While native New Yorker and former gallerist Claire Distenfeld was having a daddy’s-girl moment over lunch one day with her father Fred, she knew art wasn’t really her thing and looked to him for a re-direct. He too was at a crossroads, having just retired from a successful career in the fashion business. Distenfeld knew she wanted to create some sort of establishment that would capture the thrill of discovery she had always felt while shopping at famously curated European boutiques- such as Colette in Paris and Browns in London- as her upbringing allowed for trips abroad where she would wander cities looking for unknown designers…hmm, sounds familiar.
So the father-daughter team collaborated and came up with Fivestory, an uber posh multi-brand luxury boutique ensconced in an elegant townhouse on the Upper East Side. Although the space actually takes up two stories, not five, the shop blends worldly wit and uptown refinement with a skillfully curated selection of international designers never before sold in the US, as well as exclusive collaborations with New York based companies like Lulu Frost and Eleven Objects.
The decor is the work of Ryan Korban- the interior designer to fashion stars, including Alexander Wang’s store in SoHo- where black lacquered floors and slick thundercloud colored walls are adorned with chandeliers, shagreen everything, and an Italian black and white marble checkered floor…but even with all the ornate furnishings and ceramic accents, Fivestory’s clothing and accessories shine the brightest. So, instead of hunting globally for the next it designer, you just may find it inside a townhouse in New York. www.fivestoryny.com
