Acne Studios
The long-standing fashion myth that New York City women could be classified as either uptown girls or downtown girls is now officially obsolete. Not convinced? Consider this: Last month, Acne Studios — pioneers of Scandinavian cool, purveyors of badass leather jackets — opened its new global flagship at 926 Madison Ave., at East 74th Street, in the fabled heartland of ladies who lunch.
Well-situated a block from the Met Breuer, the boutique marks the Stockholm-based brand’s largest opening to date. Its spacious, arty interiors were conceived by British designer Max Lamb in collaboration with Acne creative director Jonny Johansson, who chose gold as the shop’s signature color.
“For me, it was important to elevate the store design into something spectacular since the location demands it in a way,” Johansson said in a press release. “Therefore, I went for gold. Classic, but still in the universe of Acne Studios, it’s like a local store on a global stage.”
Expect to find the label’s bread and butter — shoes, bags, jeans and other ready-to-wear basics — situated among more directional offerings from the women’s fall 2016 runway collection. Inspired by ’80s punk rock, that lineup included PVC leotards, holographic mini dresses and oversize leopard-print coats the color of Sweetarts. If none of those strike your fancy, fret not: There are more than enough of those black leather jackets to go around.
Adidas
While the long-held myth surrounding Adidas’ meaning — “all day I dream about sports” — is pure fashion folklore, the brand’s newest (and largest) store is the stuff sports fantasies are made of. Massive in scale, it spans 45,000 square feet and occupies four stories on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 46th Street. The space is an homage to a place where team spirit bleeds strong: the high-school stadium filled with rah-rah nostalgia. “Locker rooms” serve as dressing rooms in disguise, while a track arena dubbed “the Turf” allows sneaker freaks to test-run the high-performance footwear before purchasing. Bleacher-style seating, stadium lights and water fountains play up the throwback theme, while phone charging stations and massive flat-screen TVs airing whatever game is currently live bring the store up to 2016 speed.
Trading up from your typical Gatorade fare, juices and snacks co-created with Brooklyn-based Grass Roots Juicery are on offer to quench sports fans’ thirst. Meanwhile, real time fitness consultations from EXOS trainers give shoppers the chance to break a feel-good sweat while stocking up on products designed for soccer, football, basketball, running, tennis and more. Perks such as a concierge desk and hotel-delivery service pad out the experience.
In honor of the store’s splashy recent opening, Adidas is rolling out limited-edition apparel and footwear collections, including pieces from its collaboration with Rita Ora. Taking a cue from the street style-meets-sports aesthetic that’s currently trending, this mashup of stars, bold color-blocking and mixed materials is the perfect blend of fashion and function. We suggest you sprint over before supplies run out. – 565 Fifth Ave.
Canada Goose
Canada Goose has flown down to Soho. The company’s utilitarian outerwear — as well as more-colorful offerings from a recently launched Opening Ceremony collaboration — can now be scooped up at a 4,400-square-foot store on Wooster Street, just in time for winter. – 101 Wooster St.
Cuyana
“Fewer, better things” is Cuyana’s philosophy, but the sophisticated staples at this store might just make shoppers want more. The online global lifestyle brand, which was founded by fashion loving Stanford MBA Karla Gallardo and UC Berkeley MBA Shilpa Shah in 2013, carries an array of versatile clothing and accessories in timeless, modern shapes. Think of the togs as soft wear: chic enough for an office but comfortable enough for a long-haul flight.
The well-traveled duo behind Cuyana, which means “to love” in Quechua (a native South American dialect), manufacture their wares all over the world. Their oversized alpaca sweater, for instance, is knit in Peru, while the reversible double-sided soft wool cashmere coat is stitched in Italy, and the canvas and leather Weekender bag is crafted in Turkey. Many of the line’s newest entries, including the party-ready silver shimmer leather crossbody pouch — a steal at $120 — are made in the US.
The minimalist store, located at 266 Elizabeth St. in Nolita, is decorated with images by New York-based photographers Matt Johnson, Alice Gao and Emily Johnston. Monogramming on leather items is done on site while customers wait. The pop-up, the company’s third seasonal New York boutique in as many years, will close in February 2017.
De Beers
All that glitters is on Madison Avenue, where high-end jeweler De Beers has set up a new flagship. Consider the two-story boutique a one-stop-shop for forever pieces, including rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings — all covered, of course, in multi-karat stones. Anglophiles, look out for the London collection, a diamond encrusted homage to the company’s founding city. – 716 Madison Ave.
