Although the new Soho concept store, C. Wonder doesn’t open until October 22nd, we got a preview of their flagship store this evening. C. Wonder, named for it’s founder Chris Burch, may not be the cure for cancer or help fortify world peace but the price point and product assortment will make customers’ mouths water.
Much of the basic concept design is obviously inspired by the principal behind the Tory Burch brand, which is a modern twist to prep. In place of the Tory Burch cross logo there are lots of C’s branded on a variety of products ranging from housewares, home decor, personal electronics, apparel, shoes, jewelry and accessories. Even the shopping bags have a Tory feel.
Lets first start by saying that most items in the store come in a verity of five colors– pink, green, yellow, navy and orange. So most rain boots ($78), mugs ($8), monogramed shirts ($68), wheelie suitcases ($99) and bike helmets can all be mixed and matched to fall along the brand’s color palate. It’s hard not to imagine that Chris Burch went shopping in China and ordered one of each in five colors.
As you can imagine the cloths are styled with an eye towards bright Greenwich prep. Think of hot pink puffer vests styled with stripped button down shirts, navy blazers with nautical sweaters stripped sweaters and a bright green barn jacket ($178) paired with a basic black sweater.
Although the fashion is nice it’s far from the highlight. It’s the housewares that really make C. Wonder stand apart from other retail stores. The mix and match style of dishes, napkins, table accessories and hostess gifts fill a much needed market at the fast fashion price point. The styling is modern and playful similar to the styling’s of Jonathon Adler. Dinner plates are $12 each, salad plates are $10 and cereal bowls $8. Theoretically, you can walk away with a full table setting for $12 people for under $500.
Now, that’s a meal, or table setting, that makes our mouths water! You can click here to see a photo stream of all our spy pictures from the store opening
C. Wonder
72 Prince Street
