On Wednesday evening, a stylish crowd clad in seersucker suits, sharply tailored grey blazers, and pleated skirts gathered on East 72nd Street, pausing to admire a shrub trimmed into the shape of Thom Browne’s iconic Hector bag, complete with a red, white, and blue striped ribbon for a collar. The playful topiary signaled what they’d come for: the debut of Browne’s latest venture.
The designer officially opened two new boutiques on the Upper East Side’s luxury shopping corridor, marking his first retail expansion in New York City since 2006. One space houses his full men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections; the other is Browne’s first-ever accessories-only boutique, dedicated to leather goods, footwear, eyewear, and fragrances. His original flagship remains downtown at 100 Hudson Street in Tribeca.
Located at 19 East 72nd Street, the 1,700-square-foot ready-to-wear boutique echoes Browne’s signature mid-century modern aesthetic, but with a warmer, more residential atmosphere. Wooden slat blinds replace aluminum, and silver travertine stone lines the floors and walls. Overhead, a grid of wood lattice ceiling lights casts a soft glow over curated furniture pieces by Jacques Adnet and Edward Wormley—designers Browne personally admires.
Just around the corner, at 898 Madison Avenue, the intimate 900-square-foot accessories boutique showcases Hector bags (modeled after Browne’s beloved dachshund), structured handbags, fragrances, eyewear, and footwear. Both spaces were designed by Browne himself to offer more than just retail—it’s about creating a fully immersive brand experience.
“It’s a long time coming, and it’s nice to have a store in my neighborhood,” Browne told Vogue, as he hosted a cocktail reception in the ready-to-wear store to toast the openings. “It’s always been the idea to have something on Madison Avenue. But when I first started out, I didn’t think about anything other than making my clothes. Now, to have the stores open here—it feels great. It’s nice that everyone gets to experience what I want them to experience, exactly how I want them to experience it. It’s about housing and showcasing the different parts of the collection.”
Around 145 guests mingled amid the new boutiques, sipping champagne and sampling chocolate gelato and raspberry sorbet. Christine Baranski, in a navy pleated skirt suit, was among the first to arrive, later linking up with her Gilded Age co-star Louisa Jacobson, who wore a denim Thom Browne skirt and top. Emmy nominees Cristin Milioti and Tramell Tillman, Past Lives director Celine Song, Kim Kardashian’s hairstylist Chris Appleton, and The White Lotus star Walton Goggins also made appearances. Goggins, after browsing a rack of crisp Oxford shirts, shared a conversation with Browne.
“I think you enter a whole new universe when you’re wearing his clothes,” Goggins said. “The framework he’s created—his artistic expression—it’s so authentic and one of a kind. His clothes make you feel special.”
With his new Madison Avenue outposts now open, Browne shows no signs of slowing down. “There’s still so much to do—the next collection, for starters,” he said. “This is just part of the growth of everything that’s going on. But I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
