New York Retail's Spring Awakening

A.P.C. Specials: This is the second New York boutique for the French label designed by Jean Touitou. The smallish space will focus on A.P.C.'s line of raw salvage jeans that improve in style and fit with every wash. Blonde wood and mirrored shelves give the space's 500 square feet the illusion of expansion-a good thing, given the stock they've got planned. The shop will carry the full line of the A.P.C. Quilt Project, as well as House of Waris jewelry, Aesop products, candles, novelty items, coveted collaborations, and more!

92 Perry St. (at Bleecker St.), apc.fr (646.371.9292)

Alexander Wang: After a much-lauded show, Alexander Wang invited Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Humberto Leon, and Karen Elson to his first-ever flagship the day before it opened. The Grand St. digs were designed by Edon Manor co-founder (and PinkMemo fave) Ryan Korban, and the 3,500-sq.-ft. space boasts a fox-fur hammock, goat hair covered furniture, and white marble floors. Here Wang will launch a five-piece leather capsule collection and other collaborations (floral designer Jeff Leatham helped with the opening). Large windows, a glut of mirrors, and a restrained color palette bring gallery-like style to the designer's edgy, androgynous staples. 103 Grand St. (at Mercer St.), alexanderwang.com (212.977.9683)

NARS: The world's incipient freestanding NARS boutique stocks the brand's full range and more! Fans will find an expanded and updated version of the holiday 2010 lacquered Bento Box and an exclusive Pure Matte lipstick in a rosy-brown shade, named 413 Bleecker. Francois Nars called on logo designer Fabien Baron to execute the label's first ever brick-and-mortar endeavor, and the shop is decked in black-and-white lines with sleek video screens. A rectangular checkout counter, color-matched to NARS' signature Jungle Red, provides the highly pigmented smack that earned the brand its worldwide fame. Above the marble fireplace, check out the collectible scripts, photographs, and a few of Monsieur Nars' other favorite things.
413 Bleecker St. (between West 11th and Bank St.), narscosmetics.com (646.459.2323)