神秘顾客逛旧金山精品店

One Sunday recently I took a day trip south of my home base to San Francisco on a work-play mission. After attending an early afternoon lecture on “Learning From Entrepreneurial Failure I planned to attend an evening wedding. And in the middle? A three-hour shopping immersion seemed the perfect way to link the two experiences.

最近一个星期天，我离开自己的寓所，去南边的旧金山做了一次工作与游玩兼具的旅程。下午听完《创业失败感想》的讲座后，晚上就打算去参加婚宴。那么这期间该做些啥呢？看来美美地逛上三小时店来打发这段时间再合适不过了。

From the outside, San Francisco seems like an edgy techno-hippie city replete with smart people and tolerance for alternative lifestyles. From the inside, it is pretty much the same, with the added benefit of several square miles of high-density boutiques.

初一看，旧金山似乎是个既现代又颓废的前卫型城市，时尚人比比皆是，对各种生活方式兼容并包。深入了解后，觉得它与别的城市并无二致，另外的好处就是可以逛绵延几平方英里、一家紧挨一家的精品店。

Not only is San Francisco the corporate base for mega-retailers such as Gap and Levi Strauss, it is also home to department stores such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s. Single-brand luxury stores abound, including Hermès, Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Loro Piana.

旧金山不但是Gap及李维斯(Levi Strauss)等大型零售的总部所在地，而且还是奈曼·马库斯(Neiman Marcus)、萨克斯第五大道百货(Saks Fifth Avenue)、布鲁明戴尔百货(Bloomingdale’s)等百货店的重镇。包括爱马仕(Hermès)、菲拉格慕（Ferragamo)、路易威登(Louis Vuitton)、香奈儿(Chanel)以及罗洛·皮雅纳(Loro Piana)等单一品牌的奢侈品店也是云集于此。

However, after sitting through the stories of young entrepreneurs, I couldn’t muster excitement for the usual homogenised (retail) suspects, and felt a rising desire to head off the beaten consumer path. For advice I approached an old friend who is a long-time Bay Area resident and incurable fashionista.

但是，耐着性子听完这些年轻创业者打拼的故事后，我对那些千篇一律的零售公司实在难提兴趣，越来越想去外面一逛为快。为此我专门向一位老朋友讨教，他是旧金山湾区(San Francisco Bay Area)的老住户，是个不折不扣的时尚达人。

Thanks to my friend Betty and Proposition G – a 2006 ordinance making it difficult for chain retailers to set up shop outside the downtown areas – my shopping experience was truly local. Neighbourhood districts are packed with homegrown boutiques and the ability to define their own vibe.

多亏了我朋友贝蒂(Betty)以及Proposition G号法令（2006年颁布的这纸法令，对连锁零售店到市区之外开设门店设置了各种障碍），所以我的购物经历完全只是限于市区。居民区到处是本地精品店，本地的时尚风也是自成一家、自有特色。

Hayes Valley (Hayes Street between Gough and Laguna) caters to discerning hipsters and grunge-era survivors. Shops are housed in Victorian-style buildings with an anti-corporate feel, especially MAC – which stands for Modern Appealing Clothing (not the makeup line). Film-maker John Waters favours their plaid suits, though the demographic seemed to be a bit younger with a very discerning eye. In the men’s department I found a Ryan Roberts black cotton button-down shirt with suede arm patches ($235); a few Dries Van Noten items, including a crisp cotton poplin funnel-neck shirt buttoned down the back ($350); and a black and yellow slash-neck, batwing-sleeved blouse with a contrasting Chinese garden scene on one-half for $920. The minimalist Miller et Bertaux dresses and chunky Drozdzik sweaters, however, made my curvy figure appear unfortunately square.

海斯谷（Hayes Valley，即海斯街(Hayes Street)，位于高夫街(Gough)与拉古纳(Laguna)之间）迎合的是眼力超群的潮人以及垃圾摇滚时代(grunge-era)的“那一代人。店铺就开在维多利亚风格的建筑中，颇有些反公司化的感觉，尤其是MAC店（Modern Appealing Clothing，它代表现代潮服店，而非化妆服装系列）。电影导演约翰·沃特斯(John Waters)偏爱格子呢西服，尽管喜欢这种风格服装的人似乎都是眼光异常独到的年轻一族。在男装部，我看到一件臂部为山羊皮料的瑞恩·罗伯茨(Ryan Roberts)活动衣领款黑色纯棉衬衫（售价235美元）；几件德赖斯·范诺顿(Dries Van Noten)，包括风格明快的漏斗领后开襟钉扣款绵府绸衬衣（平均售价350美元）；以及黑黄相间的一字领(slash-neck)蝙蝠衫单件上衣（售价920美元），其背景是中国园林风景，挂在那儿形成了强烈对照。但穿上抽象极简风格的Miller et Bertaux裙子与矮胖款Drozdzik毛衣后，本人的苗条身材显得又粗又圆。

Fillmore Street caters more to the mainstream “bridge and tunnel crowd but there are a handful of standouts among the larger retailers that are starting to establish a presence. Curve, for example, is a Helmut Lang mecca and all-around sensory experience. Their eco-chic business cards are made of some type of grainy wood that gave me splinters but all was forgiven when I found a neutral-coloured wrap-effect sleeveless blouse with suede accents for $350 – far from my usual colour palette of blacks.

