Alexander McQueen has teamed up with London-based David Collins Studio to realize the brand’s newly opened Paris flagship store. Located on rue Saint Honoré, the light strewn boutique is housed within a 1717 building thats spreads across two floors. Here, customers are invited to shop the brand’s current men’s and women’s collections in addition to iconic pieces from the masion’s archive.
Design elements have been carefully selected to sit alongside the historical architecture with a large, traditional Parisian timber double doorway providing access and bringing context to the store. Two large windows framed in aged brass sit at ground level with a further two arched windows at high level within the ground floor interior space.
Oversized tiles of Nero Marquina marble have been cracked and reconfigured to form a path across the ground floor, running from the entrance to the staircase to the lower ground floor. Black gloss-lacquered parquet flooring, comprised of narrow planks of timber, reflects the marble pattern and features throughout the store. Contrasted against the texture and colour of the black marble and wood flooring, are deep pile rugs in a nude tone.
The walls of the ground floor have been finished in white plaster, with large wall niches in the ready-to-wear and bag collection spaces wrapped in pink onyx with their back walls delicately lit and lined in white onyx. These elements extend to the display shelving throughout the floor which are executed in white onyx wrapped in pink onyx architraves.
The angular staircase from the ground to lower ground floor has been realised in one monolithic block of balck marble with a white onyx handrail detailed with polished brass elements. The focal point is a protruding glass mannequin case framed in aged brass and polished brass trim set upon a stepped white onyx base where the mannequin within stands upon a Carrera marble plinth.
While the black gloss-lacquered timber parquet flooring continues to the lower ground floor, the space also features two unique large black and gold rugs created by Alexander McQueen in collaboration with The Rug Company. The dramatic black and gold design is taken from the embroidery of a McQueen coat from 2001.
The walls to the lower ground floor feature the custom Alexander McQueen moulded plaster panelling incorporating a cornucopia of wings, shells, cactus flowers, mushroom gills, seahorse tails and tangled leaves.
The luxurious and tactile feel and design continues with fitting rooms upholstered in diamond tufted walls of nude nova-suede and nude deep pile carpets. Door handles are cast from worms and centipedes with the clothing hooks featuring gargoyle embellishments. To complete the stunning interiors David Collins Studio selected unique pieces of mid-century style furniture.
On the ground floor a love seat sofa and two armchairs upholstered in antique red and black velvet by Giò Ponti are paired with a gilt bronze abstract sculptural cocktail table by Fred Brouard. A sculptural coffee table of a golden phoenix with illuminated onyx wings by French sculptor Jacques Duval-Brasseur sits in the evening wear area on the lower ground floor, complemented by grey velvet arm chairs from Guglielmo Veronesi. In the menswear area, Veronesi’s arm chairs upholstered in black velvet are enhanced by a custom made 1950s style upholstered sofa and a coffee table made of Nero Marquina marble ellipses.
all images courtesy of David Collins Studio