14 NEW YORK CITY FLAGSHIP STORES

"The only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there."
—Holly Golightly, Breakfast at Tiffany's

Like Audrey Hepburn's inimitable character Holly Golightly, who marveled at the sparkling window displays at Tiffany's in the wee hours with her elegant updo and coffee cart Danish, countless visitors and locals have been awed and delighted by New York City's iconic and unabashedly extravagant luxury flagship stores.

Since the turn of the last century, the world's top designers and fashion houses have staked their claims to the City's most opulent stretches of Midtown real estate, particularly along Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue and 57th Street—and, in more recent years, in SoHo, the Meatpacking District and NoLita. Though luxury stores can be found in big cities the world over, New York City is the only one to harbor the world's largest Louis Vuitton, the biggest Burberry, the original Tory Burch and the Armani/5th Avenue mega-shop with in house restaurant Armani/Ristorante serving Michelin starred chef Lorenzo Viani's fine Italian cuisine. New York's vintage shops may cache one-of-a-kind, thrifty finds, and its iconic department stores remain forever fabulous. However, its luxury brand flagships offer a shopping and window shopping experience unlike any other.

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.

Lanvin • Photo courtesy of Lanvin

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.

Tiffany & Co. • Photo: Phil Kline

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.

Armani/5th Avenue
717 Fifth Ave., 212-339-5950

When Giorgio Armani designed Richard Gere's wardrobe for American Gigolo back in 1980, he secured a spotlight on the Armani suit known for impeccable tailoring and ultraclean lines that it has not since relinquished. The recently redesigned Madison Avenue flagship is the first to house all Armani apparel lines for men and women (from Giorgio to Jeans) in one location as well as accessories, cosmetics, Armani/Casa, Armani/Ristorante and Armani/Dolci. The sleek space, designed by Massimiliano & Doriana Fuksas Architects, features glossy black floors, reserved VIP fitting rooms and a glowing white grand staircase that winds like ribbon through the store's four floors.

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, formal wear and accessories and clothes for kids.

Burberry • Photo: Adam Staffa

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 shirt dress. 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 zebra wood 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.

Derek Lam • Photo: Benoit Ponlhey

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.

Tory Burch • Photo courtesy of Tory Burch

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: 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.