If you pass by 236 West 10th St this week, you’ll see a Marie Antoinette-style bewigged mannequin peering out through the glass window. She reclines, a logo badge in her hair, styled in a hot pink T-shirt layered over a leopard print long sleeve. But don’t be alarmed—she’s inviting you in.
More specifically, she’s inviting you into a space that’s an extension of wife and husband duo Ruby Redstone and Gabriel Sommer’s world: a new concept store named Mess. Just like in their East Village home, vintage silver platters, stacks of coffee table books, a leopard print chair, and a sultry John Kacere print make up the details. Their West Village store is a deliberate celebration of imperfection—and a really great retail experience in the process.
The name reflects the couple’s desire to share things that look good and feel exquisite, even if you might find them in a pile on the floor. This tumbling together of tastes also hints at another word often found prefacing that name. “Gabriel told me I was a ‘hot mess’ when we first started dating,” Redstone grins. “I thought it was a compliment,” he adds, with a shrug.
As well as parenting two cherubic children, the pair are joined at the hip and typically dressed in complementary outfits. But when I ask them to describe their new venture in three words, they offer very different takes. For Sommer, a graphic designer and former model, it’s either “swag, texture, history,” or simply “New York City.” Redstone, however—a writer herself, as well as a fashion historian, consultant, and podcaster—bats away my question with a laugh. Her three words? “I’d rather not.”
As well as being a wordsmith, Redstone has a keen eye for a beautiful picture—and an even keener instinct for an original outfit—which has found her on many a mood board (Sommer first saw her picture in Rookie magazine as a teen, then stumbled upon her on Instagram a few years later, and the rest is history) and gained her a loyal following. Now, that following will undoubtedly flock to Mess, where Redstone’s covetable wardrobe—combined with Sommer’s instinct for a, well, vibe—will be reflected in the curation. “Every single brand that we sell has been worn, loved, and rigorously tested by us over the past decade or so,” she says. “Gabriel and I have a very distinct look, and I think the fun challenge of a new business has been figuring out how to translate that to a wider audience.”
The distinct look she describes is already on show: the vast majority of the 15 brands they’re opening the store with are offering Mess design exclusives, offering a new spin on some of their signature pieces. Expect these items to reflect the Mess brand identity: largely black and pink, with leopard print accents that are both pretty and punk. For instance, Hades Wool—the beloved British knitwear brand, known for its ethically manufactured, surreal-slanting sweaters—will be releasing a Mess cardigan: black with handcrafted pink star buttons. Lolo the Ballerina, ballet flats Redstone swears by, will come in five unique styles (I’ve got my eye on the red and pink leopard print), while Paris-based Delia Wade has designed a Mess holiday capsule collection, featuring two-pieces and shift dresses cut from deadstock tweed. “We have a very clear vision of the Mess look, which is different from our own,” Redstone explains. “I can’t wait to see how customers interpret that look and bring it to life.”
You may notice the international range of the brands—Leorosa knitwear from Cologne, Tekla bedding from Copenhagen, Good Squish scrunchies from London, and It’s a Shirt button-downs from Athens are all on the roster—that will be in arm’s reach at Mess. Sommer and Redstone explain that their aim from the beginning was to bring new brands to New York, though when they started, they couldn’t have predicted the constantly fluctuating nature of international tariffs on goods coming to the U.S. “As much as I hate the tariffs from a business perspective, I’m actually hopeful that they will reinforce just how special the type of clothing we have at Mess is,” Redstone says. “I’m happy to shoulder some of the burden of getting these products into the U.S. right now because I really, really believe in them. Smaller brands—like the ones we stock—are the first to be hit by tariffs. I want to do my part to keep our fashion landscape as diverse as possible—it can’t just be luxury brands who survive this storm.”
And if you couldn’t already guess, they designed the store themselves. Sommer worked first on the logo, the design of which features 15th-century ribbons from a fashion history book warped to read their name. When we speak, the couple answers on Zoom in matching T-shirts—the same the welcome mannequin wears—with the logo emblazoned across the front. The Patrick Nash Design team—“New York signage legends, who have done everything from the Trash Vaudeville neon sign to Nike installations,” Sommer explains—are building it out for them. In keeping with the aesthetic, the floor is a lurid, lush vinyl, the walls a shiny black, and garments hang on plush pink satin hangers. Details from fashion retail history will appear throughout, like a built-in display vitrine inspired by 19th-century underwear cases, holding their collaboration with Danish essentials brand By Signe.
“There’s also a lot of punk in the store,” Redstone continues. “We’re hugely influenced by Trash Vaudeville and Search Destroy, where we both spent tons of time as teenagers. And there’s also a great deal of homage to the elegant old lady stores of Italy and France, places like Schostal and Loretta Caponi, where you are overwhelmed with desire for the simplest of things because they are presented with such a steadfast appreciation for quality. We’re retail magpies, and our goal was to bring a little bit of each of those feelings that makes shopping so compelling into Mess.” As she notes, much of their inspiration comes from their love of the experience of shopping—and a desire to share that with the city they love. Sommer took the time to observe successful retailers like Patricia Field for inspiration, envisioning time spent at Mess “developing a pocket community within the existing network that is the West Village.”
“Mess is a love letter to the stores that shaped my understanding of fashion as I was growing up,” Redstone adds. “Gabriel and I had wanted to open a store for years, but our desire intensified when we had our daughters and we thought, Oh my god, where are they going to want to shop? Or really, as teenagers, where are they going to loiter and learn about clothes that they can’t yet afford? We want to channel the drool-worthy exclusivity and collectibility of Colette, the incredible sense of discovery at Opening Ceremony, and the ineffable classic cool of Barneys.”
Sadly, for those reading this not on the island of Manhattan, Mess may be out of reach; the store won’t have an online shop, to encourage the magic of the in-store experience. An ongoing programme of events, curated by Redstone and Sommer, will further the IRL appeal. “Picture this: seasonal programming featuring lectures on the history of dress, or hands-on garment customization, or celebrating the arrival of an exclusive designer,” Sommer says. Naturally, there will also be parties—ready for you to dress up and mess up.
Mess opens December 3 at 236 West 10th St.
