Go Inside Giorgio Armani's Huge New NYC Boutique
The invitation called for black tie. Eyebrows were raised—for a fashion party? But few dared disobey instructions from the chairman of the board. That would be Giorgio Armani, who touched down in New York City last fall to stage a mic drop of a runway show coinciding with the opening of an Upper East Side compound to rival any Gilded Age mansion.
There, on the corner of Madison Avenue and East 65th Street, is a 12-story colossus that runs the gamut of his universe—from Armani/Dolci sweets to made-to-measure to a Ristorante to 10 luxury residences appointed in modern Milanese style. At 97,200 square feet, it dwarfs the original lot of the nearby Frick Collection building. That scale is fitting for a man who at 90 is to global fashion what Henry Clay Frick was to the steel industry.
Fifty years in business, and Armani remains independent, beholden to no one but his vision; he closed 2023 with a cash pile of more than $1 billion and rising revenues that should fortify the label against the headwinds battering the rest of the industry.
Six hundred fifty guests dressed in their formal finery paid their respects to Armani that October night, including fellow designers Michael Kors, Willy Chavarria, and Burberry’s Daniel Lee; one suspects that a few left the premises with notes on how it’s done.
The building, in partnership with SL Green Realty Corp. and Cookfox Architects, is a testament to Armani’s singular position in the fashion firmament, but it’s also a lesson in something else: longevity. Perhaps the next goal for his brand of empire building should be Armani University. Until then class is in session from the ground up at 760 Madison Avenue.
Fashion images photographed by Jason Kibbler and styled by Julia Miller. Lead: Giorgio Armani trench coat, trousers, belt and shoes.
This story appears in the February 2025 issue of Town & Country, with the headline “The Wizard of Madison Avenue.” SUBSCRIBE NOW
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