Profile

Japanese clothing store 45rpm is the sophisticated UES sibling to the funky downtown R by 45rpm. Spanning two floors of an elegant brownstone, the uptown location maintains the store’s branded version of Zen with a beige paving-stone walkway (winding around real puddles) and fragrant cedar-paneled walls trumped by a hollowed-out tree. Just like the Soho location, this branch carries all four in-house labels—45rpm, R by 45rpm, Badou-R, and UMii 908—but the 71st Street shop one-ups its kindred space by also stocking trendy pieces for a conservative clientele. The famous, perfect-for-the-weekend denim lines are here, but so are other workweek-meets-downtime ensembles. Men can layer plain white Suvin-cotton Oxfords with sloped-shoulder blazers and indigo paisley bandanna scarves, while women can pair simple cardigans with woven-wool-rug border skirts. — Aaron Rasmussen