Down in the Valli at Dover Street Market

Dover Street Market, the retail arm of Comme des Garçons’ global fashion takeover (outposts have landed in London, Tokyo, and as of late last year, New York), has succeeded at cultivating a dynamic stocklist of diverse designers while letting the brands stay true to their identifying aesthetics. Traversing through the concept store is a bit like traveling through different lands—being received in the unique territories of J.W. Anderson, Supreme, or Junya Watanabe. Now, following the launch a shop-in-shop at the London location, DSM NY is bringing the Giambattista Valli experience—exclusive, elegant luxury—to New York with a pop-up installation on view until April 22. 

Located on the ground floor in the DSM NY event space, around the corner from the in-house Rose Bakery, the two brands have collaborated on a 21st-century salon consisting of reflective mirrored partitions against blush pink walls, along with modern, architectural hardware evocative of Valli’s Paris and Milan stores. The space showcases a sampling of brand’s signature graceful, feminine wares, exclusive to DSM NY. A made-to-order demi-couture silk dress, with a nipped-in waist and full skirt, is presented in six color variations with custom embroidery, as well as customizable crocodile-skin structured handbags (including a decadent fluorescent option), couture slingbacks, the house’s signature “pretty ugly” sandal, and two candles (Positano and Rose Poivrée) created in collaboration Parisian scent masters Cire Trudon. For Valli, who does not yet count a New York flagship in its stable of store locations, it’s a very elegant welcome.

THE GIAMBATTISTA VALLI INSTALLATION AT DOVER STREET MARKET NEW YORK IS ON VIEW UNTIL APRIL 22ND, AT  160 LEXINGTON AVENUE.