Upper East Side
Tom Ford
841 Madison Ave., 212-359-0300
After becoming a superstar as the design mastermind behind Gucci's explosive revival in the 1990s, Tom Ford departed the brand in 2004 to create his own line of luxury menswear under his eponymous label. Three years later, Ford opened his William Sofield–designed concept shop on Madison Avenue with a full line of menswear and accessories. The signature suit is elegant and polished with a striking silhouette, and the dress shirt comes in 350 colors, with 35 fabric options, three cuff styles and seven collar choices. The shop's two levels include a well-stocked floor of ready-to-wear apparel, complete with a fireplace, beaver rugs and butlers; three appointment-only, made-to-measure suit salons; and a marble-floored, mirror-lined perfume bar.
Lanvin
815 Madison Ave., 646-439-0381
For the first time in its 121-year history, the longest-operating French fashion house has opened a New York City retail location. Jeanne Lanvin launched the label in 1889, but much of Lanvin's current prominence is owed to creative director Alber Elbaz, who has overseen the line since 2001 and has drawn a following that includes the likes of Michelle Obama and Victoria Beckham. The three-level townhouse-turned-boutique, which opened in mid-July, features two-story Palladian windows, art-deco chandeliers, a furry white shag rug and plenty of seating from which to take in Lanvin's feminine and elegant women's ready-to-wear, couture and accessories collections.
Midtown
Tiffany & Co.
727 Fifth Ave., 212-755-8000
The flagship of this iconic jewelry store has dazzled shoppers from the same Fifth Avenue location since 1940. The store's six floors showcase fine jewelry, from sterling-silver logo-engraved cuff bracelets and cuff links to diamond engagement rings and watches to a full line of fine china and stemware. Signature pieces include the Tiffany Key necklace collection, which ranges from $100 to over $5,000, depending on materials, and the Elsa Peretti–designed cursive alphabet pendants, available in gold and silver.
Cartier
653 Fifth Ave., 212-446-3400
The famed French jeweler and watchmaker moved to its present six-story Fifth Avenue flagship location, a former private mansion, in 1917. The elegant emporium boasts classic collections like Santos de Cartier, based on the brand's original squared-bezel, first-ever men's wristwatch, and Panthère de Cartier, a collection of fierce feline pieces in white or yellow gold, many speckled with diamonds and set with precious gemstones to form the eyes and nose. A coveted Cartier timepiece starts at around $2,500 and climbs into the millions.
Marc Kaufman Furs / Fur Warehouse
208 West 29th St., 212-563-3877
Since 1910 the Kaufman Family has been designing and manufacturing fine fur coats. Standing in the Heart of the NYC Fur Market, Marc Kaufman Furs/ Fur Warehouse is the largest fur store in NYC with 1000's of quality fur coats, fur jackets and fur accessories to choose from. www.kaufmanfurs.com
Burberry
9 E. 57th St., 212-407-7100
Mayor Mike Bloomberg declared May 28, 2009, "Burberry Day" in New York City to mark the opening of the British brand's six-story American headquarters in Midtown—its largest worldwide. The company, founded in 1856, has been indelibly associated for generations with the enduringly popular trench coat, which it invented during World War I to outfit soldiers fighting on the front lines. Find the now-iconic tan Burberry raincoat and countless variations lined with Burberry plaid, along with men's and women's casual wear, outerwear, formalwear and accessories and clothes for kids.
Yves Saint Laurent
3 E. 57th St., 212-980-2970
In 1962, Algerian-born French designer Yves Saint Laurent (and partner Pierre Bergé) launched the label that is today credited with the creation of such fashion staples as Le Smoking suit (the first women's tux), the safari jacket and the shirtdress. Yves designed until his retirement in 2002 (Tom Ford and more recently Stefano Pilati have continued to design ready-to-wear collections for the label, now owned by Gucci). The posh and polished 57th Street flagship store echoes the label's sleek sophistication, furnished in all things black, white and mirrored. Among the two floors, find handbags, heels, costume jewelry and apparel in luxurious fabrics for men and women.
