barneys new york

>> The long-awaited Gaga's Workshop is now officially open at Barneys in New York.

Lady Gaga was on hand last night — in a custom Chanel couture dress, specially designed by Karl Lagerfeld for the occasion — to cut the ribbon and welcome inside the likes of Prabal Gurung, Carolyn Murphy, and Alexander Wang.

The store's fifth floor is completely transformed until Jan. 2, filled with chocolate Alexander McQueen armadillo shoes, studded press-on nails, and candle replicas of Gaga’s head that cry when lit. Inflatable cartoonish sculptures and taxicab wraps promoted the opening around the city, and Barneys's windows, too, have been Gaga-fied. "My favorite window I think is [the] one window that looks like my boudoir and it's covered in blonde hair," Gaga told WWD. "It's gorgeous."

Despite all the expenditure, Barneys expects to break even on the promotion, its chief executive Mark Lee said. Twenty-five percent of the workshop's sales will go to Gaga's new Born This Way Foundation, which focuses on youth empowerment; Lee added that the store hopes to raise over $1 million for the cause.

A behind-the-scenes video, below, and images of the windows, workshop, and launch party guests in the slideshow.

>> Let the countdown begin. Twelve days from now, Barneys New York will unveil Gaga's Workshop: a holiday shopping extravaganza an entire year in the making. The project — a collaboration between Lady Gaga, Nicola Formichetti, Barneys creative director Dennis Freedman, and installation artists Eli Subrack and Christophe Hamaide Pierson — opens Nov. 21, taking over the entire fifth floor of the Barneys Madison Avenue flagship. Eight elaborate shopping stations — a jewelry shop made of a Lady Gaga-faced spider, a bookstore in the shape of a giant pop-up book, a boudoir styled like a giant wig, for example — will sell over 170 limited-edition Gaga-themed products. Among the goodies? Chocolate Christmas ornaments ($6), Gaga-topped snow globes ($95), glittery handmade chocolate skulls ($68), claw-shaped stockings ($65), and a one-of-kind pair of black shoes ($4,100). Also available will be a selection of Lady Gaga's personal childhood holiday favorites — Roald Dahl books, candy lipsticks, malted milk balls, gum balls — hand-picked with help from an expert: her mother.

Gaga's Workshop officially opens at 11:59 p.m. Nov. 21 and will stay open through Jan. 2. Until then, peek elements from the project here, with more products unveiled each day for presale on Barneys' just-launched Gaga's Workshop website. At left, a rendering of the "Gaga Monster" installation that will flank Barneys' 60th Street entrance.
Photos Courtesy of Barneys New York

>> Last night, Christian Louboutin joined up with Barneys to fete the launch of his eponymous book — as well as the 20th anniversary of his brand — in New York.

The designer's longtime friends (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen), collaborators (Marchesa's Keren Craig), and design peers (Calvin Klein, who left with an autographed copy of the tome) showed up in support. As did more than a few fans — sporting their Louboutin heels, of course. "I'm wearing my very first pair from 1997," Amanda Brooks told Style.com of her strappy red sandals. "He gave them to me as a thank you because I used to work at the Gagosian Gallery, across from the Carlyle, and he would call me on my lunch break to come over and model the shoes for him."

Blake Lively, who made headlines a year ago for carting 40 pairs of Louboutins away from the designer's sample sale, also stopped by: "My first pair was basic black, and after that, it was love — now I have hundreds." Clearly the feeling is mutual — Louboutin whisked her off her feet and carried her away after the event.

>> Although the "Carine's World" short film that Mario Sorrenti shot for Barneys has yet to make its debut, the retailer's full Carine Roitfeld-styled Fall 2011 print campaign — which features women (and one man — her son) Roitfeld culled from the ranks of her co-workers, friends, family, and just those whose style she admired — is now out. See who she picked, and read quotes from Roitfeld about why she picked them.

>> The first of Carine Roitfeld's Fall 2011 campaign images — starring herself and her children — were released earlier this week, and now a couple more have appeared, showing Natasha Poly and '60s supermodel and Avedon muse China Machado. Still forthcoming are Mario Sorrenti-lensed images of Victoire de Castellane, Dasha Zhukova, Noami Campbell, Marie Amelie Sauve, and more.

Barneys plans to release a new "Carine's World" campaign image each day online at The Window until Sept. 2, when the images are unveiled in the store's windows. Also promised in the lead-up: the premiere of the campaign video.

>> In March, it was reported that Carine Roitfeld would serve as muse, stylist, and guest editor for the Barneys New York Fall 2011 ad campaign — and now images have surfaced showing that Roitfeld will star in them as well. Entitled "Carine's World", the Mario Sorrenti-shot campaign features the former French Vogue editor looking très chic in a black Rick Owens leather-skirt-and-sweater ensemble. But Carine's not the only Roitfeld to be featured in the new campaign; daughter Julia Restoin-Roitfeld poses in a sheer Givenchy number, while son Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld makes an appearance in his own clothing. Other famous faces to appear in the collaboration — out this September — reportedly include Natasha Poly, Victoire de Castellane, Dasha Zhukova, Noami Campbell, and Marie Amelie Suave.

>> Last night, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen feted their new handbag collection for The Row at Barneys, both wearing The Row — Ashley in a colorfully embellished gown and Mary-Kate in a blue blazer. The range, which hits Barneys mid-August, features everything from a lizard clutch to the $4,700 Twin Mini crossbody bag — which Barneys fashion director Amanda Brooks wore for the occasion — to a $39,000 crocodile backback. “We didn’t want too much branding; we didn’t want an It bag,” says Mary-Kate of the nine-style collection, which runs $2,350 to $39,000. After the intimate cocktail, where they were joined by sister Elizabeth Olsen, the twins headed to uptown restaurant Crown for an even more intimate celebratory dinner.

Images via Billy Farrell Agency