Everlane
Nothing compares to the ease of shopping online, but sometimes you need the touch and-feel experience that you get in an actual store. The online brand Everlane — known for its hip basics and direct-to-consumer pricing that eliminates the middleman markup — has opened a Cashmere Cabin at 392 Bleecker St. in Greenwich Village.
The concept store, open through Dec. 23, is chock-full of giftable and affordably priced Mongolian cashmere, Australian merino wool and Spanish-made leather pieces
for men and women. Choose from instant urban classics, like the $100 Cashmere Crew in nine colors or the $265 double-faced wool Cocoon Coat, which looks as good with jeans as it does with a pencil skirt. The stocking-stuffer-size leather goods range from wallets and pouches to the company’s first casual crossbody bag, a foldover style in four colors.
To sweeten the deal, Everlane is offering shoppers complimentary gift wrapping and hot chocolate on weekends.
Mansur Gavriel
For the cutest mini anti-It bag ever, head to Mansur Gavriel’s temporary boutique at 134 Wooster St. in Soho. There you will find the Baby Bucket, a hand-sized version of the brand’s best-selling (and three times bigger) Bucket Bag, a discretely luxurious carry-all with a logo so small you practically need a magnifying glass to read it. The tiny variation is exclusively available online and at the pop-up, which is open through Jan. 11.
The custom-designed store showcases a selection of the label’s made-in-Veneto bags created from Italian leathers, many featuring signature contrast interiors with matte patent coating. The new line of shoes — think sculptural pumps and backless, high-heeled slippers — will also be in the mix. Everything comes in feminine colors right out of a makeup line, from blush and peony to sea blue.
The rosy space is decorated with custom Mansur Gavriel flower arrangements, which, conveniently, are for sale. And if the sales associates look particularly hip, it’s because they’re wearing uniforms designed by the house’s founders, Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel, who have won two CFDA Awards in their four years in business, including this year’s Accessory Designer of the Year honor.
RealReal
Good news for Gothamites: San-Francisco based luxury consignment site the RealReal is
opening its first brick-and-mortar shop in NYC, its biggest market, at 79 Greene St. The holiday pop-up, open from Dec. 1 to 15, will feature all the categories available on the Web site, from women’s fashion to fancy furniture, art and rugs.
Stuart Weitzman
Attention holiday shoppers: Stuart Weitzman has just opened his sixth Manhattan boutique. The outpost boasts a swanky Fifth Avenue address and stocks all of the designer’s upscale signatures, from strappy sandals — a hit with every style starlet worth her salt — to special-edition metallic boots made in collaboration with Gigi Hadid. – 685 Fifth Ave.
Vivienne Westwood
Dame Vivienne Westwood, the fashion icon who brought punk to the main stage in 1976, quietly opened her New York flagship last month at 14 E. 55th St. The British designer purchased the French Beaux- Arts townhouse-turned-boutique in 2013, but has kept the doors shut since for renovations. Westwood, who has nearly a hundred stores worldwide, has thus far only opened two in the US — in Honolulu and Los Angeles. She opens the uptown 4,500-square-foot address at the same time as a Paris flagship, with both serving as the introduction to a new architectural store concept.
Alongside her husband-turned-creative director, Andreas Kronthaler, and the Italian architect Simona Franci, the designer has created a three-floor space that captures both Vivienne Westwood the irreverent and Vivienne Westwood of the eponymous luxury label. Think glass cases holding a T-shirt emblazoned with “Revolution” across the chest steps away from a bridal and Gold Label eveningwear salon dedicated to fitting red-carpet gowns. The topsy-turvy waves, polka dots, and tartans Westwood has championed throughout her 40-plus-year career are everywhere, from the rugs to the clothing. And with neighbors like Ralph Lauren’s ever-hot Polo Bar and the tony St. Regis hotel, foot traffic will surely be steady — although, perhaps, a little shocked by this Brit’s controversial style. This was on full display on the fall 2016 runway, where some girls modeled the guys’ clothes and vice versa.
So what to buy at this latest import from across the pond? While a ruby clutch for her and a patterned derby shoe for him would surely charm most, Westwood has something up her sleeve for her New York die-hards: a selection of original Worlds End collection pieces, usually available only in London. Unisex, hardware-heavy belts and cuffs, painted with the store’s address, are also on offer — just in time for a punk-rock holiday.