Aimé Leon Dore — Local services in New York

Can’t lie been in the neighborhood for a bit and as a older NYer I get easily turned off by any type of lines or excessive hype behind a brand, product or whatever, as there is way too many options in a forever oversaturated market and overactive world and fast paced city. But I was welcomed in to their boutique a few years back in 2022, (before their temporary pop up on Crosby and store renovation and expanson in 2023,) and had such a great experience and memorable interaction with the staff that I had to keep coming back.

I must say the vibes are always immaculate and service was A-1, as well as positive vibes and product knowledge the managers are able to share including my guys Benny, and Adam. I work in the area so I pop in pretty regularly to see the latest collection, even when I’m not in ready to make a purchase the team is always on warm and friendly and generous with their time and energy.

When I am ready to shop it’s usually my dude Oliver who gets me right; I’m a barber and stylist but it’s still helpful to get another stylish gentleman and/or woman’s opinion. Can’t say enough good things about Oliver, but when it comes to gear he knows my style and what type of things I like, the pieces that suit me well so he keeps me updated and helps me figure out the sizing; oftentimes I’m a Medium in this brand, but for pieces like a rugby or hoodie I would usually grab a Large, and some of the tees are also different cuts.

In many New Balance sneakers a 9.5 is cool but some models the size 10 works, so sizing always depends, I recommend shopping in-store over online if you can make the trip cause it’s always best to try it on to get the desire fit and look, and the right proportions for your tops to fit properly with your pants and kicks.

Ambiance is also dope, from the lighting to the curation of vintage relics, art books and cool collectors items, it ties in well with the visual merchandising. Love the boutique and brand and have a great experience every time I pop in.

ALD a one stop shop, not just for casual, streetwear but for menswear in general, and they got a fit and look for literally any occasion, from the gym, to the club, bday dinner, bbq, concert, job interview or wedding they got you...

I love the brand but unfortunately had a pretty upsetting experience at the store today. We went in to get my husband a birthday gift. He wanted a leather jacket so we went to check them out in person. They had a tan one on display so he asked for his size. They brought it over and he tried it on and loved it. While he had the jacket on, the sales person came over and mentioned they had a black version of that jacket which actually was the exact piece my husband wanted so we got super excited. The jacket fit him perfectly and he was so happy since it's hard to find leather jackets that fit right and he wanted that one in particular for so long. We decided to get the black one for him and the tan one for me as well since I also loved it, and we told the sales associate that we wanted to buy both of them. The sales person said "great" and took both jackets to the back and said he was going to pack them up. While that was happening we went to the cashier to pay. I ended up asking for one more item that I wanted to buy and they brought it over. When we were ready to pay almost 6,000 for both jackets and another item, the cashiers person went into the back room and immediately after that, the sales person who was packing the items up came back out and said they couldn't sell the black jacket to us anymore because it was the only one left and he was actually not even supposed to show it to us. Obviously, we were very upset about it and ended up leaving without buying anything because that whole experience seemed very shady. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to sell that item to one of their friends or something of sorts. They weren't even that apologetical about what happened and were kind of rude.

Adding to our dismay, we encountered further issues during our visit. The second sales associate who retrieved the items from the back appeared to be intoxicated, which was concerning and unprofessional. This person is not the same one who offered the black jacket. We were helped by 2 different sales associates and he was the 2nd one.

Also just a note, we waited almost 2 hours to get into the store which that alone is almost a joke. This experience ruined the...

Clothes: I really like the clothes. Subtle. Well thought out. I became curious about the brand via their collab with Drake’s. The sweater I own is a Drake’s/ALD piece I truly dig. Best of all, minimal branding on their clothing!

In Store: This is based off of two visits Pros: Very cool looking. They had these little chocolates that were amazing. They had a large selection which I was surprised by.

Cons: Long line. It took me an hour to get in the week before Christmas… ok cool I get it. I went between Christmas and New Years and it was a 30 minute wait. I’ll be curious to see what it’s like sans holiday traffic.

I appreciate folks not breathing down my neck but it took me a while to get help. The customers dress as well as the associates. That’s cool but if, no one greets you, you’re all talking to each other, and everyone looks like they could be a customer it makes it hard to know who you can approach for service. When you make an approach they seem surprised. Once you get help, the service is meh. They don’t seem particularly knowledgeable or passionate about the product.

Online is a different business: Before you stand in line for 30+ minutes go on line, check their website. I had a question about the color ways of these pants I was interested in from my initial visit. I came in the second time to buy these pants. So I went to the website to see if maybe it was different colored pant. It wasn’t but the pant happened to be marked down by 50% on their website. I brought this up to the associate and they informed me that they price online differently than they do in-store. That was a turn off especially given I went out of my way to come down there from NJ and I spent time in line. There was no indication online that the sale was online only either. So I ended up ordering on my phone right there in the store which was wack because they have very poor cell service and no wifi. It’s also frustrating to pay 12.00 in shipping (not to mention NY state and sales tax cause I have to ship to job in the city to avoid theft) for something I literally am holding in my hands and could walk out with. I would just have to pay...