Earlier this month, on a quiet corner of New York’s Christopher Street, waiters in turbans balanced flutes of Cristal on silver trays. More than a million dollars’ worth of artwork, coffee-table books, stuffed peacocks, and stately antiques were the setting for dazzling displays of diamond necklaces, dresses, and sequined jackets. Guests including Martine Assouline and Muriel Brandolini mingled under dozens of shimmering chandeliers. The occasion was the opening of the Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s 5,800-square-foot store.
“India’s such a culturally rich country,” Mukherjee told me while we toured the space a few days earlier, “and I want everyone to acknowledge that.”
