While checking out an enormous wall of designer sunglasses displayed in such a way that you don't dare touch them, a French lady turns around to me and says with a grin: "Cela change des Galleries Lafayette, n'est-ce pas?" And, she is right, this is Instagram heaven, a sanctuary for lovers of beautiful architecture and design but a far cry from your regular Parisian department store. It's more of a lifestyle concept store.
This splendid Art Deco building (ex-Virgin Megastore) will make fashion-victims and food-addicts very happy with a space covering over 6.500m2. So what, if the bronze Eiffel Tower by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels is a bit of a cliché, he is the brain behind Google’s current and under-construction Silicon Valley campuses after all.
As for service, Galleries Lafayette has recruited and trained 300 tech-savvy personal stylists to advise shoppers on the range of fashion, accessory, beauty and lifestyle brands on offer. They are everywhere!!!
Oh, and the icing on the cake? The fitting rooms! The architect has placed them in prime locations with natural light and a view onto the Champs-Elysées, plus they are fitted out in pink velour!
Whether it's all enough to boost business remains to be seen... but it's certainly worth a peek!
A majestic entrance
Bjarke Ingels' Eiffel Tower
Beautiful layout
Pink fitting rooms!!!
Design everywhere you look
My secret fetiche...hats!
MORE pink fitting rooms inundated with natural light
Mixing and matching just for fun
Am I allowed to try a pair?
Chanel has taken over this month in honour of Karl Lagerfeld
"Citron", the café on the first floor... roof top restaurant to open this summer!
No comments:
Post a Comment