New York - May 03, 2004

Hell's Belles

Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

“Nice top. Is that Banana?”

Yeah, we know the feeling. We’d all love to cultivate a distinctive, one-of-a-kind style. But shopping outside the mainstream can be a little scary for first-timers.

A good place to start: the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market. Fresh off its debut season, the diverse post is full of original goods, on-pavement fashion shows, and a free shuttle bus to Chelsea’s Annex market. Every Saturday and Sunday vendors of all types flank the sides of a closed-off city block by Port Authority, hawking everything from vintage clothing to antique toasters. Our favorite is the Special Flavas pocketed bandana-print undergarments, but you’re sure to find something that suits your taste no matter what your personal style.

So you can finally start to make that much-needed transition from Banana top to top banana.

Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market, West 39th Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.