Travel & Guides

Seven? Hardly. The number of labels carried by this gleaming boutique, reinvented in new SoHo digs a year ago from its original LES location, is closer to thirty. Curated according to buyer Joseph Quartana's strict criteria, they must be "radically original," "instantly recognizable," and must "own their own aesthetic." No small order, but Joseph and creative director Steve Sang are ambitious. Sharing an interest in fashion, they started Seven in early 2000. 

Joseph describes the new store, designed by erstwhile partner John Demas, in heady terms. "We engineered as much as we designed it. Nothing's arbitrary--everything has a function," he says, calling it "a machine to sell clothes," organized around "three black rectilinear interventions." Channeling Kubrick's 2001 and Gilliam's Brazil, the custom elements in the below-grade space required eight different contractors to complete. The perfectly positioned, somewhat hidden lighting focuses on the racks and mannequins only, keeping all the attention on the clothing, and a black mirrored wall hides fitting rooms with vertical naugahyde paneling, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and doors that close with a piston hiss. Upon on entering, women circulate around a square central pedestal to the left, and men to the right. "It's a Buddhist concept," explains Joseph. "Clockwise represents creation, hence women; counterclockwise represents destruction, hence men." Staying power is important to Seven, and they prefer labels that have become established over at least three seasons. "I want to see if they can sustain their ingenuity," says Joseph, "or for that matter, if they can stay in business." Stabling the likes of Preen, Imitation of Christ, Boudicca, Bernhard Willhelm and Raf Simons, Seven guarantees options for every taste and style...so long as it's cutting edge.