Models in brocade jackets, silk blouses and chiffon dresses commuted several blocks west of Bryant Park to strut on the runway in the lobby of the Atelier last month.
The 46-story, 478-unit condo development played host to the Alice + Olivia show during Fall Fashion Week.
“We wanted to make [the Atelier] available to people in Midtown to branch out,” said Daphne Viders, director of communications at the Moinian Group, the project developer. “Times Square is moving its way toward the river.”
Located at 635 West 42nd Street, the Atelier is near the Hudson Yards, an area rezoned for a mix of residential, commercial and entertainment development. The Atelier will be a mixed-use development with 1.5 million square feet of residential and retail space and two additional towers with 1,000 rental and condo units.
The lobby of the Atelier was packed with fashion insiders for the Alice + Olivia show, the closing show at Fashion Week. Celebrities Carmen Electra and Molly Sims sat front row as models paraded in Andy Warhol-inspired outfits by Alice + Olivia founder Stacey Bendet, who is known for her high-end pant line.
“We had a few different designers approach us, but we wanted someone who had the same look and feel of buyers in this building,” Viders said.
The Moinian Group recently announced that 60 percent of the studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments at the Atelier, which range from $665,000 to $1.5 million, are in contract. According to broker Ilan Bracha of Prudential Douglas Elliman, several celebrities have purchased condos in the Atelier.
Aside from investors, Viders says buyers at the Atelier are empty nesters and first-time buyers who have done well in law and finance.
Viders claims the Atelier, a building with amenities that include a catering kitchen, sun deck, outdoor sports deck and billiards lounge, is as stylish as the models who attended the fashion show.
“The Atelier is very chic,” Viders said. “It’s a striking building.”