Luxurious Opening
Highland Park Village secures status as epicenter of luxury with Balenciaga
In its quest for luxury retail domination, Highland Park Village has scored again — this time with Balenciaga, the first Texas boutique for the brand and the ninth in North America.
The new Dallas shop, which opened this week in the space formerly occupied by Calame Jewelers, carries women’s ready-to-wear, as well as handbags, small leather goods, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses and fragrance. As is a Balenciaga couture tradition, each category is represented in intimate “salons” within the store.
With its black-and-white-tiled entry, the 1,150-square foot store pays homage to Cristóbal Balenciaga and the original couture salon at 10 Avenue George V in Paris. But it’s also completely of-the-moment, following the design established in November 2013 by artistic director Alexander Wang (who splits his time between his own line and Balenciaga) and designer Ryan Korban at the New York flagship in SoHo.
Elements of the design include hand-hammered pedestals and tables, which contrast with the interior’s sleek lines. A cracked resin gives a glistening mineral effect to the shelves. Custom-made chairs blend chrome, marble and black “caviar” embroidery from the atelier.
A mix of materials such as marble, limestone and forest green suede help create a luxurious feel. In particular, the dark green “Verde Ramegiatto” marble is a central design element within the boutique, and the prominent use of marble mirrors the marble patterns woven into Alexander Wang’s debut fall-winter 2013 Balenciaga collection.
However, if couture is too rich for your blood, you can still get Alexander Wang at a much more reasonable price point: His collection for H&M — the first time the Swedish retailer has collaborated with an American designer — will be available in stores and online November 6.
