 Welcome
to the year of comebacks! The passion for luxury seems insatiable;
anything cashmere, fine jewelry, or glamorous accessories are the
ticket and reign supreme. Rosy economic data suggests a happy '05
and the stars of '04 will rise to even greater heights.
Our mild winter has been heaven for shoppers and in our city,where
a new store opens every day,changing places is the name of the game.Here's
a little taste of this season's dazzling new-
comers and the musical chairs of our stars:
On fabulous Fifth Avenue: Godiva will
satisfy the Donald at 725 Fifth Avenue (Trump Tower)with its divine
sweets.
On the Golden Mile: Coach's hip flagship
will expand into two adjacent stores, now Geox and Ghurka, building
a Madison Avenue empire at the northeast corner of 57th Street.While
Ghurka is taking over part of the Georg Jensen
space 683 Madison Avenue,Swiss watch company Blancpain
will mesmerize aficionados at 781 Madison Avenue, next to Brequet.Tod'
s is also expanding next door into the current H2O Plus space at
650 Madison Avenue and H2O is moving to 53rd and Madison,near the
Body Shop. Berluti's is planning its first American
store on Madison Avenue at 74th Street next spring.The Mexico
Board of Tourism is joining the chic at 400 Madison Avenue.Australian-born
makeup artist-to-the-stars Sue Devitt will arrive
at 152 Madison Avenue. 'Fragments', jeweler to the
"glitterati,"will charm us with their jewels at 997 Madison
Avenue.
 Midtown
makes upgrades: Dean & DeLuca will sell scrumptious
delights at Third Avenue and 58th Street, while Bliss unveiled its
biggest spa to date in the W Hotel at 541 Lexington Avenue. Hip
hop's elite has their favorite, Jacob + Co. a.k.a. Jacob
the Jeweler, which opened on East 57th Street across from
the Four Seasons. Celebrity stylist Adi has set up the Simadi
Salon at 64th Street, just steps from Bloomingdale's.
Over in Times Square: Billabong surf and
snow apparel will ride the wave to 1515 Broadway, directly below
the MTV Studios, and Hard Rock Café will debut
with a new concept at 1501 Broadway, in the previous World Wrestling
Entertainment space.
In the Meatpacking District: Gallic clothier Catherine
Malandrino finally unveiled her flagship at 652 Hudson
Street. Christian Louboutin's sexy soles can be
seen at 59 Horatio Street.
On the Lower East Side: Pippin vintage jewelry
boutique will sparkle at 72 Orchard Street. The New Museum
for Contemporary Art has purchased 231-235 Bowery to construct
a masterpiece.
In Union Square: Babies "R" Us will replace
Toys "R" Us with its first store in Manhattan, slated to open holiday
2005 at 24-30 Union Square East and will boast a state-of-the-art
baby registry.
In Soho: Multi-cultural, cutting-edge retailer
Diesel will emerge with a third specialty shop at 135 Prince
Street in the space that was once Helena Rubenstein. Renowned chocolatier
Jacques Torres opens at 350 Hudson Street. English home
and garden retailer Marston & Langinger is planting
itself at 117 Mercer Street, previously occupied by the Williams
Sonoma Design Studio. Christopher Fischer, also
from London, opened a Soho outpost to drape Manhattanites in luxe
cashmere at 80 Wooster Street. Bluefly.com, on-line
retailer, launched a temporary space at 102 Wooster Street. Quiksilver,
the active lifestyle brand, can be found at 518 Broadway next June.
Nicole Miller plans to expand with its thirteenth
store at 106 Wooster near Barney's Co-Op and BCBG. South African
Artesian silver housewares retailer Carroll Boyes
is scheduled to appear at 118 Prince Street.
 |
| |
In Nolita: Australian jeans brand Tsubi
is planning its first US boutique on Mulberry Street in March, exact
address under wraps.
Well-Known Hotels Become: More luxury apartments are
reborn from posh hotels as money and demand are both unstoppable.
The 25-story building on 110 Central Park South between Sixth and
Seventh Avenue, currently an Intercontinental Hotel,
is in the process of being transformed from a 200-room hotel into
65 apartments for permanent residents. Several other hotels that
have been sold for this same trend - - The Plaza, Mayflower,
Delmonico, Stanhope, Empire and Helmsley Windsor
-- whereas a few are downsizing the hotel portion and selling some
areas for residential. The St. Regis and The Ritz-Carlton
projects in Battery
Park City and on Central Park South offer the residents full use
of hotel services. Other developments are hybrids like the 19-story
hotel building by Thompson Hotels at Houston and Allen Street. This
hotel will have three "zones"; lower levels for traditional hotel
guests, middle condo units used by owners and hotel guests, and
top floors for permanent residents.
The ZAGAT 2005 New York City Restaurant Survey has reported that
New Yorkers are dining out, on average, five days a week and in
2004 more new restaurants opened in the city than in the past 10
years. Exciting dining choices are proof positive: In the Flatiron
District, on East 22nd Street, a new home for Claude Troisgros'
Caviar & Banana Brasserio, a Brazilian restaurant
with French inflection, replacing Rocco's. Jay Plumeri presents
Jones, 41 Greenwich Avenue, featuring comfort food, just
down the street from the new Matador, 57 Greenwich
Avenue, a Spanish infused kitchen. Next to her Gallery Vietnam,
Lan Tran Cao is hosting Vietcafe at 345 Greenwich
Street. Bottega del Vino will satisfy oenophiles
and Bergdorf shoppers alike and offers a Veronese menu at 7 East
59th Street.
 Pippa
Calland has acquainted us with spectacular regional Italian food
at Poetessa, at 92 Second Avenue. At 313 Church
Street, Mauro Mafrici's Lo Scalco is currently
serving a la carte Italian dishes. Starwich, the
upscale custom sandwich and salad concept, will brighten its 15
Broad Street spot and has a second location coming soon to 153 East
53rd Street. Lure Fishbar has taken over the Canteen
lower-level experience at 142 Mercer Street offering 99% seafood.
David Bouley will introduction Bouley Bakery
& Market, 130 W. Broadway, with a ground floor bakery with
food to go, a lower level market and a second floor café that is
also a bar. The new MoMA exhibits modern cuisine with three exciting
places to dine, curated by Danny Meyer. The Modern has
full service dining, Café 2 is an informal quasi-café-teria
with Roman influence, and Terrace 5 is a chocolate
and dessert café. Art and fine dining -- a match made in heaven.
For those seeking luxury in all categories, 2005 will not disappoint
-- whether for fine apparel or dazzling jewels, premiere homes or
extraordinary cuisine, uptown or downtown, Manhattan will have something
in store for everyone this year. Enjoying it all is one resolution
I can certainly stick to! Happy Shopping ……
|
|