Monday, March 4, 2013

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Makeup lessons for men: Korean Air's latest training day

Posted: 03 Mar 2013 07:53 PM PST

Korean Air's new staff training session last month -- makeup and skincare lessons -- may not sound like anything untoward. 

But this training was for the airline's male staff. 

On February 18, at Korean Air's flight attendant training center in Seoul, 74 of the airline's newest male recruits underwent an "image making for service men" workshop and seminar. 

The three-hour class included lessons on the best ways to apply skin care cosmetics, sunscreen and BB cream (Korean beige-tinted "blemish balm" -- a mix of foundation, sunscreen and moisturizer). 

Continued education

The airline brought in makeup professionals for the occasion, which was geared towards the airline's new ground staff.

Flight attendants did not receive the makeup training. 

"We plan on continuing the image-enhancing education, including basic makeup training, in the future," said Korean Air public relations representative Hyun-mook Cho. 

New culture

While Korean Air would not confirm that its male ground staff are required to wear makeup, we can be pretty sure they aren't receiving this training due to concerns about their next hot date.

Korea is the biggest market for male grooming products, accounting for 18 percent of the world's male cosmetic market in 2011. Eyeliner and BB cream are considered perfectly acceptable for male celebrities and for an increasing number of ordinary men. 

More on CNN: Welcome to the male narcissim capital of the world

In the past, Korean Air's makeup classes have been available only for its female staff. This marked the first time its male staff received such lessons. 

Private flight attendant academies in Korea have been holding hair and makeup classes for decades, teaching (mostly female) students what types of makeup are suitable for interviewing with which airline. 

One tip: sexy eyeshadow is a no-no for Korean airlines, which have built their image on a conservative, clean-cut look. 

Battlefields and bunkers: Exploring Okinawa's World War II history

Posted: 03 Mar 2013 02:00 PM PST

With the exception of the march across the Philippine island of Luzon, the battle of Okinawa was the only major American land campaign in the Pacific during World War II.

Launched on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, it was fought in villages and towns—the island's wartime population was roughly 500,000—as well as across the island's forbidding mountain ridges and valleys.

For the American attackers, the battle was an operation of logistics as well as military strategy.

"Never before … had there been an invasion armada the equal of the 1,600 seagoing ships carrying 545,000 American GIs and Marines that streamed across the Pacific," wrote historian Robert Leckie in Delivered From Evil: The Saga of World War II. "In firepower, troops, and tonnage it eclipsed even the more famous D day in Normandy."

The American armed force that Leckie called a  "monster of consumption" had to be supplied 7,500 miles from the country's western shore. No amphibious operation in military history comes close to matching it on a scale of distance and enormity.

On land, Okinawa quickly devolved into a sadistic killing ground. Absorbing the highest casualties they'd ever endured in a single battle, U.S. forces nevertheless closed on strongholds around the island held by depleted but supernaturally tenacious and courageous Japanese forces, both military and civilian.

Exhausted from years of war and bitter privation, the Japanese withdrew to a final defensive line along the southern coast.

American tanks and infantrymen advance under Japanese attack during the Battle of Okinawa. With American troops barely 100 feet away, Army commanders Lieutenant-General Mitsuri Ushijima and Lieutenant-General Isamu Cho donned dress uniforms, sat on a white sheet on a ledge overlooking the sea and committed the ritual suicides befitting their samurai heritage.

On June 22, the battle was officially declared over.

An estimated 100,000 Japanese soldiers were killed along with 80,000-100,000 civilians. American casualties amounted to 12,520 killed, including 5,000 at sea, the worst losses suffered in any campaign in the history of the U.S. Navy, and 37,000 wounded.

All told, Okinawa was the bloodiest operation of the Pacific War.

The island quickly became a massive American base, the intended staging ground for the coming invasion of the Japan home islands, just 600 kilometers (375 miles) away. The inavsion would be rendered needless by the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki just six weeks after the Battle of Okinawa ended.

The American military has never left Okinawa. Indeed, today, most international news coverage of the island deals with U.S.-Okinawa tensions, sensitive military aircraft activity and misbehaving service members.

Given this tense history, one might expect to encounter a more austere landscape and surly people, vehemently opposed to all things foreign, especially American.

Yet this isn't the case.

