If you have yet to spot street style icon Michelle Violy Harper on your favorite fashion blogs, look again! This avant-garde trend-setter, a board member of FIT’s Couture Council, Tata Harper Beauty, and Casita Maria, turned our heads at Uniqlo's opening party last week. Don't fear, we cozied up to the daring dame for a hot minute to chat with her about her style inspirations, highlights of her spring '12 fashion week, the blogosphere, and what makes someone an icon (she should know, right?).

Just last week, Japanese retail giant, Uniqlo opened their global flagship store, right here at 5th Avenue! We got even luckier as we managed to rub shoulders with the brand’s fashion director, Nicola Formichetti, who somehow also finds time to be the creative director of Thierry Mugler, fashion director of Vogue Hommes Japan, and Lady Gaga’s stylist. The fashion Superman took a hot min to chat with us—dishing on defying his parents, fun with Gagaloo, and his thoughts on fashion bloggers (he thinks there should be even more )

Are you obsessed with perfume? Can you identify the fragrance another girl is wearing just by catching a whiff of it as she walks by? Then you definitely need to check out the Sensorium, a new pop-up concept from the beauty brains at Sephora and Firmenich.

This unique exhibition/retail experiment invites you to immerse yourself in all things scent. Inside the renovated space at 414 West 14th Street, you’ll find a variety of interactive experiences, including a visual history of perfume, sensory deprivation booths, and multimedia presentations incorporating scent, sound and visuals.

Our favorite was the “Life At First Scent” area, where we found an installation labeled “Sausage Glass,” which featured the scent of Biscuits & Bacon. It was just as weird and wonderful as it sounds. At the end of the exhibit you can hit up the Fragrance Bar, where you can take a “Fragrance Flight” — a blind sniff-test of popular fragrances—and see how good your nose really is. “We really felt it was necessary to reengage the client, show them fragrance in a way that they may have never thought about it before. We hope that the Sensorium will re-ignite a love for fragrance within our clients, and help them discover their perfect scent along the way,” says Allison Slater, Sephora’s vice president of retail marketing. The exhibit will be open now through November 27. Tickets are $15 each, but they can be later redeemable as a $15 Sephora gift card, which you can handily spend at Sephora's new Meatpacking store, right around the corner. Synergy!

Photos: Courtesy of Bold PR

Since the '90s, Fresh stores have supplied New Yorkers with chic, clean, easy-to-love beauty products, and while maintaining their respected reputation, the brand's spiced things up with a renovation of their Union Square flagship store. We must say, it's a welcomed improvement. Not only has the store gotten a beautiful, rustic, old-world appearance with serious attention to detail, like the stunning antique basin that serves as a communal sink, but they've also introduced their "Sensorial Bar." The bar plays host to discontinued fragrances conveniently available "on tap" and, for those of us who change fragrances as frequently as our shoes, you'll be happy to know that the scents will rotate regularly. And with no one to cut you off when you've had a bit too much fun with the fragrances, this is the perfect beauty bar for getting a little punch drunk.

Fresh, 872 Broadway (at 18th Street); 212-477-1100.

Photo: Courtesy of Fresh, Photography by Eric T. White.

We're kind of worried that we'll spend all of our money on just one season staple (ahem, the wool Acila Trench), and neglect our rent. And knowing us, staring at the Surface to Air online store for so long will do irreversible damage to our eyes. As if all that wasn't enough, we now have to worry that we'll lose our jobs getting lost for hours in the inevitably chic racks of Surface to Air's NYC flagship store—opening officially in just two days. The cult label recently launched an ongoing capsule collection with the painfully cool Leigh Lezark, and is debuting a new shoe with an eponymous ode to the It Girl/DJ—already available online. In person, Surface to Air (and hopefully, the Leigh Lezark heel) will land on Mercer Street on September 9. And, yeesh, the store is just close enough that we won't kill our feet if we save cab money by walking there in Lezark's killer heels. We're sure you're worried for us, too.

Surface to Air, 27 Mercer Street (between Grand and Canal streets).

