Printemps New York City. Yay? Or Nay?

I recall when Hudson Yards opened, and it was SUCH a divisive topic in NYC. Now with the opening of the French department store, Printemps, in the financial district, I feel like it’s happening all over again. Since I’ve been here, I must have asked over twenty native New Yorkers in the fashion business about their thoughts on Printemps. Either they hate it or they love it. There doesn’t seem to be much of a middle ground.

Given the extreme opinions I’ve heard, today I stepped over the threshold with a bit of trepidation. Basically, there are two entrances to the store. One is via the shoe department/ the “Red Room”, and the other is via the “Playroom.”  I entered via the Playroom. (I must admit that I was a bit confused, and I wish I had entered via the shoe department.) There were some racks of clothing, including ACNE Studios, a room dedicated to sneakers, along with various other accessories and such displayed around the floor. I did find the graffitied Pinel et Pinel bags quite intriguing.

I did see one rail of clothing which caught my attention and piqued my interest. It was by Kingston, NY designers, The Falls. They completely rework discarded clothing and home items. I may or may not have left purchasing one of their fantabulous pillows.

But I digress, back to the store.  After a quick, albeit confusing perusal on that floor, I ascended the elevator to level two, which is the top floor of the store. This floor has a stunning bar, and various clothing areas for both men and women. But how are they divided? Just mixed? It wasn’t clear to me.  Most collections are housed in these sorts of circular floral cages. Yes, the hand painted walls and floors are amazing, but was this all the store offered?

Thank goodness I spoke with an employee, who guided me to the “hall” of beauty, which connects the two parts of the store.  (I would never have known it was there if he hadn’t seen me wandering around like a lost child.) I was not impressed. I felt as if I was walking through a Flintstone-style hallway with tables showing the product assortments.  At the end, I turned left and saw they have a few rooms for esthetician treatments, though none were in use on my visit.

Finally, I reached the two “boudoir” rooms.  Yay! I was much happier. One is dedicated to evening wear and accessories (loved seeing Biyan there!!), and the other houses more daytime options. In addition, there was a small area dedicated to vintage clothes and accessories. Love that!

From here, I descended the rose quartz staircase to the Red Room. This is home to one of their restaurants and the shoe department. I feel their shoe offerings are the most shoppable part of the store. In addition, the décor, including the ombre mosaic walls and ceiling from Hildreth Meière, are simply breathtaking.

Again, the amount of merchandise is nothing like that of the typical department store, but clearly this is not what Printemps is going for. I would liken this store more to an exhibition space…somewhere where one can visit to get inspiration, and numerous shots for Instagram. As a professional stylist for almost three decades, would I bring a client here to shop? No. Would I come here to see beautiful things and have a glass of champagne? Yes.

I’m SO curious to hear your thoughts on Printemps. Please message me your opinions!

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