Cheryl Shops

Cheryl Shops...Colette x Gap
Its month-long run is coming to a close on Sunday, but today I finally made it to the Colette x Gap pop-up shop on 5th Avenue (I know, I know--but I had Fashion Week, followed by an incredibly hellish two weeks at my day job, and this was really my first chance to go, and excuses, excuses, excuses). What's left is pretty sparse--the $400 trench coat and $350 denim jacket are still there, plus some T-shirts, candles, books, and jewelry (you can see everything on the website). The two items I had really wanted--the gray Longchamp tote and the gray Repetto ballet flats--are long gone, and, according to the workers, there are no more shipments, so what's there is all that's left. Much like the real Colette in Paris, nothing has a price tag, but you can assume it's ridiculously expensive (Colette being the key word in Colette x Gap); the workers, imported from the Paris store, are standoffish at first but attentive once engaged. I left empty-handed, but on my way out, I absentmindedly sprayed some Le Labo Vanille 44 on my wrist. I then spent all afternoon sniffing said wrist. Oh my god, does this stuff smell amazing! Like most of Le Labo's fragrances, it doesn't necessarily take after its name; according to the website, it's "a subtle ambery incensey woodsy sexy note." Vanille 44 is also normally available only at the Colette store in Paris (in other words, not at the Le Labo store on Elizabeth or at Barneys), and since I'm not planning on a trip to Paris anytime soon, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I should probably splurge on a bottle, right? (Splurge indeed; the full-size bottle at the Paris store is reportedly $500, factoring in the bad exchange rate.) Looks like I'll be taking a return trip tomorrow to investigate...

UPDATE: Oof. The wee little 50 ml bottle of Vanille 44 is $260. That's right, $260. In spite of the salesgirl's hard sell, I just could not bring myself to spend that much on a 50 ml bottle of perfume, albeit one that, after Sunday, will only be available in a store 3,500 miles away. Looks like I'll have to settle for a decant from the Perfumed Court.