NOW OPEN: What Does Barneys' New Shoe Floor Tell Us About The Store's Future?

Yesterday marked the long awaited opening of the greatest shoe department of our time, the completely renovated fifth floor at Barneys New York's Madison Avenue flagship featuring nothing but shoes for men and women. Vistors to the floor were greeted with Mimosas and shoe shaped cookies to celebrate the new shoe era (For the opening week, Barneys will donate 10 percent of sales from the new floor through July 22nd to the Human Rights Campaign to further their work in fighting discrimination against LGBT people and expanding marriage equality around the country).

From a certain viewpoint, the expansion was a necessary step to compete with sprawling new shoe departments at competitors like Saks and Bergdorfs, not to mention the impending arrival of Nordstrom whose enormous shoe offerings make it the largest account for any brand it carries. Barneys' previous shoe departments had become cramped and uncomfortable, often leaving no room for customers to try shoes on busy days. The new floor offers a vastly improved shopping experience simply by virtue of having so much more space and seating. In another sense, however, the new floor gives us a clearer understanding of how Barneys' more recently installed executives see the future of this particular store, and the company. The most striking feature of the new floor is that, like the Co-op floor on eight —the only other completely renovated floor in the store so far— the men's and women's sides of the floor are not architecturally distinct. This is major shift from the store's original concept of having separate men's and women's stores exist side by side, but only superficially connected. This idea was inspired by the original 17th Street store which developed in phases over many years, and was ultimately composed of two separate buildings, the women's store (now the Rubin Museum of Art), connected only on the main floor to the men's store (currently Loehmann's) which was itself divided into a classic, traditional side and a more fashion forward international side on most floors. The separation of the men's and women's stores became part of the company's signature —something that distinguished it from other department stores, and was replicated conceptually in other flagships.

That concept, one of Barneys' defining aspects, is being jettisoned to certain extent. The two sides of the new shoe floor are even more openly connected than they are on the Co-op floor, and while the men's shoes are still on the men's side, the two halves are now separated by a relatively "gender neutral", expanded luggage department that segues into men's belts and small leather goods before opening up to shoes. The entire floor, however, shares a sleek, unifying decor of marble paneled walls with brass detailing and lots of jewel toned, overstuffed seating units. Some sections of the floor are partitioned off with gilded mesh screens embedded in glass panels, so Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin's shoes are placed in their own special boutiques, presumably until some other designers become popular enough to diplace them. The overall effect is that of an expansive, Bauhaus-era lounge decorated with an endless shoe collection.

The Shophound recently asked a frequent, longtime Barneys customer what she thought of the not-quite completed renovation of the women's side of the main floor at the Madison Avenue store, and she responded, "It's not iconic Barneys, but it's a lot easier to shop." It looks like this trade-off is the basic concept the store will be following going forward. If you see Barneys as an emporium of high-style and rarefied fashion, you'll probably love the changes as long as the store keeps carrying the most exclusive and sought-after labels. If, however, you were a fan charmed by the more whimsical, quirky and sometimes funky side of Barneys, you might find something lacking in the store when the grand renovation is finally completed. It looks like whimsical, quirky and funky are being edited from the menu. The new Barney's is all business. It might not be as surprising or adventurous as it once was, but it will be a lot easier to shop.

Barneys New York Shoe Floor 660 Madison Avenue at 61st Street, Fifth Floor
Previously,
SNEAK PEEK: Here's A Look At Barneys New Shoe Floor
TODAY IN HAPPY FEET: Only Two Weeks Until Barneys' Big New Shoe Floor Opens