Now (Almost) Open: Vera Wang Finally Comes to Soho

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At long last, after two years of obsessive anticipation (well, on our parts, at least), the Vera Wang ready-to-wear store at 158 Mercer Street in Soho will open its doors this Friday. WWD's descriptions help explain why it took so long for the store to be ready—it sounds complicated:

Designed by Gabellini Sheppard Associates LLP, the two-level, all-white boutique has a bevy of interchangeable features made from varying textures — sliding partitions, shell-like hang bars, translucent shelving, scrims, neoprene-covered furniture and stackable mini gym mats — that make for a dramatic space of extreme proportions, which are indicative of Wang’s rtw and how she works in her design studio.

Not only can the furniture and shelving be rearranged, but the lighting is also changeable. Wang is also pondering the addition of some kind of user-generated art element—she might ask customers to sign their names on panels in the store, for example.

Wang has had a lot of time to plan these effects, since the last time she opened a store was 1989. In the WWD article, she addresses her slow pace: "I found this space and held onto it for two years because I couldn't decide on an architect and I wasn't about to rush."
· Wang’s New SoHo Store Plays With Proportions [WWD, subscription req'd]
· Storecasting: Vera Close to Setting a Date in Soho [Racked]