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blue tree: so much to love
as i have been on the hunt for great little independent shops all over new york, i was surprised to keep hearing that there is this one must see place on the upper east side. and, well, i used to live up there (way to the east but still technically the upper east side) andi cannot remember once finding a home/design/clothing shop that had the kind of interesting, artsy and intriguing mix that i have come to find in brooklyn with some regularity (think cog and pearl).
so when i finally got myself to blue tree late one sunday, after a trip to the met and central park with the kids, i couldn’t stop myself from spending a good long time in the shop even though it was definitely dinner time and certain family members were anxious to get home. blue tree is an incredibly lovely store with all sorts of treasures for the home, the bathroom, the kitchen and of course for girls young and old (perfume, jewelry, shoes, bags and clothes). as the owner of blue tree, phoebe cates clearly has a very specific aesthetic which really shines through in the display — focusing on the beautiful and the pretty as well as the interesting, unique and sometimes fun too. and while blue tree certainly has the high end covered — there were a number of things that i would take home in a heartbeat if i had an unlimited bank account — the store has made sure to include a range of less expensive, though equally alluring, making this the perfect place to shop whenever. blue tree really seemed like the perfect place to shop for the “hard to buy for” mom (of which mine definitely falls into that category) or the friend who just has everything.
although relatively small, blue tree has a lot to discover. i was mesmerized by these baby head candle stick holders (so eerie and yet so peaceful and made just for the store) and wanted to stock up on these macaroon and religieuse candles. blue tree also has many small perfume bottles and perfume including the saffron james perfume pictured above, as well as some very fancy and pricey shoes such as these pink gold shoes by rupert sanderson as well as some really fun affordable shoes by designers like melissa. i also was in love with some of the art, especially the incredible piece by bill fink pictured at the top (called camilla) and i adored the functional yet very cute wooden horse and squirrel bookends, the bug rings and the many kinds of glass bottles on display.
throughout blue tree, i noticed all sorts of lucite — heart shaped pendants, little purses and then these incredibly detailed and hand crafted boxes. the boxes, which i saw in pretty shades of blue, red, purple and pink, were exquisite and would be great for that very super special present, and at nearly $1,500, i would hope that the recipient would be equally enamored. fortunately, blue tree also has some cute beaded boxes for$25 so that might have to do for now.
and although i didn’t have much space here to show much of the collection, blue tree has a nice selection of women’s clothing from italian linen blouses by primavera, shirts by antipast, basic tees by majestic, other t shirts as well as great flouncy skirts by jarbo and some great ruffle blouses with 3/4 length sleeves by what comes around goes around. i will be back regularly for great ideas, some wishful thinking and especially for my mother’s birthday which is coming up very very soon. blue tree, 1283 madison avenue at 92nd street, manhattan, new york, .
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I’ll definitely check this out the next time I’m in that neck of the woods.