Chanel
15 E. 57th St., 212-355-5050
The recently expanded and redesigned 57th Street flagship store embodies classic Chanel chic. The front facade features illuminated glass rectangles that mimic the bottle of the famed Chanel No. 5 fragrance, and the standard Chanel color palette of beige, black and white covers the interior of the store, which stocks everything from couture to cosmetics. The top level of the store's three floors has a VIP salon, a reserved section with recessed lighting and white drapes that flow from ceiling to floor. Since Coco Chanel founded the label in 1909, the luxury brand has popularized such wardrobe legends as the little black dress, the quilted-leather handbag, the tweed bouclé skirt suit, la marinière (Breton sailor stripes) and the signature double-C logo. The innovations of the house's current creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, seen in Chanel's couture fantasies each season in Paris, have only added to the label's mystique.
Louis Vuitton
1 E. 57th St., 212-758-8877
The LV logo has covered the leather bags and luggage of the elite since 1896. But from the ceramic-coated glass exterior to the illuminated, frosted-glass walls and lofted levels overlooking the main floor, Louis Vuitton's Fifth Avenue flagship—the label's largest worldwide—looks every bit au courant. These days, the LV logo covers more than just leather: the Conspiration Pilote aviator sunglasses have photochromic lenses that darken in bright sunlight to reveal the signature monogram. In addition to leather and eyewear, the store carries jewelry, shoes and apparel for men and women, along with the house's collaborative efforts, which come courtesy of Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs and a host of artists, including Stephen Sprouse and Takashi Murakami.
SoHo/NoLIta
Prada
575 Broadway, 212-334-8888
Prada's SoHo flagship store molds high fashion and top design, offering an atmosphere as modern as designer Miuccia Prada's trendsetting label. Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas's zebrawood wave flows through the two-story shop, beginning with a smooth curve at one end that cascades into display stairs that are dotted with headless mannequins. The Broadway concept shop carries classics like the black nylon Prada bag, men's leather loafers and the latest runway-ready looks for men and women.
Derek Lam
12 Crosby St., 212-966-1616
Since debuting his line of modernized American sportswear in 2003, Parsons graduate and Michael Kors protégé Derek Lam has scored three CDFA awards and opened his first flagship store. Crafted by playful and innovative Tokyo architect group SANAA (which won the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 2010), the stunning SoHo shop has a smooth concrete floor and clear acrylic walls that curve and weave between white brick walls and bright, well-tailored, modern women's wear.
Tory Burch
257 Elizabeth St., 212-334-3000
New York City socialite-turned-designer Tory Burch opened her first boutique in 2004 (with the help of her then-husband, venture capitalist Chris Burch) and nearly sold out her inventory the first day. The NoLIta flagship store feels fresh and bright, with bold, edamame-green carpeting and mandarin-orange-accented walls. Burch's brand of country-club chic has generated new classics like Oprah's favorite tunic top and the wildly popular Reva ballet flat, which comes in an assortment of colors and leathers, adorned with a shiny cutout of the double-T logo. Located on NoLIta's Elizabeth Street, the boutique carries women's wear, accessories, handbags and shoes.
Meatpacking District/Chelsea
Balenciaga
542 W. 22nd St., 212-206-0872
Legendary Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga, who founded his eponymous label in 1919, reconstructed the female silhouette with such creations as the balloon skirt and the baby doll dress. Balenciaga remains as vital (and conceptual) as ever with creative director Nicolas Ghesquière at the helm; consider the label's "it" Motorcycle Bag (a distressed, Italian calf-leather satchel with brass hardware studs and trailing leather fringe) and the cutting-edge, ready-to-wear collections for men and women. Located in a former printing plant in Chelsea, the flagship store feels modern, raw and as edgy as the label itself, with weathered white columns, exposed brick and angular, metal clothing displays—not to mention an entrance that resembles the doorway of a hobbit's house.
Alexander McQueen
417 W. 14th St., 212-645-1797
Much of Alexander McQueen's genius design feels ethereal and slightly dangerous, from his signature skull pattern to the wonderfully strange "armadillo" shoes from his spring 2010 collection—the final one before his death in February—and the design of the New York City flagship store itself. McQueen collaborated with Pentagram Architects to create the concept shop, which features white walls with organic curves and clean cutouts for shelving and halogen spotlights. The clothes are bold and beautifully tailored. Fans gathered in mourning at the Meatpacking District store as news of McQueen's death spread. The brand, however, carries on under new creative director Sarah Burton.
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