For many New Yorkers, this downtown fixture—right across the street from the former World Trade Center site—remains the mother lode of discount shopping. Four floors are crammed with everything from Gucci sunglasses and half-price cashmere sweaters to Ralph Lauren towels, though you'll have to weed through racks of less-fabulous stuff to find that gem. The best bets in the men's department are shoes and the designer briefs; the full floor of designer women's wear can yield some dazzling finds, such as a Calvin Klein leather trench coat for less than $600 or a sweeping crinoline skirt from Jean Paul Gaultier. Since lines for the communal dressing rooms can be prohibitively long, you might want to wear a bodysuit under your clothes for quick, between-the-racks try-ons.
Posted by frogoutofwater from NYC on 8/20/08
I just don't have the patience to wade through piles of ugly, cheap clothing to find the good stuff. I do check out Century 21 periodically but try to go early in the morning before work, when it's less crowded. I have more luck with basics (I wouldn't buy pantyhose, tights or socks anywhere else) than designer fashions.
For bargains on clothing basics, I prefer Syms a few blocks south. Syms doesn't have the same range as Century 21, and doesn't have any high-end designer labels, but it is a great place to shop for coats (for men and women) and men's clothing.
Posted by justjanh from St. Louis, Mo. on 7/31/08
I found that the aggrevation of waaaay to many people and the way everything is just jam packed makes it not a pleasent shopping experience at all. The jewlery counter is next to impossible to get to to look at anything, and if you are lucky enough to find something to buy, it will take you forever to check it out.The times I have been to New York, I have a much better experience at Filene's Basement.
Posted by egrace from San Francisco on 7/24/08
After many friends told me how great Century 21 was I finally made it there on recent trip to NYC. It was a disaster. 4pm on a Tuesday and the place looked like a bomb hit it. The lines were super long. It was so tightly packed and disorganized.. I would not go back to this place.
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