The house of Goyard has always represented a quietly self-assured brand of luxury, with its distinctive yet subtle chevron-pattern handbags, duffels, and trunks. So it was little surprise that the recent opening of the 161-year-old French company’s Manhattan flagship was carried off without fanfare. Occupying a stately townhouse on the Upper East Side, the boutique is the second stand-alone shop in the U.S. (the other is in San Francisco) for Goyard, which previously sold pieces in the city only at Barneys New York and Bergdorf Goodman. “A townhouse for us was the perfect marriage,” says Olivier Moingeon, general manager of the Americas for Goyard. “It’s such an emblem of New York, yet it also looks like a Parisian hôtel particulier.”
The building was once home to the beloved shop of decorator Charlotte Moss and, more recently, the Italian suitmaker Tincati, which had decked out the interiors in white and black. To create something befitting Goyard’s history, style, and impeccable service, an overhaul was required. In addition to two levels of retail space, showcasing handbags, luggage, and specialty items like backgammon sets and travel slippers, the firm installed a workshop for repairs and for adding its signature hand-painted monograms and stripes. The renovations took several months. “We enjoy the luxury of having time,” Moingeon says. “We prefer to do things the right way.”
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