菲尔莫尔街(Fillmore Street)的服务对象则多为上班一族，但在大型零售店中，有好几家佼佼者已经开始崭露头角。比方说，Curve是赫尔穆特·朗(Helmut Lang)拥趸心中的“圣地，可以满足他们全方面的感官体验。其绿色风尚的名片是用某种粗纹木头制作而成，给人以碎片的感觉，但当我看到那件包装效果款的无袖绒面中性色衬衫（售价350美元）时，就把名片的事忘得一干二净，这可与本人一向情有独钟的黑色款服装“大相径庭。

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Limu stocks a range of tame to quirky numbers, from diagonal striped Vivienne Westwood dresses ($369) to stretchy Majestic shirts and outerwear ($89-$139). Cielo features avant-garde Japanese designers such as Tsumori Chisato and Limi Feu but the intimidating sales team misjudged my appetite for risk and suggested items that were a little too fussy for daily wear, with exaggerated sleeves, statement patterns and stiff skirts.

Limu店里平淡无奇的服装品类齐全，数量众多，从对角条纹的薇薇恩·韦斯特伍德(Vivienne Westwood)裙子（售价369美元）到弹性款Majestic衬衫及外套（售价从89美元至139美元不等），不一而足。Cielo的主打品牌则是津森千里(Tsumori Chisato)及山本里美(Limi Feu)等风格前卫的日本设计师，但咄咄逼人的销售人员误以为本人偏好冒险，所以特地推荐了几件衣服，搁平常穿显得太一本正经——袖子太过夸张、样式太为正式，短裙太过呆板。

Sacramento Street (between Baker and Spruce) is officially part of the Pacific Heights neighbourhood and caters to the “local out-of-town clients from Marin, Napa and other parts of the Bay Area. This isn’t the kind of a place a casual tourist finds by accident, and the store owners seem proud of their “secret status. Unfortunately, most of the shops on this street are closed on Sundays.

位于贝克街(Baker)与云杉街(Spruce)之间的萨克拉门托街(Sacramento Street)原属于太平洋高地社区(Pacific Heights neighbourhood)，如今的服务对象则是来自马林县(Marin)、纳帕(Napa)及湾区部分地方的本地非城区居民。这种地方一般游客很难找到，店主人似乎也甚是得意自己的“隐秘身份。可惜的是，这条街上的多数店铺星期天都打烊。

A few high-end consignment boutiques had racks out on the sidewalks but I ended up only window shopping for Pierre Balmain trousers, Rick Owens waterfall cardigans and distressed Raquel Allegra blouses at Betty Lin. The concept store Philanthropist was open but I only saw a flash of Stella McCartney and Derek Lam as I was driving past. I later learned that 100 per cent of profits benefit Bay Area charities, and wished I had stopped.

几家高端寄卖精品店把货架搬到了人行道上，但本人最终只是在Betty Lin的橱窗中看皮埃尔·巴尔曼(Pierre Balmain)的裤子、瑞克·欧文斯(Rick Owens)的瀑布款开襟衫以及阴郁款Raquel Allegra上衣。Philanthropist概念店今天也开张，但我开车经过时，只瞥见斯特拉·麦卡特尼(Stella McCartney)与德里克·兰姆(Derek Lam)的服装款式。事后我了解到这家概念店把所有利润都捐给了湾区的各大慈善机构，当时真应该停车去淘一把。

The Mission/South of Market shopping area was overwhelmingly fashionable. While eclectic patrons wandered the streets, it sadly felt like a section of a magazine called “fashion don’ts. Platinum liquid leggings, Dalmatian print cropped tees, rainbow leg warmers, neon jeans and jingly jewellery appeared on more than one person.

旧金山Mission区的市场街南区(South of Market)购物区非常时尚。各式怪异消费者踯躅于大街小巷，感觉就象来到了时尚杂志上所谓的“非时尚区。时不时可以在大街上看到穿戴这些怪异行头者——铂液款绑腿、达尔马提亚(Dalmatian)印花短T恤、五颜六色的护腿、霓虹色牛仔裤以及叮铃叮铃响的首饰。

Haight Street was just as I had imagined. The Hippie Couture Boutique was almost comical, as if a rainbow had exploded into a million colourful trinkets. With Janis Joplin playing in the background and incense simmering, it was impossible to resist paying $80 for a pair of groovy boot-cut yoga pants with black peace signs around the edges. I also found a great wedding present.

嬉皮街(Haight Street)与本人的想象大同小异。嬉皮时装精品店(The Hippie Couture Boutique)让人捧腹大笑，仿佛就象彩虹炸成了数不清的彩色小装饰品。在詹妮斯·乔普林(Janis Joplin)的背景音乐以及熏香的缓慢作用下，自己实在难抵诱惑，于是花80美元买了一条流行款靴型瑜伽短裤（裤沿缀的黑色标志意喻内心宁静）。我还在店里为晚上的婚礼淘了一件不错的礼物。

I mean, doesn’t every new couple need tie-dye candlesticks?

我想，新婚夫妇不是需要扎染烛台吗？

The Mystery Shopper is a globetrotting executive who shops as she travels for work

神秘顾客是位满世界跑的行政人员，她的工作就是四处购物。

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