This is the last installment in a bi-weekly feature on specialty stores in the Boston area. This week, the Daily looks at hip hop stores.
With summer almost here, the very fashionable are just now starting to think about their Akademiks as well as their Enyce, Girbaud, LRG, Pelle Pelle, and Vokal. That's right y'all, soon you'll be out of school and in desperate need of some fresh street gear.
While many students from other metropolitan areas may already be rocking their favorite hometown brands around campus, a new addition to the wardrobe never hurts. For others who might want to take some of these fashions home to the suburbs, the question becomes where to buy.
Many students from both groups have taken to shopping online for the latest fashions, but there are some amazing local stores that mysteriously continue to go untapped by the Tufts community.
Manhattan Clothing has been a well-known part of life in Central Square since the 1970s, and today it's the place to go for urban apparel. A family owned business that's got its ear to the ground, Manhattan always succeeds in keeping the hottest clothes in stock.
Music from the shop plays out into Central Square. Walk in and you're greeted with a smile from behind the counter. A cursory glance may not reveal much more than jerseys, but continue on and you will discover everything needed to create an outfit, from the hats in the front to the shoes in the back.
Choices aren't confined to tee shirts and plain 501 style blue jeans. Street gear can be dressed up or down. Many of the clothing labels mentioned above succeed because they offer ever expanding styles and forms of clothing from jerseys to button down oxfords.
In addition to a broad selection of clothing, for even more style, Manhattan is full of color. Flamingo pinks and baby blues may reach a bit beyond some people's tastes, but don't fear loud color. It's good, especially in the summer. Got a shirt with purple stripes? Try a throwback Sacramento Kings cap to catch and accentuate those purple stripes. Chances are a pair of Nikes with a purple swoosh are hiding somewhere in the back too.
It is Manhattan's small business flavor that allows the store to keep up with the hip-hop community's fickle taste. Some recent fads that have quickly shifted in and out are track suits, air force one's, and NBA jersey dresses; all are available on demand at Manhattan.
Don't believe the hype? Major crossover brands like Von Dutch didn't first pop up at Neiman Marcus. All those trucker hats and oversized belt buckles were sitting in Manhattan's glass case before popping up all over the Hamptons and other jet set getaways.
Jerseys and throwback sneakers are creeping into more and more closets around the country becoming an essential piece of any wardrobe. People wear them for fashion, because they're fun, or because of the heat. So before you head home for the summer stop by Central Square in Cambridge. Don't expect to find everything you're looking for just yet, but keep watching those music videos, and don't be surprised when that blazer Usher was wearing turns up in Manhattan.
Manhattan is located at 563 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge and 40 Winter St. in downtown Boston.