Okinawans are extremely genuine and accepting people. "Mensore" (welcome) is the first word tourists see when arriving at Okinawa's Naha airport -- it's displayed in banners across shops and often offered with a warm smile.  

Why then, in light of the long-running foreign military presence, are Okinawans such a happy people? 

More on CNN: For lifelong happiness, look to Okinawa

For many, the answer is rooted in lessons learned from a disastrous war.

Across the islands, especially the main island in areas easily accessible from Naha, memorials and battle sites have been preserved, commemorating the tragic battle while confirming Okinawans' deep respect for the value of peace. 

Remnants of war

I recently joined a good friend, Kayla, on a jungle trek in search of remnants of the war. Kayla is a military spouse who moved to Okinawa when her husband was assigned here.

A student of American history, Kayla saw an opportunity to study the Battle of Okinawa in a personal way.

"It's our backyard," she says, adding that her research has led to a very different view of her new home.

"Everything is built up now, but I try to see it without all the buildings and structures, which makes [the battle] very real." 

Japanese observation post, Nakagusuku

Japanese WWII observation post in Nakagusuku Village.Through a roughly overgrown path and up a steep hill, Kayla leads me to an amazingly well preserved Japanese observation post in Nakagusuku Village.

Perched atop the hill is 161.8 Kouchi Jinchi, or "High-ground Position," named for its peak at 161.8 meters above sea level.

The post is constructed of rebar-enforced cement and stone, with four openings overlooking a large portion of central Okinawa, affording a clear view out to sea.

Complete with trench defenses and an underground cave, the Japanese army built the observation post as part its extensive defensive network.

Looking out, the impact of the war feels shockingly tangible. Perhaps most surprising, this particular location was recorded by the ancient Ryukyu Royal Government as a sacred place of prayer, Kishimako-no-taki, some 200 years before the war.

Getting there: Located in Ginowan/Nakagusuku, 161.8 Kouchi Jinchi is part of a historic trail used by the Ryukyu Kingdom that stretched from the Southern Shuri Castle to Northern Nakagusuku Castle. Parts of the trail are still walkable, though about 50 percent is currently under renovation. The observation post is in the middle of this trail, accessible by starting at the trail opening from Nakagusuku Castle, or via highway 29, closest landmark is the Okinawa Fire Academy. 

Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters

Entry to the Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters. Located in Tomishiro City, the Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters is where Rear Admiral Minoru Ota, his officers and men, staged a last stand against rapidly advancing enemy troops.

Designed as a series of semi-circular tunnels 450 meters (1,475 feet) in length that could sustain 4,000 people, the headquarters was dug out with shovels and picks by soldiers and civilians, nearly all by then living on starvation rations.

Touring these tunnels is a profoundly somber experience.

With 300 meters open to the public, visitors can view portions of the tunnel complex and hallways housing troop berthing, the commanding officer's quarters and a shrapnel-riddled staff room where Ota and his officers committed suicide hours before U.S. forces gained access.

Getting there: 236 Aza Tomishiro, Tomishiro-city, Okinawa; Open daily, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; +81 (0)98 859 6123; www.ocvb.or.jp 

Himeyuri Peace Museum

American soldier guards a beachhead on Okinawa in 1945. Behind him, a coral reef is blown up to provide a landing place for U.S. supply ships. The Himeyuri Peace Museum is dedicated to preserving the memory of 240 students and teachers from the Female Division of the Okinawa Normal School and Okinawa First Girls' High School.

On March 23, 1945, these students and teachers were inducted into units of the Okinawa Army Field Hospital serving the Japanese Imperial Army.

Based in a cave network, they worked in wretched conditions, living in miserable and dirty wards, experiencing the horrifying reality of wounded and dying soldiers.

Assigned to work as nurse assistants, they cared for the injured around the clock, braved bombardment and gunfire carrying water and food to patients and hospital staff and burying the dead.

In its 1989 dedication address, the Himeyuri Alumnae Foundation described the fate of the students once Japanese defense of Okinawa became untenable.

Suddenly dismissed on June 18, 1945, "the students had nowhere to go under the U.S. siege, some killed in the battle raging around them, while others killed themselves with shells or hand grenades."

The loss was overwhelming. Of the 240 students, 227 perished.

In front of the Himeyuri Peace Museum is the cave opening of the former field hospital's main facility.

Visitors are encouraged to observe a moment of silence or prayer for the students. Many offer flowers in dedication.

