Paula Rubenstein Ltd

I am orienteering myself around New York with the help of Sibella Court and her Stylists Guide.  One of Sibella's favourite stores is Paula Rubenstein Ltd at 65 Prince Street in Soho ... so I paid a visit yesterday.

This revered shop is for serious collectors of American textiles, furniture pieces, jewellery, all sorts of paper ephemera, framed paintings and the usual bobbins, trims and notions.  While I was in the store a Ralph Lauren props buyer was scoping out a very large bench seat.

The front windows were displaying vintage dress maker mannequins, the likes of which I have not seen in Melbourne or anywhere else for that matter.  Paula's speciality seems to be vintage & industrial rag trade.  The loft section of the store (which was out of bounds) was overflowing with every kind of cloth bust and hundreds of wooden engraved coat hangers, all for hire but not for sale.

My very small, suitcase sized memento from Paula Rubenstein - 

the blocks as opposed to the wooden statuette of a horse!