NEW YORK — Chanel today opened a fine jewelry-dedicated boutique in Bergdorf Goodman, its first-ever within a multibrand retailer.
The French brand operates a select global contingent of combined jewelry and watch salons within third-party retailers but, prior to this opening, had not unveiled a jewelry-only salon inside a multilabel store.
The 134-square-foot space was designed by Peter Marino, and will house an assortment of designs from Chanel’s various fine and high jewelry collections.
Its opening follows the December unveiling of Bergdorf’s renovated jewelry salon, which moved the store’s bijoux assortment from the center of its main floor to a more intimate space with its own entryway, adjacent to 57th Street.
“We’ve had requests over the years for Chanel fine jewelry. Chanel was the missing link in our jewelry assortment, which has the most precious and curated assortment of any important jewelry retailer. That’s why we have invested so much in raising the experience and raising the environment [of our jewelry department],” said Bergdorf’s president Josh Schulman.
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He noted that “Chanel remains our largest and most important brand at Bergdorf Goodman; we represent Chanel across all categories.”
Chanel’s jewelry boutique sits just inside the store’s southernmost Fifth Avenue-facing entrance. It bookends an archway leading to the new jewelry department. On the opposite side of the entryway sits Verdura and Schulman referred to the two brands as Bergdorf’s jewelry “anchors.”
In New York, Chanel also operates a freestanding fine jewelry boutique at 733 Madison Avenue. Chanel U.S. president and chief operating officer John Galantic said the two locations will optimize each other, given that they each attract a “different clientele.”
“There is a higher traffic level on these four corners and a higher level of tourism and an exposure to a level of international traffic that is quite unique. There is also a lot of development happening in this area that will make this area even more important in the future,” Galantic added of the Bergdorf salon.
Chanel’s dedicated ready-to-wear boutique — which lies just down the street from the department store at 15 East 57th Street — will also be able to direct customers to the new jewelry salon.
Marino’s design for the shop-in-shop aims to maintain aesthetic consistency with Chanel fine jewelry boutiques worldwide while also optimizing its small size. Display cases are both recessed into the wall and mounted mid-floor as fixtures. The boutique’s centerpiece is a gold-framed, illuminated recessed case that serves as the showcase for its high jewelry designs — items that exceed $50,000 in price. It is presently exhibiting pieces from the label’s Les Perles de Chanel collection.
Fine jewelry pieces, which start at $1,500, are displayed amongst a smattering of Chanel iconography.
Marino also installed six “discovery drawers” that retract from the boutique’s walls. The illuminated, space-saving cases are readily available for viewing while folding flush into the boutique’s facade.
Additionally, two window displays permanently dedicated to Chanel fine jewelry will reside on either side of the jewelry salon’s Fifth Avenue entrance. Their contents will be an ongoing collaboration between the display team at Bergdorf’s and the merchandising team at Chanel.
The unveiling of the Chanel shop is the latest phase in Bergdorf’s first-floor overhaul. Schulman said the store is on schedule to debut its new handbag salons in September.