When designers Kari Sigerson and Miranda Morrison wandered past an open space for lease on the Upper East Side a few months ago, they knew they had to have it. But just what they would do with the space, on East 71st Street, was still a mystery. Well, consider the mystery solved.

The new Sigerson Morrison store is being dubbed a “laboratory boutique,” allowing the designers to sell and showcase some of their favorite products, in a relaxed and intimate manner. The store will sell Sigerson Morrison’s line of covet-worthy shoes and accessories, along with esoteric items that indulge and share the designers’ enthusiasms, like stationery, jewelry, books, fragrances and candles. The space will also host small shows and intimate exhibitions to promote collaborations with fellow designers and artists.

Sigerson and Morrison have selected wallpaper designer and artist Dan Funderburgh as the first to present his work at the boutique. The exhibition will feature a large-scale wall covering installation, as well as limited-edition prints and accessories for sale.

As for future plans, the designers won’t reveal what they have in store, though they say it will maintain the personal nature of the 71st street shop, adding, “The laboratory boutique is a place to explore what resonates with us.”

Funderburgh will be on hand for the opening reception tomorrow, from 6:30-9:00 p.m. The exhibition runs until April. The Sigerson Morrison laboratory boutique is located on 19 East 71st Street, in New York.

- TC

Menswear fave Robert Geller and Assembly New York are taking over a former Locksmith Shop in the Lower East Side for a month-long pop-up shop. The shop will offer the new Robert Geller Spring 2010 Collection as well as Assembly New York’s in-house line. In addition to the labels’ tailored trousers, heavy jackets and fitted cotton shirts, the temporary shop is also selling a limited-edition set of candles made in collaboration with LAND. The Robert Geller and Assembly collaboration store is located at The Key Shop, 129 Rivingston Street in New York. The store is now officially open until April 2010.

Fresh from another successful presentation at New York Fashion Week, Toronto-based designer Jeremy Laing is back in the T-Dot to welcome shoppers to a huge sample sale this Thursday. Score deep discounts on overstock and runway samples from his previous collections, from 3-7 p.m. at Laing’s Parkdale studio. Details on the flyer below:

If you’re looking for a warm and cozy gift to surprise someone with this Valentine’s Day, this probably isn’t what you had in mind.. The good people at Happy Socks have started a new service available through its website for people to order socks for their loved ones, to be delivered along with a personalized note. Instead of getting twelve red roses delivered this year, the folks at Happy Socks have come up with a slightly more comfortable alternative; why not send a dozen red socks instead?

The socks are all made from a high quality, combed cotton, which prevents them from stretching and pilling, and each toe is hand-stitched to ensure a snug fit. And the Stockholm-based company is famous for its colorful assortment of stripes, patterns and polka dots… ensuring that there really is something for everyone. Traditional? Not exactly. Unique? Most definitely. A romantic gift to be appreciated? Well, here’s hoping the happy socks get your Valentine’s Day started on the right foot…

- TC

New York-based womenswear label Slow and Steady Wins the Race is having a huge sample sale this weekend in Chinatown. The concept label’s line of art and architecture-inspired clothing, shoes and accessories will be discounted at up to 50% off. Since its inception in 2002, the label has been producing limited edition collections (or “issues” as they’ve been dubbed on the Slow and Steady website), revolving around the fundamentals of designs. The result is a sparse, yet surprisingly unique and memorable line of reconstructed basics; think tops, tees, skirts, bags and — more recently — sunglasses, that are cool and fashionable yet, casual and subtle.

The Slow and Steady sample sale takes place this weekend, from Friday to Sunday at 179 Canal Street, #4B (between Mott and Elizabeth). Opening hours are 12-6. Details on the flyer below: