Profile

Slightly west of the stiletto circus on Little West 12th, a life-size resin pig marks the entrance to this 5,000-square-foot slaughterhouse-turned-designer-emporium. This American outpost of a booming Japanese chain opened in 2001, at the time selling hats and handbags; these specimens, arrayed in imaginative displays by clerks who are designers themselves, are still among the strongest offerings. Sequined and beaded Jamin Puech totes are reminiscent of a trip to Paris, as are the floppy, woven 40s-style hats with asymmetrical oversize lips created by French milliner Jacques le Corre. London-based Thang-Mawi marries Victorian and punk elements in bold necklaces draped with colored resin droplets, statement pieces collected by shoppers skewing older than Destination’s typical clientele of Pilates-buffed publicists browsing before brunch at Pastis. The ladies love delicate jewelry from young designers like Japanese AF House, while their male companions snatch up stackable silver rings that Parisian Serge Thoraval hand-hammers with philosophic sayings. Clothing ranges from sophisticated wrap dresses by Kenzo designer Antonio Marras to Rio-based Osklen’s surf-inspired casual wear, sold in a converted meat locker that’s connected to the main showroom and set off a ten-foot longboard. — Rose Reis