Elie Tahari Fall 2005 Collection to Be Presented in Art Gallery Format

Elie Tahari Fall 2005 Collection to Be Presented in Art Gallery Format

Elie Tahari to Debut New Showroom During Olympus Fashion Week

NEW YORK, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Fashion designer Elie Tahari is inviting editors, buyers and other VIPs into his new home, a dramatic 36,000 square foot showroom and office space. Coinciding with Olympus Fashion Week, Mr. Tahari will unveil the new headquarters with an Open House and fall 2005 fashion presentation on Wednesday, February 9th, from 12 pm-5pm at 11 West 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

Located just steps from Bryant Park, the Open House will showcase the fall 2005 collection as a gallery exhibition-creating a calm, serene sensory experience to see fashion in an unexpected setting.

"The Open House will be a respite from the frenetic pace of Fashion Week- part retreat, part gallery and part cocktail party," says Elie Tahari. "We want everyone to relax and view fashion at their own pace."

Set against the striking contrast of black and white, the showroom boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, grand Venetian chandeliers, and a 110-foot-long waterlilly and water-filled reflecting pool surrounded by mannequins. Like a gallery, a museum-quality light shines upon each fully styled mannequin, while projections of flickering candles and abstract designs appear throughout the room and in an ornate, wall-size gold frame that sits at the foot of the reflecting pool.

The opulent, yet contemporary aesthetic was created by world-renowned Italian architect Piero Lissoni, the mastermind behind Elie Tahari's SoHo and Las Vegas boutiques. Mr. Tahari first commissioned Lissoni for the design projects after falling in love with his interior work on Venice's Grand Hotel Monaco.

In addition to the showroom, Lissoni designed the remainder of the offices with special touches like a relaxing employee lounge and client center. The larger headquarters encompass the entire 14th floor of the building, better serving the company's growth.

"We simply needed more space for the creative and business operations behind the brand," says Mr. Tahari. "With most departments on the same floor, everything is streamlined and more efficient."

Altogether Mr. Tahari says the new location is "breathtaking," it will serve as the perfect interim space. Long-term plans are underway to secure the company's final corporate headquarters: the landmark building Mr. Tahari owns at 510 Fifth Avenue. A fitting fusion of architecture and fashion, Elie Tahari's collections are often inspired by the clean architectural lines of the famed building, which was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and completed in 1954.

While the Fifth Avenue project is on the horizon, Mr. Tahari is having no trouble finding inspiration in the spectacular new home on 42nd Street.


Source: Elie Tahari

CONTACT: Erin Hawker of Elie Tahari, +1-212-763-2130,
erinh@elietahari.com


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