Springtime in NYC

Printemps (New York, NY)

GETAWAYS • New York City

This post appeared in a recent issue of FOUND NY. Want more New York in your life? Subscribe to FOUND NY, with new issues dropping Tuesdays and Fridays.

Recently, the walls seemed to start whispering “Printemps” (in a sultry French accent, of course). The French luxury department store’s New York opening kept cropping up in conversations and publications, and all I could think was that their PR must be working overtime — and whatever they’re doing is working on me. Intrigued by the buzz, I made plans with a friend to visit the store.

Printemps occupies several floors of One Wall Street, an Art Deco skyscraper once the Irving Trust headquarters, now mostly luxury condos. With towering windows and architectural details, the building feels well-suited to the Printemps brand. Inside, shoppers can browse a wide range of high-end fashion, accessories, and beauty products, and pause for a glass of champagne and a bite (caviar, perhaps) at one of the elegant bars within the store.

In its communications, Printemps resists the department store label, preferring the term “project” to describe the opulent, multi-use space, complete with a food program led by Top Chef alum Gregory Gourdet. It’s a curious choice. To me, the idea of a new age of luxury department stores is what makes Printemps exciting.

Growing up, I romanticized stores like these in New York, though I’d missed their heyday. The Thoroughly Modern Millie soundtrack was my childhood obsession, sparking within me a fascination with the Roaring ’20s-era old-world glamour of Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and Barneys. Printemps feels like a revival of that legacy, merging French luxury with New York history. Elements of the original design have been preserved, such as the landmarked Red Room, home to breathtaking floor-to-ceiling mosaics.

Inside the Red Room, which now houses designer shoes, there was a clear divide between the champagne-sipping shoppers considering high heels and the eager tourists snapping photos. When the Red Room was the Irving Trust reception, only those of a certain class were privy to its grandeur; now, it’s open to all. This is the beauty of a luxury department store; it’s there for those who can afford to bring home a (soon-to-be iconic?) kelly-green Printemps shopping bag and those just there to wander and admire its splendor. –Phoebe Fry

→ Shop: Printemps (New York, NY) • 1 Wall St • Daily 10a-7p.