New York conjures up many images depending on the visitor’s leaning. The city that never sleeps. The city for endless shopping. The city of world-class museums and unique galleries catering to every taste. The list goes on. Standing among the avant-guard institutions is the Brooklyn Museum. The 560,000-square-foot institution often presents fashion focused exhibitions. This fall, it is hosting a retrospective of French designer Pierre Cardin’s work. On view through Jan. 5, 2020, “Pierre Cardin: Future Fashion” highlights some of the influential couturier’s most iconic designs and incorporates more than 170 pieces from his atelier and archive.
And on the Runway
Looking for the trend-setting events? Twice a year, in early fall and late winter, designers and brands present their runway collections to buyers, press and fans during the New York Fashion Week. The gritty city goes glam during the celebrated event: Alleys are lined with street style photographers waiting to capture the peacocking public, and you’ll find countless schmoozing opportunities for industry insiders and average (yet chic) folks alike. But even if you’re not attending NYFW, a host of glamorous new destinations makes it a breeze to stay fashion forward.
Back to School
Originally known as the Chase School, the Parsons School of Design, was founded in 1896, when painter William Merritt Chase assembled a group of artists to form an institute focused on self-expression. But when arts educator Frank Alvah Parsons came on board in 1904, he launched a series of programs, among them fashion design, inspired by the belief that art and design were intrinsically linked to industry. Since then, the school has turned out countless renowned designers, including Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan.
If You Must Sleep
If fashion takes you to the big apple, then you should consider staying at the Hoxton. The first North American outpost for the well-priced, design-forward British hotel brand, The Hoxton opened in Williamsburg in late 2018. The chic 175-room property—conceived by architectural firm Perkins Eastman and decorated by Ennismore Design Studio, in collaboration with Soho House—features eclectic and fashionable interiors: Murano glass chandeliers and millennial-pink seating in the lobby, with Dusen Dusen custom bedding and modern brass fixtures in the rooms. You’ll want to mingle with the well-heeled crowd in the lobby bar and take in the views of Manhattan’s skyline from the rooftop terrace.
Shop ’til You Drop
If fashion takes you to the big apple, then you can’t go home empty handed. Once you are there, you must pay a visit to an exquisite boutique to browse through their collections. Spanning four separate storefronts and 16,000 square feet of prime real estate at the Shops at Hudson Yards, Dallas-based fashion retailer Forty Five Ten’s New York debut is impressive. It has a women’s boutique, a vintage shop, a men’s department, and a store for emerging designers, 4510/SIX, which also carries home furnishings and design objects. Each section offers a curated selection of luxury designer goods. If you’re more of a browser than a buyer, the space also showcases sculptures and installations by such contemporary artists as Lars Fisk and Jose Dávila.
Shopping never ends
The 10 Corso Como boutique in Milan has been an insider favorite for decades, thanks to its vibrant selection and stylish roots (founder Carla Sozzani is a former fashion editor). The brand’s first American outpost, in Manhattan’s Seaport District, offers exclusive designer collaborations alongside quirky housewares and luxury beauty products. Be sure to stop by the on-site exhibition gallery, which has recently featured the work of fashion photographers Horst P. Horst and Steve Hiett.
Feeding the body
A man can’t live on fashion alone. The fashion set loves Frenchette—a hard-to-book French bistro in Tribeca, launched by former Balthazar chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson. It opened in spring 2018, promptly received a three-star rating in the New York Times and won the 2019 James Beard Foundation Award for best new restaurant. Luckily, reservations for lunch (rather than dinner) are a bit easier to come by, so you can still savor such refined dishes as the rotisserie lobster or the pepper steak.
For a fashion-focused incentive trip to new York, let professionals at GMS pull together a once-in-a-lifetime itinerary that will knock the socks off of your participants.