Ratty but natty in New York:If you like Sex and the City, then this is not for you. For the rest, if ever you find yourselves strolling down Broadway in New York and you happen across a shop called Yellow Rat Bastard, don't think twice - just get inside.
There's something so very Noo Yawk cool about the shop's name, and the same goes for its merchandise.
If you're looking for anything from the punk, skater, goth, or hip hop ends of the clothing spectrum, then Yellow Rat Bastard is your only man.
Long beloved of New York's counterculture scenesters, YRB has a rapid stock turnover and can be a fashion-leader in its own right.
The clothing is all of the "casual" variety (some might think "very, very casual", but that's fashion for you). You simply can't leave without a pair of their jeans and a few of their groovy T-shirts (particularly their own branded Yellow Rat Bastard one).
Now a sort of tourist attraction, YRB has become so popular that it has had to open two new shops in Brooklyn and Queens.
While there, don't forget to pick up a copy of YRB magazine. This started off as an in-store catalogue publication, but because of its ultra-desirable status it soon turned into a standalone magazine that is now available in many venues around New York. Recent cover stars have included Spike Lee, Alicia Keys and Lenny Kravtiz, all of whom are frequent patrons of the shop.
If you're not going to be in New York in the foreseeable future, there is always the very well stocked online shop, at www.yellowratbastard.com.
Yellow Rat Bastard, 483 Broadway, SoHo, 00-1-212-3342150, www.yellowratbastard.com
Do you know of a hidden gem? E-mail us at go@irish-times.ie