By: Lyle Mark Bulado
Dior has recently opened a new store in New York City off Fifth Avenue at the corner of 59th Street, which will be in operation for approximately 2 years. The Fifth Avenue store replaces temporarily the DIOR Flagship Store off 57th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenue, which is undergoing renovations, though a section of the first floor will stay open for business during the project.
The two-story 6,480-square-foot store was designed to reflect the diversity of the Dior universes by bringing a wide variety of creations together in a single location. It was inspired by Dior’s Champs-Élysées flagship in Paris, capturing several of the same elements, motifs and colors centered on silver and off-white tones accented with beige and pale hues; most noticeably a high Cannage pattern wood dome rising about 20 feet high, right in the center as shoppers enter off Fifth Avenue.
Along with the Cannage dome, the Fifth Avenue store replicates the ABCDior personalization service for monogramming and detailing with charms for a customized look and the machinery to turn around an order in a day.
Women’s categories include leather goods, then footwear, followed by ready-to-wear and fine jewelry and timepieces. Dior Maison is displayed in the personalization area, and exotics are displayed on the lower level, where there are also two VIP salons with fitting rooms.
Men’s on the right side of the store follows the same progression of categories as shoppers walk through, though there are no timepieces or jewelry in that area.
Metal display shelves projecting from the walls are as high as 9 feet and set against decorative plaster walls. There is also backlit paneling, and 10-foot high sneaker walls, one in the men’s and another on the women’s side.
Tall sliding doors provide privacy in fine jewelry to the rear of the main floor, and downstairs, in the VIP salons where there is artwork by Kim Bartelt.
The stairwells are adorned with an artisanal plaster panelled wall. The men’s and women’s windows draw inspiration from the sets of Dior’s winter show, with the women’s window created in partnership with French artist Eva Jospin.
Dior pre-launched its Fall 2021 collection at the Monday opening of the Fifth Avenue store, while some other Dior boutiques in the U.S. will launch the collection on Thursday.
The global launch is set for July 29. While a cocktail is planned, the brand expects to host a larger celebration to coincide with the opening of the “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum on Sept. 10, 2021.