- In February, Chanel opened a watches and advantageous jewellery boutique on Fifth Avenue in New York Metropolis.
- Peter Marino designed the shop with nods to Coco Chanel in thoughts.
- The shop is bathed in black and gold, drawing the attention to the one-of-a-kind jewellery within the house.
As I walked down Fifth Avenue, I used to be surrounded by the hustle and bustle I’ve come to count on from probably the most well-known streets in New York Metropolis.
Dwelling to an abundance of luxurious shops like Bergdorf Goodman and Tiffany & Co., the avenue is consistently flooded with customers from far and vast, and the day I headed to see one in every of its newest additions was no totally different.
My vacation spot was Chanel’s watches and advantageous jewellery flagship, devoted to unique and classic jewellery from the model. In response to Robb Report, it is solely the fourth Chanel retailer on this planet prefer it, and famend architect Peter Marino designed the boutique.
Chanel celebrated its grand opening with a star-studded occasion in February, becoming a member of different luxurious manufacturers like Saint Laurent and Gucci’s father or mother firm Kering in investing in bodily retail areas for high-end clientele.
I wished to see what the boutique was like with out all of the celeb glitz and glamour, so I used a free Monday to move to the shop.
It was onerous to overlook the two-story boutique because of its asymmetrical checkerboard look manufactured from black and textured gold paneling in large home windows. Jewellery sat on busts within the backside nook beneath a gold Chanel signal.
The shop regarded luxurious even from a distance, and I felt desperate to go inside after I noticed it.
Stepping inside was like being transported to a different world
After I entered the shop, the sounds of chattering vacationers and honking automobiles instantly disappeared. Two doormen lingered by the doorway whereas a number of different workers waited close by to help customers. An worker instantly welcomed me inside as I took in my environment, and after I requested for a tour of the house, he appeared more than pleased to assist.
The boutique was principally empty, with only a few customers milling round and one other sitting with an worker discussing watch choices. I acquired the impression most individuals got here to the shop with an appointment in place, although the employees I interacted with have been welcoming of me despite the fact that I did not have one.
The outside colour scheme continued inside, with black flooring, gold partitions, and rugs mixing each colours. The ceilings stretched excessive, including to its spacious really feel that contrasted with the shops I usually frequent in New York.
Between the gold detailing and glowing chandeliers, I felt like I had stepped inside a bottle of Chanel No. 5 as I wandered by means of the shop. Each inch of the place appeared to glitter.
The boutique’s distinct scent helped to create the fragrance bottle phantasm, which an worker informed me was distinctive to the shop and could not be purchased.
Marino informed The Hollywood Reporter that texture and luxurious have been essential to the shop’s aesthetic.
“All the pieces is tactile and gold and particular; even the carpets are three-dimensional, a mix of silk and wool, whereas the stucco texture on partitions was made with individuals’s palms — together with my very own, you may discover that within the elevator,” he informed the outlet.
Marino additionally regarded to Coco Chanel’s inside design aesthetic for the shop’s design, which blended the simplicity of black and white decor with “ornate Venetian mirrors,” he mentioned to The Hollywood Reporter.
The boutique emanated luxurious
As an worker confirmed me round, my eyes have been drawn to the jewellery organized in free-standing instances and glass shows constructed into the partitions of the shop’s first flooring, which was break up into three spacious rooms.
Of the three rooms on the primary flooring, one held watches, one had extra accessible items from Chanel’s jewellery line, and the third held rarer items from its assortment. Employees have been ready to assist customers in every room, and so they all provided me a pleasant greeting as I walked by them.
The house felt extra like a comfy gallery than a retailer. Bottles of Chanel No. 5 have been displayed alongside jewellery items, a few of which are not on the market. In response to W Journal, a number of historic Chanel items are at the moment exhibited within the boutique, just like the 55.55 necklace. I used to be reminded of hours spent at museums with priceless artwork as I took all of it in.
The second flooring featured personal VIP rooms the place consumers might meet with Chanel employees for extra intimate appointments. They have been simply as lush as the primary flooring, with built-in TV screens for distant conferences and plush furnishings.
As I turned to stroll again downstairs, a bunch of customers have been settling into one of many rooms with an worker, showing comfy within the luxe house. I did not know in the event that they have been used to being in high-end shops or if the employees simply made them really feel snug, however I might see both being true as a result of the house was one way or the other each luxurious and welcoming.
Chanel’s cautious curation of its new house — from a customized scent and attentive employees to the shades of gold bathing the property — made it really feel snug and welcoming. Visiting Chanel’s watches and advantageous jewellery boutique is an expertise, which you simply cannot get on-line.
So, for those who plan to stroll down Fifth Avenue anytime quickly, it is price popping into Chanel for the look of the shop alone.