Getting there: 671-1 Aza-Ihara, Itoman, 901-0344; Open daily, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Okinawa;+81 (0)98 997 2100; www.okinawastory.jp/en

Ernie Pyle Memorial, Ie Shima

War correspondent Ernie Pyle (1900-1945, far left) observes life aboard a U.S. troopship on its way to Okinawa. Those visiting Ie Shima, a small island just west of Okinawa, will find a quiet, sparsely populated community of farmers and craftsmen.

On April 16, 1945, Ie Shima saw some of the worst fighting, with Japanese forces augmented by the island's organized resident defense force. About 6,000 defenders lost their lives that day, including Ie Shima's volunteer men and women.

Known for his intimate portrayals of frontline conditions and stories of the hardships faced by American troops, American war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed in combat on Ie Shima.

Located just minutes from Ie Shima's main port, the Ernie Pyle Memorial marks his initial burial ground. (Pyle's remains were reinterred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.)

The Okinawa American Legion and a small detachment of Marines stationed on the island hold an annual memorial service in April. 

Ie Shima Village Office; +81 98 049 2001; www.iejima.org/ieson/

1,000 Man Cave, Ie Shima

Many of the Ie Shima's residents had no way to escape during the fighting, seeking shelter and protection from American bombardment in a cave located at water's edge, on the southern end of Ie Shima.

Known as 1,000 Man Cave, local residents hid in its four large chambers during the three months of fighting. 

During three months of fighting, Okinawa residents took shelter in 1,000 Man Cave. I visited the cave with a U.S. Marine stationed at the island's training facility, one of only 11 American service members living on Ie Shima.

Even on the sunniest of days, the internal chambers were dim and dreary, the sandy floor and coral rock walls cool and wet from the ebbing tide. 

"I love the ocean," the marine said, perched upon a rock at one of the cave's openings to the sea. "It's hard to imagine the war, though, how loud and scary it must have been."

Indeed, we were surrounded by quiet, interrupted only by the rush and lapping of calm waves.

The din of war and destruction, far from this tranquility and peace, was absolutely unimaginable.

Ie Shima Village Office; +81 98 049 2001; www.iejima.org/ieson/

Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum

Eternal flame at the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum.The most comprehensive memorial to the Battle of Okinawa is the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, located Itoman City.

The museum houses numerous exhibits recounting ancient Ryukyuan history, Okinawa's annexation as a prefecture of Japan, the rapid modernization and build-up to war, conditions of battleground Okinawa and continued military presence.

With a research library, dramatic recreations, original artifacts and survivor testimonies, the museum offers visitors a view of Okinawa's war-stricken past, while offering a vision of hope for the future. 

The view from the museum's eternal fire monument stretches vast and blue, an unrestrained look across Okinawa's gorgeous waters.

Museum officials assert that the horrors faced during the war form the core of what's called the "Okinawan Heart," a "resilient yet strong attitude to life that the Okinawan people developed, respecting personal dignity, rejecting war and truly cherishing culture."

Getting there: 614-1 Aza-Mabuni, Itoman City, 901-0333, Okinawa; Open daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; +81 098 997 3844; www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa

For more information on Okinawa war history tours, contact the Battle of Okinawa Historical Society via their Facebook page.

Most bike-friendly cities in the United States

Posted: 02 Mar 2013 08:16 AM PST

Ernest Hemingway would love modern Portland. Or Boulder. Or Austin.

No, not because of all the great local beer. Though surely he would have guzzled his fill of that.

What the cranky author really would love about these cities is the biking.

"It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them," Hemingway wrote. "Thus you remember them as they actually are."

We asked nationally recognized bike advocates across the United States, and reviewed information from the League of American Bicyclists, Alliance for Biking & Walking and the U.S. Department of Commerce to determine the best U.S. cities to discover by bike.

Portland, Oregon

Placing bikes right next to a jammed car lane. Excellent.


"The groundwork for the city's bike infrastructure was laid over 20 years ago," says Brian Zeck, bike manager of Portland's River City Bicycles. "It has built upon itself over the years and bicycling has become somewhat ingrained in the culture of the city.

"In some ways, Portland now has the feel of a European city."

That infrastructure includes 106 kilometers of bike paths, 48 kilometers of low-traffic bike boulevards and 283 kilometers of bike lanes, all of which are used with gusto by the eight percent of citizens who claim that biking is their primary form of transportation, and 10 percent who say a bike is their secondary vehicle.

