Gucci’s new digs (Photo: Courtesy Gucci).
With the simple click of a mouse, the act of holiday shopping has been reduced to the bare minimum. To save us from such tedium, New York has three new, real shopping meccas to actually experience, on each corner of the island.
Glimmering Ippolita earrings can be found at Bergdorf Goodman’s revamped bijoux boutique and Gucci’s coveted wares can be scooped up way downtown. Finally, melt away seasonal stress with a holistic massage at Naturopathica’s wellness spa.
Bergdorf Goodman: “It’s kind of exciting, going from dust to diamonds,” said Bergdorf Goodman’s senior vice president of the fashion office, Linda Fargo. She was describing, via telephone, the store’s new jewelry department, which will open to the public on December 12.
A rendering of the new jewelry section (Photo: Courtesy Bergdorf Goodman).
With a focus on respecting the heritage of the 116-year-old store, Ms. Fargo was inspired by trips to Paris and Italy. “They have a lot of buildings in the great European tradition, but when you go inside, they’ve been very lightly and surprisingly updated. The result is an incredible hybrid of past and future.”
The new bauble counter will be located by the 57th Street entrance of Bergdorf’s. Gone is the wood parquet flooring; in its place are swirls of marble and lush carpet, in the chosen hue, soft gray. The walls will be paneled and painted with Farrow & Ball’s Pavilion Gray. Glimmering crystals, antique chandeliers and rock crystals will add to the sparkle and a gemstone motif will be spotted on vitrines throughout.
Another view of the jewelry section (Photo: Courtesy Bergdorf Goodman).
New designers Yannis Sergakis, Daniela Villegas and Piaget will join existing brands David Webb, Loree Rodkin and Lorraine Schwartz. Additionally, the refurbished space will be celebrated through a collaboration with 18 designers and Gemfields, the responsible supplier of colored gemstones.
Bergdorf Goodman, 754 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10019, 1-800-558-1855
Gucci: Once known as the garish Italian label with interlocking G’s, Gucci has been the buzzy brand on everyone’s lips, thanks to new creative director, Alessandro Michele. Come December 7, his geek chic cruise 2016 collection for both men and women will land at Brookfield Place.
Hello, Gucci (Photo: Courtesy Gucci).
The trimmings of the 8,000-square-foot boutique will mirror that of the Gucciflagship on Via Montenapoleone in Milan. Aligned with Mr. Michele’s eclectic adoration of all things vintage, the space will contribute to the bright collections, rather than fade into the background. Velvet armchairs will be toughened up with hard details like rivets. Antique oriental rugs will be artfully layered, while marble will crisscross the floor in a 3-D effect. Racks of silver bomber jackets and colorful lace frocks will fight for the spotlight.
Holiday gifts are on display in a way that will bring a smile to shoppers’ faces. Flocks of wooden hands, laden with stacks of golden rings, will model the boxy Dionysus bag of the moment. Scarves will be wound around velvet mannequin heads and busts will boast delicate silk flowers.
Gucci, 200 Vesey Street, Suite 119, (212) 634-8500
Naturopathica: The buzzword “wellness” has been used to near exhaustion this year so test the trend and head to Naturopathica, a wellness center in Chelsea that claims to be different.
The beauty treatments for sale at Naturopathica (Photo: Courtesy Naturopathica).
From December 7, one will be greeted on the right by blue bottles of natural face creams and health-improving tinctures. On the left is the Vitality Bar, where fresh kombucha is on tap.
Founded by Barbara Close in 1995, Naturopathica was on a health kick long before the green juice craze. But Ms. Close’s interest in the topic began long before that. “When I was a teen, I would spend my summers visiting an eccentric aunt outside of Paris. We would get bath cures, soak in the mineral waters or check out little old apothecaries,” she explained.
Here, Naturopathica boasts a relaxing spa where one can book an Alpine Arnica massage or a Bio-Energy Lift facial with liquid microdermabrasion. A spa day will finish off with a moment in the meditation lounge, surrounded by panoramic images of mountains or the sea.
A peek at the vitality bar (Photo: Courtesy Naturopathica).
Ms. Close is also a proponent of at-home treatments. “Our Sweet Birch Magnesium Bath Flakes are great. A lot of people have Magnesium deficiency, which creates fatigue and headaches,” she said. “Fill up the tub with super-hot water and put in about an ounce of these flakes.” Et voilà, those holiday worries will just soak away.
Naturopathica, 127 West 26th Street, (646) 979-3960