Oh la la, our inner Marie Antoinette is giddy at thought of Ladurée, the Parisian pastry and cake shop (whose claim to fame is the creation of the macaron) opening up their first-ever U.S. flagship right here in New York City. So, it seemed like the perfect coincidence that their spot of choice was 864 Madison Avenue, nestled alongside fashion headliners like Dior, Tom Ford, and Sonia Rykiel. Indeed, Ladurée and fashion have always seemed to go hand-in-hand—remember that decadent scene in Sofia Coppola Marie Antoinette where Kirsten Dunst is surrounded by oodles and oodles Ladurée pastries and shoes? A dreamy combination for sure! But the past few weeks, Ladurée has been through a bit of a macaron soap opera (thanks to our good ol' friend Hurricane Irene, their opening date kept getting pushed back). Finally, as if our taste buds weren’t tantalized enough, the magic of Ladurée was released to the public early, 9 a.m. this morning, and rest assured it was simply magnifique, going toe-to-toe with its nearby rival, Maison du Chocolat.

After more than a century of mastering exceptional leather footwear, Frye has applied its' craftsmanship to something a little bigger—a flagship store on Spring Street in Soho. The recently-opened location houses the boots that make the classic American brand, well, class, but also captures the spirit and meticulous detailing that goes into all of their rich leather goods. Shoppers are not just picking up a pair of boots here — you can finding your perfect match with a private-fit specialist or customize your style with personalized hot stamping (also complimentary for current Frye boot owners who bring in a pair). Of course, we couldn't wait to dish on the beautifully rugged interior, which features 15-foot ceilings, exposed brick walls, reclaimed barn doors, as well as other eco-minded features— all of which have earned it LEED certification. We've got an exclusive photo tour inside the new Soho shop, lead by the man who also oversaw the store's design and construction, Creative Marketing Director Jamie Laycock! Check out these snaps for lots of luxe leather eye-candy and the coolest vintage workshop-inspired space to drop in the middle of a metropolis.

Frye, 113 Spring Street (between Mercer and Greene streets); 212-226-3793.

When we first talked to Johan Lindeberg about his new fashion adventure, this editor was rocking rolled-up khakis and a polo shirt. Probably not the best first impression for the founder of J. Lindeberg, whose bushy beard, biker jacket, and ripped-jeans look doesn't come close to anything resembling preppy. "I hate chinos," Lindeberg told us (blush), and indeed, you won't see them in his brand-new line, BLK DNM, his first foray into clothing since he parted ways with his eponymous company. The collection consists of a full range for men and women, with everything from denim to dresses, tailored blazers, and of course, need-it-now leather. And, for us Gothamists, it's all at POP 1 , a temporary retail space that opened yesterday in Soho. We got the exclusive on the store tour—and believe us, the construction was so down to the wire, we were almost convinced the employees munched some uppers to get it all done for the opening party. A raw concept that somehow works seamlessly with the streamlined apparel, the boutique boasts baroque elements, projection screens, and the insanely cool BLK DNM Gazette, a poster-sized magazine that papers the store with works from Nate Lowman, Scott Campbell, and Terence Koh. We suggest you get down there to scoop up the collector's item before, say, the Olsens do. Just please, please don't wear chinos.

Click through to see our exclusive shots of the new pop-up, plus a Q&A with Johan!

POP 1, 237 Lafayette Street (at Spring Street).

This past Wednesday, thrifting giant Goodwill debuted its premiere boutique dedicated to hand-plucked vintage finds, perfect for Downtown Manhattan's most stylish set. Located on West 8th Street between MacDougal and 6th Avenue, shoppers will find second-hand fashions from notable high-end names like Ferragamo, Burberry, and Dior, as well as brands such as Anne Taylor, Mossimo, and Nine West, all at super reasonable price-points. What's more, you'll also be able to find great gently-used housewares, and vintage cameras. Check out the boutique before all the good stuff is picked-over! 44 West 8th Street (Between 6th Avenue and MacDougal). (RackedNY)

Last night we celebrated Madewell's opening of its second location in NYC at their new Fifth Avenue store. Madewell's in-house design team did a beautiful job restoring the two floor, 6,500-square-foot space, and recreating the landmark building's original design. We were impressed with the displays and the floor-to-ceiling windows, but we were especially thrilled with their kick-ass catering. It's always nice to see people enjoying themselves and pigging out on meatball sandwiches at a fashion event. Click through our slideshow to check out what we thought was the best dressed day event.