OK, so this is only like the sixth BCBG store in Manhattan, but clearly, this is The Big One. Max Azria has just unveiled his core brand's dramatic three-level Fifth Avenue flagship, the biggest store in the chain of more than 160 stores. It's an impressive transformation of a 12,000 square foot former Pier 1 space with stone and acacia wood floors and sculptured metal decoration. Its corner position gives it an imposing entrance marquee, so you really can't miss the place. What is most unusual, however, is its location on the corner of Fifth and 40th Street, not exactly the center of midtown shopping activity. Traditionally, we think of Fifth Avenue's prime area as ending just south of Saks, and despite the recent appearance of Sean John and Alice + Olivia, the area around the New York Public Library is still clogged with the kind of discount electronics stores that have long since been swept away from the more northern blocks of the street. That may finally be changing with the recent opening of the large H&M at 42nd and Fifth and the still very-much-in-progress revival of Lord & Taylor. The BCBG store was respectably busy, though not mobbed last Saturday afternoon. The sales staff was welcoming, abundant, and very enthusiastic about making The Shophound aware that they were in the  middle of a sweater promotion. The store is fully stocked with every product category including shoes and accessories. Dressier eveningwear is housed on a mezzanine bordered with a vertigo inducing glass railing while jeans and casual sportswear can be found downstairs. The more expensive "Runway" label takes up only a couple of racks, and the premium Max Azria collection was not yet available there, but should be added in a few weeks. If all goes as planned, the store could mark a whole new stretch of Fifth Avenue turning upscale.
BCBG 461 Fifth Avenue, Midown