Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/260419
FROM LEFT: Laser-engraved leather handbags ($2,895–$3,995 each); a knee-length lace dress seems both demure and daring; almond-blossom embroidery adorns a dress from Spring/ Summer 2014. three decades, it's easy to appreciate the beauty of both the word and the idea. You can experi- ence the purity and the luxury inherent in their approach later this month when the Milan-based label opens its latest boutique, a 3,900-square-foot space on Oak Street set to open in March. Look for the store, like the label's clothes, to illustrate Dolce & Gabbana's sex-meets-structure-meets- sophistication ideals: A double-height entryway features walls in red damask and Basaltina stone, while the boutique's other two rooms are crafted in crimson marble mixed with antique woods, all combining to create a plush, intimate, and decid- edly tactile showcase for Dolce & Gabbana's women's ready-to-wear, accessories, and fine jewelry (the latter category was added to the label's roster in 2011; watches made their debut in December). This opening has been a long time coming for the brand, the pair says: Dolce & Gabbana does quite well at luxe Michigan Avenue mainstays Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, and it was only the belt-tightening caused by the 2009 recession that stalled plans for a Windy City boutique. "With the economic crisis, we had to change all our strategies," Gabbana says. "This has now changed, and one of the first places we decided to open our new boutique was Chicago," explains Dolce, adding that he fell in love with the city while scouting locations last summer. "Chicago has one of the most amaz- ing skylines, especially [when viewed] from the water. And being such a big fan of architecture, seeing for the first time the masterpieces of modern architecture, such as the John Hancock Center, the Aqua skyscraper, not to mention the incredible collection of artwork in Millennium Park, left me open-mouthed." Why Oak Street? "When we search for loca- tions for our new stores, we look at both famous and established streets all over the world, but at the same time, we also want to know about the places that tell the story of a city," Gabbana notes. "[Oak Street] feels more real, more con- nected to its people." The fact that the district rivals Michigan Avenue in its curated selection, splashed with names like Jimmy Choo, Lanvin, Prada, and Hermès, was a key attraction, says Gabbana: "This is why we chose to open on Oak Street, because of its unique mix of boutiques that create a distinctive atmosphere compared to other shopping destinations in town." And, Dolce adds, "We love the fact that it ends right on Lake Michigan." The boutique will open with the label's Spring collection, which features meditations on a source that has proven to be a deep well of inspiration for the pair: the island of Sicily, where Dolce, the son of a tailor, was born in 1958. (He met Gabbana, four years his junior, 122 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 120-123_MA_FEAT_D&G_Spring_2014.indd 122 2/12/14 10:50 AM