Step Inside No. 6, The Secret Weapon of New York’s It Girls & Fashion Insiders

In the middle of a heat-dazed NYFW this fall, I rang the bell of a discreet boutique, tucked away between the press of fashion influencers mobbing Broome and Grand Streets. This was the home of No. 6, a brand that’s loomed large in my fashion imagination ever since a very chic boss gave me a now-favorite dress from the New York brand. Launched in 2005 by Karen Bereson, No. 6 draws on her styling background to create a stylish line that’s grown to include footwear, apparel, accessories, swimwear, and more. 

Online and at the Soho brick and mortar, No. 6 carries both the namesake No. 6 brand and a hand-selected group of international designers, many of whom Bereson has worked with for years. You get the sense that No. 6 is nurturing a collection of fashion’s next biggest things from all over the world, giving them a place to land in the US & surefire access to New York’s elite fashion trendsetters. 

Everyone who works with Bereson at the store has a clear talent for styling and deep respect for the clothes, shoes, and accessories that Bereson has curated. But they’re also all people with varied interests, having conversations about travel and literature while swapping hangers laden with richly textured clothes. Stepping inside the store, it’s clear why multiple generations of New York fashion insiders have kept coming back to No. 6 for years – the clothes and conversations inside are both on-trend and timeless. Each piece at No. 6 is perfect for nailing whatever’s in fashion at the moment, but also designed to be a staple of your closet for decades to come. The store is designed for people of all ages to explore their unique fashion identity, cultivating the personal style that distinguishes an It Girl from a trend-chaser.

Down the street from the shop, I poked my head in as Karen Bereson oversaw a shoot for their fall collection. Bereson has a preternatural gift for styling, as you can see in each photo of the No. 6 website. Chunky knits drape over sleek midi skirts, bright floral dresses peek out from masculine leather outerwear, each pairing revealing something surprising about the clothes and the wearer. Looking at her photos, you start to imagine a more adventurous version of yourself – and that’s exactly the point. She told me that she wanted each photo on the website to have a sense of movement, capturing the feeling of trying on clothes in her boutique. Whether or not someone walks out of the shop with a new pair of clogs or not is (almost) beside the point; for Bereson & her team, it’s about encouraging women of all ages to try on a new identity, explore a part of themselves they might not even is aching to be expressed. 

I’ve been the lucky recipient of a few No. 6 hand-me-downs from the most stylish women in my life, and every time I buy a piece from No. 6 I feel like I’m entering into a secret club. I’ve been stopped on the street many times by women who recognize a No. 6 clog or dress from a mile away, thanks to their distinctive use of elegant shapes and bold fabrics. More often than not, these other women are wearing something by No. 6 too. Once their pieces find their way into your closet, they’re all but guaranteed to stay there. 

Case in point: their new collection of fall/winter footwear. Sprinkled with of-the-moment details (metallic silvers here, burgundy accents there), their shoes are meticulously designed and fitted for maximum comfort & style – these are shoes meant to be worn, not collect dust in the back of your closet.

Shop our edit of No. 6’s eclectic mix of footwear and apparel below, and get let in on New York fashion insiders’ best-kept secret: