The Garment District, also called the Fashion District or Fashion Center, is home to many of the world’s most famous fashion designers and showrooms. The area is an amazing resource for fabrics, beads and trims, however, don’t expect to walk in off the street to Donna Karan or Calvin Klein’s showroom or sample sales. The best way to possibly get access to private showrooms is through a private tour, otherwise, make sure to check NYC Sample Sales while you’re in town.
Many (many) years ago, this NYC area was called the Tenderloin and the Devil’s Arcade and was infamously known for it’s abundance of prostitution, bootlegging, betting and racketeering. Lucky for us, it’s all about fashion & accessories today!
Garment District Things to Do
Fashion Walk of Fame (35th to 41st Streets, on 7th Ave) – 26 plaques (much like a Hollywood Star) honoring some of fashions’ great designers. Names include Norma Kamali, Betsey Johnson, Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Halston and Donna Karan
Parsons School of Design (40th St/7th Ave, West side) – as seen on Project Runway and Tim Gunn, who was Chair of Fashion Design and a faculty member for many years. Parsons’ alumn include Anna Sui, Donna Karan, Jason Wu, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford. The school’s main campus is in Greenwich Village, but here is one of their smaller centers.
Garment District Kiosk (39th St & 7th Ave) – pick up some brochures, maps and coupons.
The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) (27th St @ 7th Ave) – Free to visit and they do a lovely job of providing entertaining and educational exhibits highlighting fashion as it relates to history, politics and culture. Closed Sunday, Monday and holidays.
Garment District Shopping Tours
The NYC Garment Center “Insider” Shopping Tour takes you on a behind-the-scenes shopping experience of the neighborhood where fashion was born. Shop Gotham escorts you to six appointment-only designer showrooms in the Fashion District.
Garment Center Shopping Tour Ticket Options:
A combination of Wholesale Showrooms not accessible to the public and hidden Sample Sales – where discounts on women’s designer and “better wear” will be from 50-80% below retail. The perfect off the beaten path tour for fashionista bargain hunters, shopaholics and visitors interested in seeing this legendary design center at work.
New York City Shopping Tours
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Garment District Sightseeing Passes
Compare sightseeing pass options:
- Go directly to the New York Sightseeing Pass Website to check out the details of the pass
- Compare prices at: New York Passes and NYC Attractions Passes, where there are always great deals and discounts
- More Info: Compare NYC Attractions Passes
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Garment District Restaurants
MacarOn Café (161 W 36th St) – Parisian and organic café, a local fashion designer favorite for lunch.
Parker & Quin @ The Refinery Hotel – a solid all-around menu, covering every meal with smoothies, breakfast, steaks, sandwiches and everything in between.
Ben’s Kosher Deli – a local favorite for years and great for families. Expect a huge menu and even bigger portions of matzoh ball soup, pastrami, chopped liver and potato pancakes with applesauce.
Keens Steakhouse – old school NYC steak house, heavy menu with a heavy price tag, but meat lovers think it’s worth every dollar.
The Deco Food + Drink – fairly new food hall that "brings the best of the five boroughs" to the Garment District. Cuisines include Afghan, Mexican, Hawaiian, Chinese, Brazilian plus a bar spotlighting New York brews and spirits in a casual Art Deco-inspired setting.
The Garment District has millions of people working daily up in those skyscrapers, so you’ll see dozens of coffee shops, delis, diners and other casual lunch spots. They should almost all be good, since nothing lasts in NYC that isn’t, especially when it comes to the demanding commuter crowd.
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Garment District Neighborhood Guide Shopping
Mood Fabrics (225 W 37th St, Suite 3, 7th/8th Aves) – NYC’s fabric mecca with 25,000 square feet of bolts upon bolts of fabric. Mood is THE place to go in NYC for fine designer fabrics.
Bead District (37th St/ 6th Ave) – beads, beads and more beads. Most of the bead stores on and around 6th & 37th are open to the public and stocked to the brim with bright, brilliant and glittering gems, accessories, and trinkets.
Trimmings Stores (37th to 39th Sts, 7th to 8th Aves) – dozens of buttons, laces, leather, along with additional fabric stores.
M&S Schmalberg Custom Fabric Flower Factory
242 West 36th St, 7th Floor
Monday to Friday 9am – 4pm
FREE factory tours for all visitors
M&S Schmalberg is a 4th generation, family owned company. Our flowers, hand-made in our New York City factory, have complemented the apparel, bridal, accessory, millinery and home furnishing industries for over 100-years. M&S Schmalberg flowers have been featured in countless magazines and on the runway all over the world.
