NEW YORK — Christiane Celle wants to bask in the spotlight of prime Madison Avenue real estate.
The founder of Calypso in February will open the company’s largest store, an 11,000-square-foot flagship spread over five floors at 815 Madison Avenue in a space formerly occupied by Versace.
“The incredible growth and diversification of Calypso’s business over the past three years justified a small department store flagship on Madison Avenue,” said Celle. “The [property] presented itself as an opportunity to make a bold, visual statement with the brand.”
Calypso has an existing boutique at 935 Madison Avenue, near 74th Street, which will remain open. The new flagship, between 68th and 69th Streets, will bring Calypso to the high-profile, high-rent part of Madison Avenue, where its neighbors will include Max Mara, Donna Karan and Dolce & Gabbana.
Explaining Versace’s departure from Madison Avenue, Roberto Lorenzini, Versace’s president and chief operating officer of U.S. retail, said: “Fifth Avenue has always been the highest-performing U.S. store, which is why we are renovating and focusing our efforts there.”
With a fragrance division and a growing retail network — Calypso will have 26 stores in operation by spring — the company’s volume is expected to exceed $60 million. That figure excludes the wholesale business.
Certain Calypso boutiques produce sales of $2,000 a square foot. A spokeswoman said, “We never do less than $1,000 per square foot per location.”
The Madison Avenue store will be merchandised like a traditional department store, with accessories, shoes, handbags, jewelry and fragrance on the ground floor; women’s ready-to-wear on the second and third floors; children’s clothing and toys on the fourth floor, and home accessories on the fifth floor.
In recognition of the store’s surroundings, Celle is introducing a new label called Christiane Celle The High End, which will be merchandised with other higher-priced resources. The High End will be mostly white and beige and very pure, in line with a slight Mexican influence. In addition to Mexican wedding dresses with ornate crochet work, many of the items will have a vintage look. There also will be floaty dresses and skirts; jersey dresses with nail and rivet detailing around the waist, and evening apparel. Prices will range from $225 for a skirt to $500 for a lace dress.
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To create a point of difference between the new store and the location at Madison Avenue and 74th Street, Celle is scouring Europe for up-and-coming designers. She found two on her old stomping ground of St. Barths: Lolita Jaca, a kimono maker, and Donale, a maker of cotton tunics, dresses and skirts embroidered using a Moroccan technique.
Celle is opening several more stores next year, including a unit on the corner of Broome Street and Lafayette Street across from Calypso Home, and stores in Saint-Tropez, Naples and St. Barths, where it all began. Celle long ago sold her original Calypso store on the island.
Ever since she opened the first boutique in 1992, Calypso has grown at a fast clip. With growth has come diversity and segmentation and stores such as Calypso Bijoux, Calypso Enfant, Calypso Kids and Calypso Vintage Voyage. The company diversified into lifestyle with spring 2005’s launch of Calypso Home. Calypso has had a small accessories line since 2003 and will extend its beauty line in the spring with the launch of a bath and body line.