Let's save you some scrolling. Aimé Leon Dore has three stores: 224 Mulberry St in New York, 8746 Melrose Ave in Los Angeles, and 32 Broadwick St in London. Live near one and you can walk in. Live anywhere else and your Aimé Leon Dore sweatshirt is coming through a screen, either from the brand's own site or from retailers like SSENSE and Mr Porter. Which route is better depends on how sure you are about your size, and how much you hate paying full price.
So, is there an Aimé Leon Dore store near me?
Almost certainly not. Three cities, three stores, and that's the whole list of places where the brand sells aimleon.us its own range in person. Plenty of people are surprised by this, since ALD shows up in so many feeds. But the brand grew slowly, one small shop at a time, and it never went the mall route.
What you're walking into at the flagships
The New York store is on Mulberry in Nolita, and it's less a shop than a small hangout. There's a sound room, and a Greek-style café attached, which fits Teddy Santis's Queens and Greek-American roots. Listed hours are 11 to 7 Monday through Saturday and noon to 7 on Sundays, though one map listing says Sunday closes at 6. Call or check the store page first. I wouldn't trust a single listing.Los Angeles has a courtyard and its own café. London, in Soho, is the newest of the three.
When trying it on is worth the flight
Mostly it isn't. Nobody should book a trip for a sweatshirt.But if you're already in one of those cities, go in and try two sizes. Fleece weight and how a crewneck sits on your shoulders are the two things a product page can't tell you, and they decide whether you'll actually wear the thing.
Buying an Aimé Leon Dore sweatshirt online
Start on the brand's own webstore. New drops land there first and they go fast, so if something catches your eye, don't sleep on it for a week.After that, SSENSE and Mr Porter are the two big names worth checking. SSENSE has a dedicated ALD sale page that advertises up to 70% off, and Mr Porter lists hoodies and sweatshirts as some of the most popular pieces in its ALD sweats section. Lyst is handy too, but treat it as a search engine. It'll show you who has your size, then send you elsewhere to buy.
What it costs, and when to wait
Prices I found on Lyst put sweatshirts between about $100 and $170. A gray logo sweatshirt was listed at $102 and a blue logo crewneck at $168, though both were showing as out of stock when I looked, so use them as ballpark figures only. I'd wait on the plain logo ones. They come back in new colors every season, so there's no real rush, and end-of-season sales are where they get sensitive. Full price makes more sense for limited or collaboration pieces that won't be restocked.
Fakes, resale, and other ways to get burned
Resale is where most people get stung. A sold-out piece listed at half its retail price isn't a bargain, it's a warning.Before buying anything secondhand, look closely at the embroidery and where the logo sits, and compare both against the official photos. Read the return policy before you pay, not after. If some unknown site has every size in stock and a giant discount, close the tab. Authenticated resale platforms are safer, but you'll pay extra for anything sold out.
Where I'd start
Near a flagship? Go, try things on, and grab a coffee while you're there. Everyone else: check the brand's site first, then watch SSENSE and Mr Porter for markdowns. Patience is the cheapest way to get an Aimé Leon Dore sweatshirt that fits right and doesn't hurt the bank
