After financial woes forced the closure of the original Chelsea store a few years back, New York's self-made temple of chic is back on top. While the store focuses on hot-off-the-runway women's wear, its menswear runs the gamut from classic to cutting edge. The fragrance department works hard to offer offbeat and unusual scents as well as the classics. Bring your platinum card, because nothing comes cheap here, although house brands are solidly made and aren't off-the-chart expensive. Both the downtown (in two locations) and uptown Barneys Co-Ops have blossomed into real fashion hot spots, sisterly but separate from the chic Barneys New York Madison Avenue headquarters. At Barneys Co-Op, more downtown-casual fashions for men and women -- from such designer names as Diane von Furstenberg, Juicy Couture, and Rebecca Taylor -- set the tone. Prices are more reasonable than at the flagship but not cheap by any means. Tip: Twice a year, Barneys hosts its famous warehouse sale in Chelsea. Prices are changed daily, but markdowns are 50% to 80% off the original retail prices on all clothing and gifts. So if you are planning a shopping trip to the city, keep your eyes open for when the sales will occur.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's New York City 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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