For those whose summer shares in the Hamptons were lacking a certain high-fashion "je ne sais quoi," one of the world's most coveted couturiers, Balenciaga, is opening in East Hampton.
WWD learned that the Paris-based label will be opening at 54 Main Street, a 900-foot space that, interestingly enough, was the former home of Brooks Brothers. (With Uniqlo taking over Brooks Brothers' former Fifth Avenue home and Balenciaga moving into this new space, it seems the preppy stalwart is being elipsed by an onslaught of It-brands.)
The move comes ahead of a season real estate folks at Devlin McNiff told WWD they are anticipating to be an improvement over last summer's dismal dip in rent prices. The opening is big news for fans of Balenciaga on the east coast, where the brand currently has only one outpost -- in New York City. Nationwide, the fashion house has four stores total, compared to Japan, for example, which has seven. As such, the label is no doubt hoping to parlay its New York success into similar sales where well-off New Yorkers spend their time away from the city, as opposed to breaking ground in a completely new city like, say, Dallas. There's no word yet on an official opening date.
