Not only is the Place Vendôme location of Elsa Schiaparelli's one and only bricks-and-mortar location a whimsical, surrealist den of luxury, but it's also one of the first tangible signs (besides the MET exhibit, of course) that the brand is seriously back in business. In the same spot (but a re-envisioned space) of Schiaparelli's original boutique — which shuttered in 1954 — the brand seems to be moving counterintuitively. First, they've set up shop. Now, they need a designer. Fortunately, the space is operating below two floors of atelier.
Though the plush carpeting, satin chairs, and golden mirrors reference Place Vendôme's luxe address, the new Schiaparelli offering is anything but gilded. Bedecked with plenty of art, lined in purple and yellow, and modeled a bit like a parlor on acid, Schiaparelli's imaginative design DNA is still fully intact. Let's hope the quirk-factor stays firmly in place as the storied house moves into this next phase. (WWD)
Photo: Via Women's Wear Daily