Karin Bereson and Morgan Yakus of No. 6, 6 Centre Market Place, NYC, phone: 212 226 5759
by Lisa Germinsky
Tucked away near NYC’s Chinatown, on the teeniest of blocks, is the retail treasure No. 6. Opened by stylist Karin Bereson and vintage collector Morgan Yakus in 2005, the blacked-out windows keep tourists at bay, but models seek out the address daily.
For Karin and Morgan, it was love-her-look-at-first-sight when they met in 1995. And now models descend upon their stylish store for its effortless mix of vintage, emerging designers, and No. 6’s eponymous label. “The vintage drives the personality of the store,” notes Karin. “It fills in the blanks.”
But models also want modern from their vintage. Meaning, they prefer to resurrect past trends and make them fresh again. “Now they’re asking for Whitney Houston ’80s dresses,” Morgan says. (Read: backless Lycra sheaths in candy pastels.) Other current model must-haves at No. 6: flippy floral dresses, cropped leather jackets from Paris, and size-10 ankle boots in burnished gold.
Regulars like Anouck Lepere and Jessica Stam rely on the duo’s expert eyes for that “extra” item—like a rare Chanel cape. “The idea is to mix vintage with new,” Yakus explains. As for the new, their model base is loving lines Stine Goya, Electric Feathers, and Von Sono.
Something secretive swirls about No. 6. When pressed for more boldface clients, Bereson and Yakus are protective, but reveal, “We have some original supermodels.” Most want to keep No. 6 to themselves, but now the word is out. You’re welcome!
