NEW YORK -- The stench of slaughter is inescapable most days in the meatpacking district.
For decades, this cluster of narrow streets on the cusp of trendy Chelsea and the West Village has been home to many of the city's meat distributors. A sign boasts "Gachot, Quality Meats Since 1903," and ubiquitous large ads tout wholesale beef, chicken and lamb. But, lately, a whiff of something different has been creeping into the neighborhood.
As an aproned man hosed down the sidewalk outside Eastern Meats on West 14th Street one recent afternoon, stylish women just across the street thumbed through racks of Stella McCartney wool coats and satin bomber jackets.
A nearby doorway framed a bright-red $4,800 Yves St. Laurent ball gown. Store windows up and down the street featured rabbit-skin coats, high, sexy boots and black cocktail dresses.
When it comes to shopping in New York, SoHo has become so day before yesterday.
With McCartney and Alexander McQueen picking the meatpacking district for their first U.S. stores -- which opened in September -- and a steady stream of trendy restaurants and clubs taking over spaces that used to house meat freezers, the neighborhood rapidly has become New York's hottest shopping and partying destination. And it's become an essential fashion pit stop for the most well-heeled from New York and beyond.
"It's interesting to see women walking in Manolos while they're hosing down the street," said Donata Minelli, director of Yigal Azrouel, a New York-based designer who is set to open his first store on 14th Street in January. "The elements of grittiness give it the charm of being adventurous and different."
The metamorphosis of the meatpacking district, which is south of Chelsea and north of Greenwich Village, began in earnest about two years ago with the opening of Jeffrey, a high-end store heavy on European labels like Christian Dior and Gucci. Owner Jeffrey Kalinsky said he chose the 14th Street locale because rents were lower than in neighborhoods such as SoHo and Chelsea at the time.
"I needed to be where no one else was," Kalinsky said. "I didn't have a lot of money. I thought if we did something well and we worked really hard, people would come."
And they did. The success of Kalinsky's couture temple soon inspired other businesses to check out the meatpacking district. Soon, Lotus, one of Manhattan's hottest clubs, opened a few doors down. Trendy restaurants like Pastis, Rhone and Son Cubano sprang up nearby. More recently, McCartney set aside her nonmeat-eating, anti-fur bent and ventured into the meatpacking district.
McCartney said she picked the neighborhood for its "strong New York identity." "I see it becoming a shopping destination," she said. "I've always liked areas that were off the beaten track and unexpected."
Designers Azrouel and Brazilian Carlos Miele and the design team Rubin Chapelle have signed leases in the area. So have quirky and cool fashion boutiques like Scoop and Dernier Cri, owned by a former tour manager for the band Third Eye Blind.
"When you go to SoHo on the weekend, it almost feels like you're in the mall," said Andrea Linett, fashion director of Lucky, the shopaholic's magazine. "People like the meatpacking district because it seems as if you're in this weird new neighborhood. It's charming, and there are cobblestone streets and fun places to check out. You kind of feel like you're in Europe."
And, because of its many bars and clubs, the area's streets are filled with people even late at night. Yigal Azrouel's Minelli said the designer plans to install a 24-hour multimedia display in his store's window so people walking by late at night can check out its offerings.
There is, however, one obvious drawback to shopping in the neighborhood -- its longtime industry.
"When it's 90 degrees in the summer," Linett said, "I wouldn't recommend it."
Where to shop
Alexander McQueen
417 W. 14th St.
212-645-1797
Featuring: McQueen's signature bad-girl, outfits -- thigh-high, laced-up boots, ruched gowns with leather holsters and glorious rabbit-skin capes.
Bodum Cafe and Home Store
413-415 W. 14th St.
212-367-9125
Featuring: Cute and functional tea sets, coffee presses and other kitchen accessories. Cafe serves lattes, sandwiches and pastries.
Boucher Jewelry
9 Ninth Ave.
212-206-3775
Featuring: Designer Laura Mady's handmade necklaces, earrings and bracelets, which have been featured in InStyle, Lucky and Elle.
Dernier Cri
869 Washington St.
212-242-6061
Featuring: Funky clothes and purses befitting a rocker babe. Designers carried here include Luella Bartley and Circle by Mara Hoffman.
Destination
32-36 Little West 12th St.
212-727-2031
Featuring: Art and home and fashion accessories with a European twist.
Jeffrey
449 W. 14th St.
212-206-1272
Featuring: High-end makeup and accessories, a wide array of shoes and boots, and racks lined with clothing from designers such as Yves St. Laurent, Gucci, Prada and Christian Dior.
Rubin Chapelle
410 W. 14th Street
212-647-8636
Featuring: Edgy clothes by up-and-coming New York design team Sonja Rubin and Kip Chapelle. Celebrity customers have included Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Campbell and Marisa Tomei.
Scoop
873 Washington St.
212-929-1244
(Opening late December)
Featuring: The season's hottest clothes and accessories, including labels like Marc by Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo and Diane von Furstenberg.
Stella McCartney
429 W. 14th St.
212-255-1556
Featuring: McCartney's ready-to-wear, accessories and footwear lines.
Yigal Azrouel
408 W. 14th St.
(Opening in January)
Featuring: Day and clubby clothes by a designer whose pieces have been sold in Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York and worn by the women of Sex and the City.
Where to eat
Florent
69 Gansevoort St.
212-989-5779
Eggs, steak frites, mussels and burgers -- this grunge-chic greasy spoon with a distinct French flavor offers comfort food 24 hours on weekends. Spotted there recently: Keanu Reeves sharing a midnight dinner with a female companion.
Little Pie Company
407 W. 14th St.
212-414-2324
You can smell the Little Pie Company long before you get to its door, and all of its offerings are to die for. Sour cream apple walnut pie, cheddar crust apple pie, maple-glazed spice cake. Need we say more?
Paradou
8 Little West 12th St.
212-463-8345
A tiny, delightful restaurant that's known particularly for its scrumptious crepes.
Pastis
9 Ninth Ave.
212-929-4844
With its authentic French bistro ambience, good food and, often, cute waiters, Pastis has long been popular among New Yorkers and stars such as Uma Thurman and Sandra Bullock. Even Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw trekked here for brunch two seasons ago.
Son Cubano
405 W. 14th St.
212-334-6411
The place for hearty Cuban cuisine, strong mojitos and salsa music late on weekends.
Where to party
APT
419 W. 13th St.
212-414-4245
With its unmarked entrance, this lounge is supposed to be so hip that only those in the know can find it. It features a DJ and light munchies and is open until 4 a.m. on weekends.
Hogs & Heifers
859 Washington St.
212-929-0655
The wall of bras, the beer-swilling men and the female bartenders in bikini tops pretty much sum up the vibe of Hogs & Heifers. This famous dive inspired the movie Coyote Ugly and is popular among women partial to getting drunk and dancing on the bar. Famous bar-top dancers have included Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts.
Lotus
409 W. 14th St.
212-243-4420
One of New York's trendiest -- and, sometimes, hardest to get into -- bars, Lotus is a favorite among models and celebrities from Heath Ledger to Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.
MEET
71-73 Gansevoort St.
212-242-0990
Another former meat freezer finds new life as a hip destination. This sleek restaurant / bar's new identity as a meat market of a different sort attracts beautiful people well into the wee hours of the morning.