligence, designer discoveries and art yet all presented in an unexpected, minimalist and modern way.

So when traveling to a venue where the expected meets the unexpected, and there is a return to the old yet the production of something quite new, I wanted a piece that was wearable yet had a modern touch and a sense of nonchalance. Whyred, a Swedish brand, “where a sophisticated mix of art forms characterize the essence of the brand” was the perfect choice.

For more on the brand and the tunic I am wearing, stop by Wednesday for more “Details”.

What do you wear when you return to the old to re(find) the new?