It’s safe to say that the already polished reputation of the Texan boutique Forty Five Ten will gleam ever brighter with the debut of its big new flagship in downtown Dallas.
Awash in natural light from enormous windows and glowing with minimalist copper and rose gold fixtures, the luxury store houses a trove of eye-popping fashions for women and men, artful fine jewelry and home furnishings, and narrowly distributed fragrances and beauty lines.
It’s a treasure trove for the seriously fashionable, stocked with selections from design paragons (Gucci, Celine, Prada, Dior, et al) as well as hot younger brands like Rosie Assoulin, Adam Lippes and Sacai.
Birthed in 2000, Forty Five Ten is known for an exacting, forward viewpoint spiced with wit, irony and extravagance. Here, multicolor fur bedecks a casual camo jacket, a ballet flat is wrapped in bondage, and a clear glass decanter is gripped by an octopus.
“The customer, I hope, is surprised and challenged at every turn,” said co-founder and president Brian Bolke.
All this high design is displayed with elegant whimsy (giant balls of yarn, anyone?) in a space nearly quadruple the size of the original store a few miles north.
“It’s astounding – one of the most beautiful stores I’ve ever seen,” marveled surfer-model-cum-designer Thaddeus O’Neil, who toured it last month with five of his cohorts in CFDA’s Fashion Incubator.
Four charcoal-brick stories high and a block deep, Forty Five Ten is in good company in its newly built home with the Neiman Marcus historic flagship and the chic Joule hotel across Main Street.
The boutique hotel, a Forty Five Ten sibling also owned by energy magnate Tim Headington, runs the store’s champagne/espresso bar as well as the fourth-floor Mirador restaurant set to open later this month. The store’s rear entrance on Elm Street brandishes an Anthony Howe kinetic sculpture that is a cousin to the Rio 2016 Olympic cauldron. The towering polished steel artwork anchors a tree-dotted motor court attended by valet parkers – a welcome service in this congested area.
Inside, the store is a mosaic of shops and intimate nooks that flow seamlessly from one to another. It’s a visual smorgasbord. Forty Five Ten embraces both minimal and maximalist design throughout. Home, for instance sparkles with imposing multicolor crystal candelabras by royal chandelier supplier St. Louis as well as contemporary bone china accented by subtle gold drips.
On the fashion floors, it’s easy to spot the deft hand of elfin women’s creative and fashion director Taylor Tomasi Hill in everything from slim black gowns to richly ornamented ensembles.
Opening festivities spanned two days in early December, attracting guest of honor Iris Apfel and designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, Eddie Borgo, Derek Lam, Monique Péan, Nicholas Kirkwood, among others. They were accompanied by the likes of Lynn Yaeger and Dita Von Teese, who were all photographed for The Eccentrics, a portrait book of style mavericks photographed by Ruven Afandor for the store.
“Most clients who have come in to see it say it’s so much to take in that they have to come back,” Bolke said. “This is a really good sign.”
The Mix Gucci and Saint Laurent for men and women, shops of Azzedine Alaïa, Berluti, Celine, Marc Jacobs and Maison Margiela plus young designers, denim, elite tabletop wares and an Assouline book shop. Byredo fragrances are a draw, and the “Rare Beauty” area presents mostly indie brands.
The Design Conceived by Droese Raney Architecture, the bright space features high ceilings, tall windows, cream walls, wide wood plank floors and Knoll furnishings. Glass surrounds the atrium-like central staircase, and fitting rooms are equipped with multiple light settings. Contemporary artwork elevates the scene.
Pièce de Résistance Check out the rear entrance on Elm Street and an Anthony Howe kinetic sculpture that is a cousin to the Rio 2016 Olympic cauldron.
Best-Sellers Le Labo scents blended to order, Mark Cross and Celine handbags, gems by Kimberly McDonald, Fred Leighton and Kwiat, Francesco Russo and Nicholas Kirkwood women’s shoes, Prada men’s shoes, and Gucci and Berluti men’s wear.
The Tribes The art collecting set is a core clientele along with socials and fashion and design professionals; international designers whose goods aren’t necessarily sold here tend to drop by.
The A-List Iris Apfel, Taylor Tomasi Hill, Erin Wasson, Nick Wooster, Jack McCollough, Lazaro Hernandez
The Basics Forty Five Ten, 1615 Main St, Dallas, Texas, open 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, noon until 5 p.m. on Sundays. Call 214-559-4510 or visit www.fortyfiveten.com.
Inside the New Forty Five Ten Store in the Heart of Dallas
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