NEW YORK — With stores in Los Angeles and East Hampton, N.Y., Stacey Bendet, co-owner and designer of the contemporary brand Alice + Olivia, is opening her third and largest unit at 80 West 40th Street here on Monday.
Bendet said she picked the location for a few reasons: The company’s showroom is on the second floor of the building, and the 1,800-square-foot space was large enough for a flagship. In addition, the store is directly across from Bryant Park, and with floor-to-ceiling glass windows in the front, the customer can feel like she’s shopping in the park.
“It’s such a beautiful and relaxing environment, and there really isn’t anything like us in this area,” said Bendet, who is planning a grand-opening party for Oct. 12. “It’s funny because this is such a fashionable part of town, with so many fashion people working around here. Now they will have a great place to shop on their lunch breaks.”
Bendet, who is a partner in the company with Theory president Andrew Rosen, said there also will be limited-edition pieces sold only in the store. This will begin with a line of eveningwear launching in late December called Stacey Bendet for Alice + Olivia. The store will offer a large selection of pants, for which Alice + Olivia has become known since its launch in 2002. There also will be key items from the fall-winter collection of the relaunched Eighties ski label, CB Sports, which Bendet designed.
Merchandise will retail from $88 for a pair of leggings to $980 for a shearling coat.
The store’s base colors are black and white, with black-and-white tile floors and white walls. In each of the other stores, pink is the pop color. Here, it’s yellow, with yellow tile floors in the dressing rooms and one yellow leather chair on the sales floor. There are two large Art Deco crystal chandeliers, designed and hand-painted by Bendet, with modern furniture surrounding the store.
“It’s sort of this contradiction of the old and new,” Bendet said of the decor.
The dressing-room area is reminiscent of a French boudoir, with 16-foot floor-to-ceiling black silk curtains and a seating area, complete with an antique love seat upholstered in white patent leather and black lacquer.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
In a front corner, Bendet said there will be a small Dylan’s Candy Bar to sell sweets to shoppers. There also will be complimentary beverages, such as hot tea in the winter, and art installations that will change regularly. As another bonus, there will be a full-time in-house seamstress to make easy alterations or even create a pair of custom-made pants for customers.
Besides the Los Angeles store, which opened in May, and the East Hampton location, Alice + Olivia is sold in more than 450 specialty boutiques worldwide. Bendet estimated first-year sales volume of $2 million at the new flagship.
“I just want this to be a nice place to visit, where customers can come in, sit, hang out and do some shopping,” Bendet said.