In 2008, the League of American Bicyclists named Portland its first platinum-level Bike Friendly Community. The recognition was the result of groundbreaking efforts like the Create-a-Commuter program, which provides bikes, equipment and safety lessons for low-income locals.

The League of American Bicyclists also took into account the estimated 2,100 races, rides and other biking events held in Portland each year.


Minneapolis, Minnesota

Biking through the wind with the greatest of ease.


"Bicycling" magazine incited outrage in the biking community in 2010 when it announced that Minneapolis beat out Portland as its most bike-friendly city in the U.S.

The distinction is especially impressive when one considers how non-bike-friendly Minnesota winters can be.

Regardless, Minneapolis still has the second-most bike commuters of all big cities. Locals say that's because what the city lacks in ideal weather, it makes up for in ideal topography.

"It's super flat here, there aren't a lot of hills and I think that's really where it all started," says Stephen Cottrell, sales manager at Freewheel Bike in Minneapolis. "It was just a matter of time before the bike infrastructure was built."

"The city council is making the investment in infrastructure and making the effort to make sure roads are not exclusive. They want everyone to realize that, whether it's a Minnesotan in a car or a Minnesotan on a bicycle, we're all just a Minnesotan using the road."

Boulder, Colorado

A very special spot for your very special companion.


You can go almost anywhere in Boulder on a bike. At least 95 percent of city streets are open to cyclists.

That comes to about 600 kilometers of unofficial bike routes.

On top of that, the city has invested heavily in recreational cycling -- most notably with Valmont Bicycle Park, a 182,000-square-meter chunk of land filled with trails, racecourses and dirt jumps.

"There's a very large bicycle culture, so you don't feel like the outcast when you're commuting or riding for fitness," says Paolo Durocher of Boulder's University Bicycles. "The altitude attracts a lot of professionals for training purposes, so you get that runoff as far as the culture, the innovation and the overall support."

Madison, Wisconsin

Your muscles will hate you now, but thank you later.


Madison gets bike-friendly points for being filled with dedicated cyclists.

"It's really not all that much fun to be outside when there's snow and ice on the ground, but people still ride," says Ben Scherer, sales manager at Machinery Row Bicycles. "And they do it because the people here genuinely love to ride bikes."

The city itself also scores for forming the Platinum Biking City Planning Committee, an outfit devoted to raising Madison's rank in the League of American Bicyclists' annual list.

Their efforts have paid off. In peak season, the city recorded around 11,000 bicycle trips through downtown per day.

"The community on a whole is really receptive," says Scherer. "The city has a separate crew of street workers that make sure that the bike lanes and paths are clear of snow and debris and easy to use. Everywhere in the city there are free bike route maps."

San Francisco

But of course, keep your eyes on the road.


"It's a city that allows you to be a hip, cool 20-something and ride your bike as your prime use of transportation, and nobody cares," says Chris Lane, owner of Roaring Mouse Cycles, in the city that would put Hemingway's appreciation for straining up hills to the test. "You can be a hipster on a fixie or you can be a category-one racer on your six-kilo road bike."

Much of the bike friendliness comes from outstanding efforts by the local government. Police put major emphasis on bicycle safety, collision reports and theft prevention.

San Francisco has focused on bike-friendly policy since 1973, and has the highest percentage of bicycle commuters out of all cities with a population of more than 500,000.

During the 2011 Bike To Work Day, bicycles constituted 75 percent of the morning traffic on Market Street. And the City by the Bay plans on staying ahead of the curve with the goal of encouraging 20 percent of all city trips in 2020 to be made by bike.

Austin, Texas

Cyclists are cool.


"We don't have the kinds of numbers that Minneapolis or Portland have when it comes to daily commuters on bicycles, but I think we make up for it with weather and attitude," says Craig Staley, general manager at Austin's Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop. "You can ride all year round. In the middle of summer it's 24 degrees Celsius and sunny.

"The city is really changing its mindset and focusing on bicycles. If they're re-striping or paving a new street, bike lanes are in the discussion right off the bat every single time."

Austin's commitment to cyclists doesn't stop there. The city has reduced auto lanes to accommodate more bike lanes.

It doesn't hurt that the world's greatest biker has called Austin home for two decades.

