“Patience,” sighs the precocious 26-year-old Claire Distenfeld, just hours before the Fivestory preview boutique opening. “One of the things I got lucky with in life is my ability to know what I like, how I like it, and, obviously, what I don’t. I closed my eyes and knew exactly where I wanted Fivestory to be birthed and what should house it. It was just a matter of faith until I found it.”
And quite the home it is, nestled on the third story of a townhouse on East 69th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues. Distenfeld worked with interior decorator Ryan Korban, who champions unexpected elegance and a dose of whimsy, to outfit the classic brownstone. With its artfully adorned walls and antique furniture, the pop-up boutique offers a taste of what’s to come in February, when the full store opens. “This is a preview boutique—its very well done, but it is temporary,” says Distenfeld. “The real store will be breathtaking. It’ll be somewhere you just want to be and take in, whether that be from the smell, the music, the wallpaper or the products themselves.”
Distenfeld’s vision for the store was influenced by the world-renowned Parisian concept store Colette, as a place New Yorkers could go to experience new and exciting products and push the boundaries of creativity and individuality—and she wasn’t settling for anything less. “The inspiration is extremely personal,” she says. “The store incorporates my life’s discoveries, from people who inspire me and colors that intrigue me to past experiences in stores such as Corso Como or Colette.” Such personal attachment made the creation of Fivestory a true labor of love. “The process was a roller coaster ride,” says Distenfeld. “Some days I felt high as a kite, and other days felt more like heavy weights sitting on my shoulder.”
The odds were stacked against her. In Manhattan the retail competition is endless; however, among the multibrand boutiques on Madison Avenue, this will be the first of its scale and style, full of exclusive designers and avant-garde fashion finds, including exotic Celestina clutches handmade in the Philippines, Mawi jewelry, Del Toro slippers, Jerome Rousseau collaboration shoes that Distenfeld designed herself, and Reece Hudson handbags.
As she adjusts one of the Lladró harlequin vases in the window, Distenfeld models a dramatic white dress by Vika Gazinskaya, another one of the boutique’s exclusive designers. The dress, with its raw edges and marker-like detailing, embodies the spirit of the preview boutique, which is a wonderfully unexpected amalgamation of treasures, set among ready-to-wear from designers such as Cushnie et Ochs and Victoria Beckham. The one-of-a-kind water snake backgammon set Distenfeld designed is also not to be missed. “It all comes from one place: my eye and my imagination,” she says. “As long as you trust it, one can find a unique, special character in any aspect, whether that be candlesticks or exotic lace-up booties.” 18 E. 69th St., 212-288-1338
