Inside The Fashion World’s Most Exclusive Shopping Destinations
Have you heard of the experience economy? Well, the major players in fashion have, which explains why they’re opening hotels, restaurants, private clubs, and even pastry shops to bring the fantasies in their ads to life. Devin Friedman goes fully immersive in the next generation of fashion marketing. Arguably the baller-est restaurant opening in New York City last year was essentially a brand extension of a publicly traded fashion line. The Polo Bar. It’s not even in the right neighborhood to be a hot restaurant. You expect to see Kanye West at the Spotted Pig, crashing Charlie Rose’s party on Valentine’s Day with Kim Kardashian (note: that actually happened), not in Midtown, a few blocks away from the American Girl doll store. But there he was, seated not far from the table Barbra Streisand recently occupied. The dining room at the Polo Bar is located in what is essentially the basement of the Polo flagship store, but somehow the brilliant aestheticians of the Ralph Lauren empire have transformed it into something that feels like it’s been there for a hundred years, something that apparently appeals to both Barbra and Kanye. Read more at GQ.
