At Barneys, a Tom Ford Suit and a $3 Hot Dog at the Park

The fascinating story of when Barneys New York moved uptown in 1993. Plus: 5 garden themed gifts for Mother's Day under $45.

There’s still something terribly chic about stomping down fifth avenue with a fistful of shopping bags.

What Caught My Eye is a new daily column about pushback.

Hello everyone, and coucou from the French countryside. I was gardening yesterday. Dressing up to work with my hands, and hanging out with people, is my happy place. Boat shoes and a shirt to roll up my sleeves and barbecue in, always works for me.

I’ve been reading a lot about Barneys lately. It seems like we are going through a nostalgia flux about the ethereal innings of the department store. On the heels of their imminent move uptown in 1993, the now defunct Barneys ran the copy: “It’s OK and everything’s going to be alright.”

When I first moved to New York, having been a mall rat in my heydays, I found high-end department stores petrifying. I just simply wasn’t rich enough, local enough, and any conviction that I was even cool enough to pretend to be able to try on and purchase a Burberry gabardine jacket melted at the door. I am convinced mall rat millennials were traumatized by the casualness of Bruce Weber’s Abercrombie & Fitch and the loftiness of Ruehl.