"With Lance Armstrong making this his headquarters, that has certainly helped promote the racing and fitness community," says Staley.

Chicago

Make sure you realize that you have to go back.


"There are just a whole lot of bike lanes," says Adam Kaplan, head bike fit technician at Get a Grip Cycles in Chicago, a town that admittedly represents the start of a bike-friendly drop-off on the list.

Inclement weather for half the year and large distances to traverse don't exactly encourage biking.

Still Chicago has 188 kilometers of on-street bike lanes and more than 48 kilometers of shared lanes. Overall, the city's bikeway network covers about 560 kilometers.

"Even though there's a high volume of traffic, having that three feet of real estate pretty much everywhere you go is very helpful," says Kaplan. "A lot of businesses have incentives for their employees to bike to work. The outgoing and incoming mayors have both been very bike-friendly in that they have created legislation, allocating funds for different modes of transportation."

The city even has Bicycling Ambassadors, dedicated to teaching drivers to interact with bikers.

Washington, D.C.

The capital is joining the (biking) forces.


The nation's capital is finally taking a leading role in promoting healthy, eco-friendly commuting by launching the largest bike-sharing system in the country.

Capital Bikeshare provides more than 1,200 bicycles dispersed over 140 stations around the city and Arlington, Va.

However, many locals admit they still don't feel a strong sense of cycling community.

"There is not one unified bike culture here," says Walker Wilkerson, mechanic at The Bike Rack. "You don't just have a bunch of roadies. You don't just have a bunch of fixie kids. It's not just mountain bikers."

"You've got the amateur road racer and you've got grandma and you've got Joe Six -Pack, all trying to get to work and all riding in the same bike lanes on the same street. It's not as much a bike city as it is a city where bikes are a very viable form of transportation."

6 exclusively New York shopping experiences

Posted: 27 Feb 2013 06:24 PM PST

In the endless consumer mecca that is New York, it's ludicrous to shop at ho-hum department stores that sell the same clothes you can find anywhere else. 

While the city's biggest fashion party -- Fashion's Night Out (FNO) -- was canceled this year, the shopping has never been better, especially now that stores can stop worrying about celebrities showing up and can get busy showcasing their latest pieces.  

Want the inside word on shopping the city's trendiest neighborhoods and boutiques, and on getting first dibs on the latest designer pieces straight from the showrooms? Charge ahead.

Personal stylists

Pay to learn how to really dress yourself.
Founder of personal shopping company Chic Inspiration Ella Goldin is known for helping people create fabulous looks.

She and her team of stylists and personal shoppers specialize in taking small groups to shop in the trendy New York neighborhoods of Nolita, SoHo and the East Village.

"We cater to people based on the part of New York they want to shop in or around specific items they want to buy," says Goldin. "We also want to give clients a feel of a particular neighborhood."

Chic Inspiration's most popular offering is its Day of Style program. This personalized shopping date is the ultimate fashion and shopping experience for putting together an exclusive look.

US$1,700 for a full Day of Style, including a personal consultation on colors and styles, how they work with skin tone, eyes and body type, a styling session in an exclusive boutique and lunch. US$850 for a half-day tour sans lunch; www.chicinspiration.com

Book personal shopping tours (US$500 for three hours) on www.chicshoppingtoursny.com.

Discounts at designer showrooms

Straight from the showroom to your shopping bag.
Fancy an exclusive look at a designer showroom and a chance to buy the latest fashions right off the racks at hugely discounted prices?

Karen Parker O'Brien, president of Style Room, is the person to see.

A fashion industry veteran with 20 years experience, she has connections to many of the "high-beta designers featured in all the top fashion magazines," connections that afford her clients a 50 to 80 percent discount on retail prices at many designer showrooms across New York.

"I like the shopping experience to be part educational, part party," says O'Brien.

That means a limo, some champagne, exclusive fashion industry insights and a personal one-on-one meeting with the designers themselves.

"People are all the more appreciative of what they buy because they're in the place where the designer works and where magazine editors come," O'Brien says, "so it's more than just shopping."

+1 646 245 5316; e-mail Karen@styleroom.com to set up your tour; www.styleroom.com

US$500 for a four-person, four-hour tour of four or five top designer showrooms. US$750 for a group of 10. Tip: dress smart -- no sneakers allowed.

