Window Shopping

Candle handbags at Bottega Veneta... NICE :)

Window Shopping

Jimmy Choo is opening in SF in 2012. 

From SoCal to SoHo

Hollister Co. is openning its new store next month in New York, at Broadway and Houston. SOURCE

The Reason

I guess this is the explanation why Barney's had 40% off mid-season sale on Monday. Barney's is not doing well and planning to close two of its seven department stores; one is at the Palazzo in Las Vegas, another location has not yet been determined. Barney's has stores in New York, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, San Francisco and Las Vegas. I'm crossing my fingers hoping that another store is not San Francisco. But from the fact that the SF store is not doing well, pretty much empty everyday; there is a big chance that it could be here.
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Goes Reptile with PRADA

French Vogue editor, Carine Roitfeld, styles Paris PRADA store as part of the brand's Iconoclastic project. Carine created the final installment of the four editors and she sure does make a statement with a whole lot of Reptile. She covered the store in a plethora of python-print from floor to ceiling and, last but not least, don't forget that giant, red, split-tongue carpet running the length of the space.
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Recession Changed Attitude

A man's wealth once defined by his watch and shoes, not anymore. During the recession, the attitude of sale associates at high-end retails have changed. Eric Wilson went to different stores on Madison Avenue with plain clothes and was treated like a billionaire, except at GUCCI. Look like someone there is going to get his ass fired.. Read full article here.

Window Shopping

Barney's window displays via PRADA phone.

The Butterfly Effect

From Dior Homme F/W '08 collection...

To butterfly installation by Andrea Mastrovito at the Dior Homme store in Paris...

And landed perfectly on my chest.

Filippa K. Coming to SF

Filippa K. will open the first flagship store in US at 66 kearKy street, San Francisco at the end of October 2008 and currently is hiring. Filippa K. is a Swedish fashion label whose concept is based on style, simplicity and quality.

UGGly in San Francisco

If you are one of those who likes to dress like "Big Foot," here is your good news.
UGG Australia is opening a new flagship store near San Francisco’s Union Square. The design for the store will reflect UGG’s earth rich tones and accents of sheepskin. The 4,500 square foot flagship will be opened this Friday (August 15.)

Phillip Lim L.A.

Phillip Lim is opening his new store in West Hollywood this Friday. Following in the footsteps of other high-concept L.A. boutiques such as Alexander McQueen, Martin Margiela, and Prada; Lim's new store has undulating walls covered in spiky foam and a hidden storefront with strategic holes for fashion fans to peek through. Inside you'll find the collections for men, women and children, all housed in a 5,000-square-foot former auto shop. 631 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood. SOURCE

Givenchy Flagship Paris

New Givenchy flagship in Paris designed by Riccardo Tisci. The space reflects a divide-and-conquer approach to fashion, breaking the store up into five compartments that mimic the famous Givenchy boxes used to deliver the garments. Each box contains some wisp of the brand's history (the interiors of Box No. 1, for example, are sculpted from the same white plaster moulding that's found in the couture Salon of the Avenue George V store), that offers historical contrast to the current line displayed within their walls. SOURCE

Japanese Loves LV

Louis Vuitton announced it will open its largest flagship in Asia in 2010. Located in the heart of Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district, it will be accomplished though LVJ Group KK, which imports and sells its products in Asia. The company intends to lease nearly one whole wing of a commercial building to be completed in Fall 2010. The building has four below-ground and 12 above-ground floors. LVJ Group's flagship store is likely to occupy floors one through 10, with the higher levels to be used for luxury dining. Louis Vuitton currently has two mega-stores in Ginza, located just a few blocks apart, for a total of 11 stores in Tokyo. Both the Namiki Dori and Matsya stores were both designed by architect Jun Aoki. SOURCE

Temporary Chanel

Chanel has announced that it will launch a temporary boutique from June 9 to 26 inside London's Dover Street Market. Chanel will offer an assortment of ready-to-wear, accessories, and shoes from its Métiers d'Arts Paris-Londres collection. A selection of Chanel's main collection will also be sold at Dover Street Market, which plans to dedicate windows and installations throughout the store in honor of the occasion. "It's sophisticated and expensive clothing for the rich punk. The tone is at the same time post-modern and romantic." Karl Lagerfeld added.

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McQueen L.A. Flagship

Alexander McQueen West Coast 3,100-square-foot flagship store will be opened on April 7 on Melrose Avenue at the corner of Melrose Place. This will be the third store in the United States, follows New York, and Las Vegas. Designed by Will Russell of Pentagram, the architect behind the Las Vegas and New York stores and conceptualized by McQueen, the Los Angeles boutique is as theatrical as his collections and legendary Paris runway shows. The store interior will be similar to the Las Vegas store (below.)
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Balenciaga London

Balenciaga's new flagship store, opened in London on Feb 1st, draws a link between the elegant brick facades of Mount Street and Mars, the fourth planet from the sun. "We wanted something quite orange," said Ghesquière, who collaborates on stores with French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and lighting designer Benoit Lalloz. "I wanted an atmosphere [that was] very cozy, luxurious and warm." A gleaming white spacecraft-like structure sporting a giant "B" logo dominates the 1,900-square-foot, one-level boutique with metal clothing racks radiating out from the octagonal structure like landing supports. From the ceiling sprout articulated metal lighting fixtures that would look at home on a satellite. SOURCE

John Varvatos At CBGB

John Varvatos is opening his new store in the 3,300-square-foot space, home of the old CBGB, next spring. Among its possible features are a stage for in-store performances, a special "315 Bowery" collection, and a selection of clothes geared to the "rock and roll customer." As for actual rock and roll musicians, Varvatos promises to put some of the store's proceeds toward an artist development fund.

Attention SF Shoppers

Barneys New York is set to open their 60,000 square foot flagship store at 48 Stockton St. on September 19, 2007. After Bloomingdale's disappointed me, I can't wait for this...

Chanel L.A.

Chanel will open 14,700-square-foot store designed by Peter Marino at 400 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in August. Architect Marino modeled the store's facade after a Chanel No.5 perfume box, carving out two separate entrances for the contiguous fashion and fine jewelry outposts. Marino's other standout design flourish promises to be the rooftop terrace's facade, where thousands of tone-on-tone LED-lit double-C Chanel logos will shine. Five specially commissioned art works will be scattered around the shop, including a Johan Cretan porcelain torso with camellia flourishes and a François-Xavier Lalanne bronze sculpture of a stag, inspired by a piece that belonged to Coco Chanel. Peter Dayton, Jean-Michel Othoniel and Paola Pivi round out the house's artistic stable. Furniture designers Patrick Fredrikson and Ian Stallard also created a piece. SOURCE

Diesel Flagship L.A.

Just in time for my trip to L.A.; Diesel just opened their flagship store at 8401 Melrose Place. The 3,500-square-foot space was chosen to express Diesel's design aesthetic more freely with exposed wood beams, austere cement floors, moody lighting, and towering Gothic front doors (recovered from a castle) - not to mention a denim wall that's embellished with hardware from the cockpit of an F-16. And, while the area is already a celeb magnet, the store's May 30 opening party promises to increase the star wattage.