Each week, Alexa is rounding up the buzziest fashion drops, hotel openings, restaurant debuts and celeb-studded cultural happenings in NYC. It’s our curated guide to the very best things to see, shop, taste and experience around the city.
What’s making our luxury list this week? Boucheron makes its Manhattan debut, goop drops a collection of furniture and an Alvin Ailey exhibition opens at the Whitney.
It may seem hard to believe, but Boucheron did not have a free-standing boutique in the United States until earlier this month. It’s now firmly ensconced on Madison Avenue near 65th Street, meaning New Yorkers can finally be properly immersed in the world of this age-old jeweler, who we have to thank for creating the Question Mark necklace. The 3,900-square-foot-space (next door to Versace) is inspired by the Art Deco period, beginning with the glass and metal façade in the shape of an emerald, and with architecture, custom furniture, and accessories that nod to that era. Gems inside include vintage pieces like a brooch that Elizabeth Taylor wore to the 1976 Oscars and reproductions of pieces originally made for Cornelius Vanderbilt. Boucheron.com
“Life Dances On: Robert Frank in Dialogue” is a new exhibition at MoMA covering six decades of the celebrated photographer and filmmaker’s life. Peruse 250 items on display, including photographs, films, books, and other archival materials that once belonged to the Swiss-born artist, known for his unique perspective on American life, gleaned through an extensive road trip throughout the United States. Many are being shown publicly for the first time. “The enormous impact of Frank’s book ‘The Americans’ meant that he is often remembered as a solo photographer on a road trip, a Swiss artist making pictures of an America that he traversed as an outsider. And yet, in the six decades that followed, Frank continually forged new paths in his work, often in direct artistic conversation with others, and these contributions warrant closer attention,” noted Lucy Gallun, curator in the department of photography. The exhibit is up through January 11, 2025. MoMA.org
A second collection by goop for CB2 dropped yesterday, with 25 pieces spanning furniture and accessories, lighting, and textiles. Didn’t know there was a first? It debuted back in 2018, and many of those pieces are still available (one of the sofas is listed as a “best seller”). The new collection was inspired by “modern Parisian apartments and mid-century modernist furniture.” They’re quick to point out details that might be overlooked, from contrast welting on a sofa to the marble legs on a club chair. Gwyneth Paltrow, Founder and CEO of goop, described the range as “…heirloom pieces to treasure… We leaned into complex materiality — plaster, shearling, lacquer — for a collection that is as elegant and grown up as it is daring.” CB2.com
The 39th floor of the Virgin Hotel in NoMad is now home to the Riff Raff Club, a new lounge that “pays homage to the raucous cocktail bars, neighborhood watering holes and drinking destinations of New York City’s past.” It’s helmed by Charles Joly who, for the unfamiliar, is a global bartending champion and James Beard Award winner who’s spent two decades in the business, mostly notably at the Aviary, a world-renowned cocktail bar that’s part of the Alinea group in Chicago. Riff Raff will offer a range of the expected classics (Martini, Old Fashioned, Manhattan), as well as new concoctions with allegedly elaborate presentations (like the “La Vida en Rosa,” with Port Finished Tequila, Watermelon, Guava, Rosé Champagne, edible flowers). There’s also a surprise: a “liquid library” of vintage spirits dating back nearly a century, including Old Fitzgerald Bonded Bourbon from the original Stitzel-Weller Distillery, 1947 Cognac Napoléon, and 1960s & 70s expressions of Green Chartreuse. RIffRaffNYC.com
“Edges of Ailey” opened at the Whitney Museum of American Art earlier this week. It’s the first large-scale museum exhibition devoted to the visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931-1989), and is presented in two parts. The first is an exhibition featuring works by over 80 artists, plus a host of items from Ailey’s archives, from performance footage to drawings and ephemera. The second is an ambitious program of over 90 live dance performances and classes, presented in the Museum’s third-floor theatre. The AILEY organization will be in residence at the museum for one week each month, with performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II as well as workshops and educational programs. When they are not in residence, visitors can delight in a series of dance performances and new commissions by leading choreographers and their collaborators. Through February 9, Whitney.org.
