New York - April 02, 2010

Safe House on the LES

Convent Shop Opens

The thought of heralding another new shop with $400 fledgling designer dresses makes us want to take a vow of silence.

But first we’ll seek shelter in a tiny LES storefront. The neon sign reads Convent, and stylist-slash-proprietor Travis Wayne saves wallets from sinning.

On our visit, Wayne expertly navigated his industrial pipe racks teeming with a mix of high-end and affordable local (Dusen Dusen, Sally LaPointe) and international (Rick Owens, Backstage) designers — plucking out a slash-back dress by Motel ($70) and Balmain-like shredded tees by Postmoderntease ($100).

He can help you achieve anything from Gaga to girly-girl to pinup. And trimmings, such as Marketa’s colorful suede clutches and a porcelain skunk skull with gold teeth by Beetle & Flor, generally clock in at $100 or less.

Wayne opens his doors — and online shop — today. But he’s just getting started: Keep an eye out for mini pop-ups curated by designers and free bimonthly art-meets-music-meets-fashion parties at Fat Baby celebrating his favorite designers.

Convent, 179 Stanton Street, between Clinton and Attorney Streets (212-673-0233 or conventnyc.com).

Photo: Janelle Jones

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