The Wonder of C. Wonder at Columbus Circle

By Laura Shanahan It's peppy and preppy, it's white and bright, it's cute and candy-colored-it's the brand-spanking-new C. Wonder flagship store at Columbus Circle's Time Warner Center! Listen, anytime you walk into a shop and are greeted by a commanding life-size figure of a zebra striped with all the hues of the rainbow, you know you're off the beaten path. What total fun this store is. Lots of upbeat women's wear and sparkly gewgaws (sorry, no men's or kids' stuff here)-plus a nicely edited selection of home goods and even a teeny section for pets. Ah, animals, my soft spot and passion-let's begin with them, shall we? In addition to doggy food bowls, there are fuchsia-pink-and-green-striped collars-just the thing for the preppy pooch; $16. If the color combo's a bit too estrogenic for your Fido, consider the red-navy-and-yellow-striped versions. As with so much of the human clothing and accessories here, these come emblazoned with the fanciful C. Wonder logo. For your human family, there is a smattering of serve ware, tabletop clocks, thermoses and other light goods along those lines. And then-out of nowhere-there are roller skates. Sized for women, the white-leather skates (emblazoned with the store's logo in vibrant green) come equipped with blazingly bright fuchsia and green wheels; $75, please. In more quotidian footwear, there's the cheetah-print ballet flat with a neat little leathery bow at the vamp fastened with a tiny gold-metal "C" logo; $128. I was glad to see the often only seasonally available rubbery flip-flops here-perhaps, like me, you find them great for padding around the apartment year-round. These come in black, royal or peach, with the slender thong the same color as the sole, which is embossed on top with the store's ? you guessed it. The 'flops are $18. Since I just got raspberry and parrot-green-soled versions with matching "jelly" thongs at Jack's 99 Cent Store for ? you guessed it again, I think I'll pass on these. Reminds me: We will finish up with the pen I recently alluded to getting at Jack's along with a few other kibbles 'n' bits very soon-probably next week. Back to the present: If you love animal prints and pops of color, including jolting neons, you will love the clothing here. An excellent addition for any wardrobe, preppy or otherwise, is the leopard-print cardigan in a creamy blend of cotton and nylon with a touch of angora. This fine-gauge garment, highlighted by shiny gold-tone buttons, can be worn solo or over a light top; $88. Skinny-jeans fans will love the stretchy cotton versions here in bright solids, including an especially juicy tangerine, plus bold patterns and more animal prints; $88. Surprisingly, while seemingly every other brand plasters its logo on jeans, the only one I can find on these is discreetly embroidered inside the waistband. Well done! You undoubtedly use a hangar-size tote for your everyday needs, but for a dinner out or perhaps a holiday office party, you might want to opt for something that, while still roomy, is really elegant and lovely. I refer to the fuchsia suede fold-over clutch that sports a lushly fringed zipper-pull tassel. Measuring approximately 12 inches square in its unfolded state, the clutch is tagged at $128. By the way, there's a $10 charge to have anything that is indeed monogrammable monogrammed here. You can save a fortune, of course, if your name happens to be C. Wonder.