I’m not sure how or exactly when this happened, but Henri Bendel has gone waaaay downhill. I used to shop there all the time for hidden gems, now they stock mostly Bendel-branded stuff, over-priced designer merchandise (I’m talking the same Chanel sunglasses that you’ll find at Bergdorf Goodman, but with a mark-up), and cheap-o or out-of-date jewelry buys. Seriously, I’ve spotted Kenneth Jay Lane pieces that I’ve bought for 50% off years ago at bonger price points! Who is buying this stuff?? To top it off most of the pieces are just thrown around, which only adds to the sticker shock when I pick up a plastic ring and see that it’s $688. I can’t knock the store completely though, because I do sometimes come across some cool pieces. A few weeks ago I spotted some Tom Binns utensil necklaces that I thought were fun. Unfortunately they’re fun in a $50-$100 way, not a $400-$500 way which is what they cost. Seriously for $500 I’ll melt my own fork and put it on a necklace!
