5th Avenue & 57th Street | Louis Vuitton
Since 1896, Louis Vuitton and its legendary gold monogram have been synonymous with luxury and timeless elegance. But while the line is best known for its durable, supple brown leather travel pieces, accessories and handbags, as well as the more colorful, artist-designed seasonal must-haves, one look inside the designer’s flagship store, on 57th Street at Fifth Avenue—the largest in the world—reminds shoppers that Vuitton’s style goes far beyond its carry-alls.
Within the illuminated blue, white, purple and gold translucent glass walls are four floors—over 20,000 square feet—of classic men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, modern timepieces and jewelry, and uptown-chic footwear. Past the towering wooden grids that showcase the famed handbags lie the relaxed suits and ultra-feminine knee-length skirts that typify Vuitton’s polished look, punctuated by bright colors and soft accents for a swank mix of tradition and modernity; this familiar style is echoed throughout Vuitton’s designs, from the monogrammed canvas belts to the red ostrich-leather wrist watches. Black-suited sales associates are attentive, without being overbearing.
636 5th Avenue NY | Faconnable
This Rockefeller Center area retailer, Faconnable began as a tailoring service in Nice, and today embodies the art of craftsmanship, with elegantly tailored sportswear for men and women.
Fine fabrics and traditional styling reign at this French label boutique. Thick carpeting leads you around the first level of men’s clothing, where salespeople are waiting to assist each customer with great individual care. Women’s clothing is on the balcony level, up the wide and stately staircase. Expect top-notch service in a luxurious environment that somehow manages to be comfortingly unstuffy.
Faconnable is recognized throughout the fashion world for high quality with a little oomph. It’s worth nipping in here for a peek at all the men’s shirting fabrics, which might inspire you to revive your corporate wardrobe. Weekend wear is here too, in the form of suede jackets and jaunty raincoats. The women’s clothing is on the buttoned-up side, but still sexy.
626 5th Avenue NY | Banana Republic
This is another retailer that has made the most of its prime tourist-friendly Rockefeller Center location since its launch there in 1999 (when Banana Republic started to move away from its safari-wear product line and theme-park-like stores).
Along with selling an array of women’s casual and contemporary garments, as well as men’s casual attire, shoes and accessories, this Banana Republic 5th Avenue store hosts various promotions (such as “Fashion’s Night Out”), and charity events. It also carries themed attire, such as the “Mad Men” collection (named after the successful cable TV program of the same name).
620 5th Avenue NY | Cole Haan
This global flagship Cole Haan location showcases high-quality handcrafted men’s and women’s footwear, accessories and outerwear. Each product blends craftsmanship, design and innovation giving it distinctive character.
The high-end shoes, bags and belts at this company’s Rockefeller Center store are all crafted with supple leather. It has everything from casual loafers to trendy boots, and scarves, gloves and other accessories are also available. Cole Haan shoes can be found at most department stores, but nothing beats the selection at the retail shops.
611 5th Avenue NY | Saks 5th Avenue
This is the flagship location of the iconic upscale department store chain of the same name, with 46 locations throughout the USA, as well as in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Mexico City.
The New York location carries an array of women’s and men’s clothing, footwear, designer handbags, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Because Saks appeals to upper-income shoppers, it is competing with high-end specialty stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys New York, and Bloomingdale’s.
The fact that Saks carries various designer garments (from high fashion names such as Diane Von Furstenburg, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, and others, means that it is also competing with Madison Avenue boutiques for deeper-pocketed shoppers.
Saks is strongest in upscale women’s apparel, jewelry, and fragrances (conspicuously present upon entry into the store).
610 5th Avenue NY | Michael Kors
Taking advantage of the heavy tourist and holiday season traffic in the Rockefeller Plaza area, New York-based designer Michael Kors uses this store (formerly leased by fashion retailer Kenneth Cole) to showcase his range of jet-set inspired products through his Michael Kors Collection, KORS Michael Kors and MICHAEL Michael Kors labels. This location – competing with Saks 5th Avenue across the street, features accessories, clothing and footwear from all three lines.
Michael Kors himself considers this location his flagship store. It occupies 7,000 square feet, has a hefty shoe section, a very large area for bags, and plenty of room for all of Kors’ ready to wear. Inside, things look pretty similar to his other five New York stores: white marble floors, bright lights, and zebra skin hide accents. Kors asserts that his stores have something for all tastes and income brackets.
609 5th Avenue NY | American Girl Place
This store was opened in 2003, and has well decorated displays of dolls, outfits, accessories and other items. The American Girl line of 18-inch dolls sold here portray nine– to eleven–year–old girls of a variety of ethnicities. They are sold with accompanying books told from the viewpoint of the girls. Originally the stories focused on various periods of American history, but were later expanded to include characters and stories from contemporary life. A variety of related clothing and accessories is also available.
This store draws heavy foot traffic from young girls and their parents during the busy Christmas holiday season.
608 5th Avenue NY | Lacoste
Another retail brand that came and went during the 1980s here in America, Lacoste decided to make a comeback in the U.S. market when it opened its 9,000 square ft. flagship store in early 2011.
As before, Lacoste still makes various lines of sports apparel for men, women, and children including its well-known Lacoste polo shirts, shoes, tennis wear, accessories and more. Lacoste still has its legions of fans (especially tennis fans), which is what the store expects to attract.
605 5th Avenue NY | Sunglass Hut
In 2010, the major sunglass retailer Sunglass Hut opened its U.S. flagship retail store at this location, a short walk away from the popular Rockefeller Plaza area. This store is 6,000 square feet and spans two floors including a mezzanine level. The ground floor features displays that will showcase the latest sunglass collections from leading brands, while full-length oversized mirrors will allow consumers to try sunglasses on to complete their total look.
The second floor of Sunglass Hut has a dedicated VIP area which overlooks bustling Fifth Avenue, known for attracting global travelers and fashion focused consumers. A Sunglass Hut SocialSun station, the retailer’s proprietary interactive retail concept, is one of the store’s major features
This store features an expanded brand assortment, including Burberry, Bvlgari, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Persol, Prada, Tiffany & Co., and Versace. Consumers will also be able to find classic sunglass brands like Ray-Ban, and Oakley.
603 5th Avenue NY | Aldo Shoes
In its attempt to draw in the 5th Avenue tourist crowd, the Montreal, Canada-based Aldo shoe store chain, whose better-known locations are at West 34th Street (near 6th Avenue) and the Soho shopping district (in Lower Broadway), also opened a smaller store at this popular Rockefeller Plaza-area spot. Even though it has a selection of dressy and casual men’s footwear, Aldo is still best-known for its women’s shoe collection. Its shoes are mainly sourced in China, but also has footwear from Italy, Brazil and Eastern Europe.
Stressing its emerging status as a major international shoe brand, the label’s owner (the Aldo Group), signed on with pop singer Madonna in March 2012 to launch the “Truth or Dare by Madonna” fashion line.
