Chanel opens revamped 57th Street flagship

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Nov 15, 2018

After a two-year-long makeover, Chanel has re-opened its 57th Street flagship in Manhattan, revealing a 14,000-square-foot, five-floor store that now stands as the largest Chanel boutique in the U.S. 

Making their way beyond the store's exterior tweed-like grid of glass and metal, customers will find that the flagship, designed by architect Peter Marino, houses a broad selection of the house's ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, jewelry, accessories, fragrance and beauty products. 

Throughout the store's five floors, visitors will find a shoe salon, four ready-to-wear salons, a dedicated knitwear section and, on the fifth floor, an apartment-style penthouse, exclusively for Chanel's VIP shoppers. Along with the brand favorites in each category – think slingbacks and ballet flats, the 2.55 bag, and Chanel's classic perfumes – the store will also feature the label's new Resort 2019 collection, which debuted in May to wide praise. 

In homage to New York City, the 57th street store will also offer pieces that can't be found anywhere else. Exclusively at this Chanel flagship, shoppers can find a limited-edition issue of the 2.55 handbag and wallet decorated with New York City charms, from a cab to a park squirrel.

Other stand-out products to be found at the house's newly revamped flagship include a steel Code Coco watch, and the brand's freshly launched scent, Les Exclusifs de Chanel 1957. 

The store's interior design is its own work of art, beginning with a 60-foot tall necklace sculpture made specifically for the store by artist Jean-Michel Othoniel. The boutique's walls are further lined with works from artists like Idris Khan, Robert Mapplethorpe, Olafur Eliasson and Y.Z. Kami for a total of 35 works by 24 artists. 

Along with special accents like a tweed-inspired carpet and Goossens chandelier, the store's walls are also decorated with hand-placed gold leaf, crackled lacquers, and Coromandel screens that reference the decor of Coco Chanel's Paris apartment.

The boutique revival comes as Chanel prepares for its next major New York moment – showing its Métiers d'Art 2018-19 collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this December.