Boutiques

Everything is eye-catching in the first Printemps in the US – the store occupies two floors of One Wall Street, featuring the historic Red Room, decorated with a mural by Hildreth Meière – graffiti on the exterior clearly states this store is “not a department store”…

The interior, designed by Laura Gonzalez, is luxurious, tasteful, and attentive to details, with sophisticated textiles, oak displays, vintage furniture and wall paintings. More iconic museum or luxurious art gallery, and inspired by Parisian apartments, the store boasts the iconic Red Room, decorated with an historic mosaic mural created by the American Art Deco artist Hildreth Meière, in 1931. The room, which has not been open to the public for some years, is an architectural gem which has been beautifully renovated as a sparkling backdrop for the shoe collections curated by Printemps for the particularly unique surroundings, with some shoe colours matching the interior style. Above: the iconic Red Room has been transformed into a luxury shoe salon – the room is famous for the red and gold mosaic tiles that cover the wall and ceiling – it is expected to become known as “the most beautiful shoe salon in the world” and for art aficionados it will become a destination…. 

The store also offers an exclusive concept which is immediately apparent for those used to shopping in department stores. There are no shop-in-shop areas and the products are presented first and foremost according to style, colour and design as opposed to price or brand, meaning that everything is curated and placed with a free and much more creative vision than would be possible in dedicated spaces by collection and brand.

Beyond the stunning Red Room, the store also features many other areas that are refined, carefully coordinated and wonderful to visit as an experience. They include a sneaker room with a perfectly curated overview of what’s outstanding in this category – we have read that this room will also be used for other events and meditation;  a minimal beauty corridor en route to the Red Room featuring French cosmetic brands such as Cottan, a brand with stunning packaging that dates back to 1840. The luxury highlights will include creative jewellery by Coppola e Toppo, the iconic Italian jewellery label, which will be on show in the Printemps Boudoir this week, alongside an exhibition of Jean Paul Gaultier pieces that pay homage to the French haute couture designer’s much adored  signature style.

Printemps New York will be officially opened on Thursday 21st March 2025. All photos by Eyestylist.com + all rights reserved – This feature was written by Clodagh Norton for Eyestylist.com. Personal thanks to @pietro_paolo_longhitano, Creative Director, Coppola e Toppo for the recommendation and insights.

The Porto-based eyewear brand has created a spectacular concept store designed by Pedro Silva in collaboration with architects and designers from creative fields outside eyewear

The impressive 300m2 concept store is located on the historic Passos Manuel at number 66, and has three distinctive levels. Conceived as an expansive and experimental space, Silva describes it more as an art installation than a store, lit by neon lights and lined with mirror walls and details such as gradient colour palettes and fluo tones. Above: view of the Ground Floor of the VAVA concept store – considered the main showroom in the store, where the brand showcases the eyewear and sunglasses collections – the design of the space was influenced by 2001: A Space Odyssey, Donald Judd minimal art and Brian Eno’s Ambient : Music for Airports

The Ground Floor has been designed to manifest many of VAVA’s architectural and design preferences and its links with concepts of minimalism. Baby blue details symbolise a sense of calm, serenity and human innocence, while the red cube seating is a tribute to Space Odyssey and the red Djinn chair designed by Olivier Mourgue in 1965.

The Upper Floor showcases products and features a lens laboratory. For the design, the space is informed by Sol LeWitt’s modular structures and by his statement: “conceptual artists are mystics rather than rationalists. They leap to conclusions that logic cannot reach.”

An eye clinic for full eye testing and contact lens fitting has been installed in the Basement. This area uses design as a tool to “reshape” eyecare with focus on the individual experience and a holistic view to welcome patients as guests, giving them the opportunity to slow down and spend time on self-care in an environment that is contemporary and striking in its minimal architectural style.

About VAVA – Portuguese eyewear brand Vava is one of Europe’s leading innovators in optical/sunglass design offering a sophisticated contemporary and often subtly futuristic design style. The VAVA leitmotif is to offer a high-quality product which embodies the experience, knowledge and art of the great masters of handmade eyewear. According to VAVA, this is knowledge that is gradually being lost as we live in an era when mass-production flourishes and the use of low-quality materials dominates. VAVA seeks to foster a dialogue between craftsmanship and high-tech solutions. This approach, combined with the use of the highest quality materials, makes VAVA unique. The core concept of the brand is closely linked to the “post-industrial” society in which we live, and the growing belief that we live in a “post-human” age.  VAVA plays around with people’s imagination and “science fiction”. The brand is inspired by futuristic unisex characters, who have helped them to create a minimal silhouette and a monochromatic figure. This unisex philosophy and minimalistic aesthetic are naturally interwoven into the DNA of VAVA. www.vavaeyewear.com