Using the same delicate process since 1916, we are able to provide exquisite quality and a level of artisanal customization that cannot be matched. Some of our flower molds date back to the turn of the century. Styles can be made in any fabric; including silks, leathers, suedes, cottons, velvets, felts and even exotic snake and alligator skins. As a garment district factory, we are capable of producing large production orders as well as special one of a kind couture pieces.
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Garment District Hotels
Embassy Suites by Hilton Midtown Manhattan
Opened January 2018, the 39-story, pet-friendly Embassy Suites by Hilton Midtown Manhattan offers a huge outdoor 3rd floor patio, the SkyLawn terrace lounge and bar, as well as a fitness center, free daily breakfast and a daily happy hour. Reviewers note it as being close to the 34th St Subway, Empire State Building and the great views from the top floor rooms.
- Discount Rates: Embassy Suites by Hilton Midtown Manhattan
- 60 West 37th Street
More Garment District Hotels
Hilton New York Fashion District
152 West 26th Street, NY, NY 10001
The Archer Hotel – 45 West 38th Street, New York City, NY 10018
You’ll want to check Midtown West Hotels and Times Square Hotels to be in or near the Garment District.
Refinery Hotel
A top boutique Manhattan hotel, and prime location for viewing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with 20 rooms that overlook the parade route. The Refinery offers 197 Guest Rooms with elegant furnishings that build upon the hotel’s industrial past. Each room has dark brushed oak hardwood floors, a walk-in rain shower and full entertainment facilities: Wi-Fi, iHome docking stations, LCD HD TVs and full cable.
- Discount Rates: Refinery Hotel
- 63 West 38th St (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)
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Garment District Subways
- 1, 2, 3 along Broadway and 7th Ave
- A, C, E along 8th Avenue
- N, R, Q, W
- B, D, F, F, V
- 7 or Shuttle (S) from the east side (Grand Central)
- General Address: Garment District Alliance, 209 West 38th St, NY, NY 10018
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Garment District Neighborhood Guide Maps
Garment District and Fashion Center NYC Map
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NYC Neighborhood Guides
Harlem
Our Harlem neighborhood guide will show you the wonderful cultural, food, music and historic value of this landmark area, which has long, strong and proud NYC roots. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s began the golden age of African-American culture, literature, music, artists, theater and art, which continues to strengthen today. If you want to eat authentic soul food, hear mind-blowing jazz and gospel and clothing shop with Alicia Keys and Jay-Z, then Harlem is on your bucket list!
- Explore: Harlem Neighborhood Guide
- To Do: Apollo Theater, Striver's Row, National Jazz Museum
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a residential neighborhood filled with young professionals and families. It is a great place to stay if you are looking to avoid the heavy crowds of Midtown, explore Central Park, The Museum of Natural History, the Beacon Theatre, Lincoln Center, the West Side Highway and still be about 20 minutes from most of Manhattan.
- Explore: Upper West Side Guide
- To Do: American Museum of Natural History & Planetarium, Beacon Theatre, Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center
Central Park
Central Park offers 843 gorgeous acres to explore and 100s of things to do, which is why we consider it an unofficial neighborhood. Central Park draws 38 million visits a year and is home to the Central Park Film Festival, SummerStage, Shakespeare in the Park, Ice Skating, Central Park Zoo, Bow Bridge, biking, playgrounds, the Carousel and much more.
- Explore: Central Park Guide
- To Do: Central Park Zoo, Carousel, TV and Movie Sites, Ice Skating, Loeb Boathouse
Garment District / Fashion Center
The Garment District, also called the Fashion District or Fashion Center, is home to many of the world's most famous fashion designers and showrooms. The area is an amazing resource for fabrics, beads and trims, however, unless you are trade, don't expect to walk in off the street to designer showrooms. The best way to possibly get access to private showrooms is through a private tour or a NYC Sample Sale.
- Explore: Garment District Guide
- To Do: Fashion Walk of Fame, Museum at FIT, Parsons School of Design
Chinatown NYC
Chinatown NYC is a small, but very densely packed area of shops and restaurants. It is really fun to walk around, enjoy the culture, pick up some souvenirs, and most definitely, eat some delicious and affordable Dim Sum, dumplings, pork buns and other amazing Chinese cuisines.
- Explore: Chinatown NYC Guide Guide
- To Do: Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), Mahayana Buddhist Temple, Dim Sum & Dumplings
Little Italy NYC
Little Italy NYC Guide is a just a few blocks, with tons of outdoor restaurants and owners promising free wine and sangria to lure you in. Puglia is a favorite restaurant for families with their live singing and kids standing on their chairs waving napkins. Visit the new Italian American Museum, which tells the story "from Columbus to Cuomo," the original Old St. Patrick's Church and NYC Police Headquarters.
- Explore: Little Italy NYC Guide
- To Do: Feast of San Gennaro, Old St. Patrick's Church, Food Tours, Italian American Museum
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