More on CNN: Hong Kong's best shopping

Curated vintage shopping

Not just any vintage shopping. Curated vintage shopping. Natalie Joos is a fashion consultant and casting agent who's fast gaining a reputation as New York's Vintage Queen -- that's all she wears -- through her vintage-focused blog, www.talesofendearment.com.

According to Joos, New York City abounds with all manner of curated vintage stores where one can buy anything from 1980s T-shirts to 1920s Chanel skirts, with a whole lot of bags, boots, scarves and jewelry to mix and match and whip up a one-of-a-kind look.

Joos's top picks include Artists & Fleas in the trendy neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, an indoor market that houses a community of vintage sellers.

"It's full of all kinds of stalls and nicely curated, and it's where I find my coolest pieces," she says.

She also loves Stella Dallas in Greenwich Village, where dedicated Japanese vintage experts cull varsity jackets, old Levi's and "tons of cool dresses from every decade," and Amarcord Vintage, for "fun pieces" by European designers from the 1940s through the 1980s.

Artists & Fleas, 70 N. 7th St., New York; +1 917 301 5765; open weekends 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Stella Dallas, 218 Thompson St., New York; +1 212 674 0447; open Monday-Sunday 12:30-7:30 pm.

Amarcord Vintage, 252 Lafayette St., New York; +1 212 431 4161; open Monday-Sunday noon-7 p.m.

Self-guided shopping tours

She prides herself on her ability to guide New York shoppers to the city's unique boutiques, but Natasha Malinsky, founder of Shop NYC Tours, also knows that some shoppers would prefer not to have her around.

That's why she came up with the idea of the self-guided shopping tour, an e-mailed itinerary complete with map and directions, for those who want the insider take on New York shopping but would rather do the act solo.

"Many people want to take their own time shopping and don't want to be stuck to a guided tour schedule," Malinsky says.

Her self-guided shopping tours are either thematic (specialties include a Fashionista Fave tour, Unique Gifts tour and a Recessionista tour), or can be customized depending on what people want to buy. (Yes, she can get as narrow as just scarves.)

Purchase pre-designed tours online for US$14.95 and receive a pdf itinerary. Or, e-mail for a customized tour, which costs approximately US$99-US$199, depending on needs. An iPhone app is forthcoming. 

www.shop-nyctours.com

Fashion history tours and sample sales

Stand with the greats on New York's Fashion Walk of Fame.


Founder of Seek New York Tours, Rebecca Frey has worked as a costume designer and stylist for TV shows, plays and fashion magazines, and specializes in "bringing a little bit of history" to her New York garment district shopping tours.

You can hear the stories behind New York's most famous department stores, or meander through the innards of New York's fashion district and comb through the wares at fabric and button wholesalers, snagging deals along the way.

Then, stand on plaques commemorating such greats as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren on the Fashion Walk of Fame -- "A place that even longtime residents of New York may never even have noticed," Frey says -- while learning about the machinations of the fashion industry and how designer creations actually come together.

For those who may not be into the technical side of fashion, Frey is hooked into the legendary New York sample sale scene, and has dibs on exclusive sales that not many know about.

+1 800 274 8580; e-mail info@seeknewyorkllc.com to set up a tour or book online through the website. Prices on demand depending on group size; www.seeknewyorktours.com

Discount department store

Be good to yourself and don't go to Century 21 on Black Friday. Or anywhere in New York for that matter.
Discount mega-department store Century 21 is often touted as New York's best kept shopping secret.

Except it's not much of a secret, judging from the hordes of shoppers with suitcases (bought on site in the luggage department) crammed with designer handbags, shoes, watches and sunglasses.

"One time, my best friend found a suede Derek Lam dress there for $60," says popular New York fashion blogger Leandra Medine, aka The Man Repeller.

"She was my hero until I found a white tweed Oscar de la Renta blazer for $57.99."

There's no need for a guide at Century 21. But as you dig through the jumbled racks of shirts and jackets, and turn boxes inside out looking for your shoe size, brace yourself for either the great disappointment of finding nothing, or for the jubilation of scoring a Gucci skirt for under 50 bucks.

It's usually one of either extreme. 

Century 21, 22 Cortlandt St. (between Church Street and Broadway), New York; open Monday-Wednesday 7:45 a.m.-9 pm; Thursday-Friday 7:45 a.m.-9.30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

More on CNN: Best of Paris shopping: The street market guide
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