Boutique Profile: David Yurman Chicago

On a quiet street in a celebrated historic neighborhood lies, unassumingly, the city's David Yurman boutique, whose product selection is great and customer service (newly) unparalleled. I visited the site twice on my last visit to Chicago. Read below for my impressions.

The somewhat subtle boutique storefront

Boutique Details

Address: 40 East Oak Street
Established: 2007
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10-6, Sunday 12-5
Telephone: 312.787.7779
Men's Collection Showcases: 4 (5 including timepieces)
Number of Service Representatives on the Floor: 3-5
DYguy's Favorite Staff: Nina C and Diana B

What Was of Positive Note

Much-Improved Customer Service

In past visits to the boutique, the levels of customer service experienced were inconsistent. I am happy to report this seems a resolved issue. Staff--I interacted with four--were knowledgeable, approachable, and, perhaps most important, legitimately helpful. When I took interest in a product, said product was quickly offered to me as were other complementary pieces. If a ring or bracelet appeared not to fit, the representative with whom I was working made haste to locate, if possible, additional available sizes. I was never made to feel as I did when I called the store in late '12--a burden, an obstacle. No, these were salespeople who were sincerely happy to help, and if that were not, in actuality, the case, if it were all a show, well consider me fooled (albeit happily, willingly so).

The boutique is located on Oak
St., one of the most prestigious
shopping lanes in the city.

Extensive Men's Inventory

Four display cases. Of men's jewelry. I was in heaven. What's more, what's there is put, as tends to be the case with David Yurman, on exquisite display. The cases are not just product repositories. They are, truly, nigh works of art that have to be seen to be believed. The placement of each piece in relation to others as well as the case itself is, without question, deliberate. Yes, to call the spatial arrangements exact would be, despite the absoluteness of that claim, a form of understatement. Oh, and in case you are wondering, the themes of the cases, in order from front of store to back, are (1) Exotic Stone, (2) Armory, (3) Diamond- and Gemstone-Encrusted, and (4) Ironwood (le yuck)-cum-Royal Cord.

What Was of Negative Note

Use of Tacky Dell Laptop and Presence of OMG-Bad Chairs

When purchases are processed on the sales floor, staff use a plasticky, what-looks-entry-level Dell laptop whose appearance almost offends the eye. Needless to say, its profanity does not mesh well with the store's otherwise almost impeccable aesthetic.

Note I said "almost." Whoever selected for purchase those belong-in-an-'80s-boudoir, pinkish-mauve sitting chairs positioned just beyond the store's entrance needs... well... a stern talking to as they are not luxury, not sophisticated--indeed--not even tasteful. No, they are just plain bad, and in a store that is otherwise so good--dangerously good, in fact--in taste, their presence is all the more erring.

Have you been to the David Yurman boutique on Oak St. in Chicago? What has been your experience there? Did I get anything wrong in this profile? (Don't even tell me you find those chairs agreeable.) Sound off; post a comment or shoot me an E-mail.

Why There's No Comparing Tiffany & Co. to David Yurman (with pictures to prove it)

So a female colleague at my day job, knowing my adoration of David Yurman, remarked last week that DY is "great and all" but--and I quote--"we need to get you some Tiffany in your life." Knowing it was unwise to speak what I was thinking (i.e., Are you kidding me?!), I just blinked at her. But, really, are you kidding me? I mean, have you seen the men's collection at Tiffany & Co.? A glance at their offerings, and two words come to mind. Kay Jewelers. OK, so maybe that's not entirely fair. Glorified Kay Jewelers. (And that's entirely fair.)

You see, the offerings at Tiffany's for men are, to me, kind of sad. The line is just... kind of there. I get a sense there is very little corporate investment related to its development. While the pieces offered are sleak and clean in design, they are, in a word, boring. Or maybe "safe" is a better word. Or maybe "unremarkable." They certainly aren't cut to impress, to draw the eye. Still, I suppose that's OK. I mean, goodness knows not everyone wants his or her jewelry to make a statement. One should know, though, that in wanting not one's jewelry to make a statement, a person makes a very loud statement.

But that's enough dithering. My argument, dear reader, is, essentially, this: David Yurman is artistry. Tiffany & Co. produces (for men) accessories. If jewelry is, as Grace Kelly's character contends in Rear Window, "basic equipment," don't you want or, to use the D-word, deserve equipment in its highest form? If you're going to drop $600 on a ring, don't you want to buy the most elegantly-crafted available? That's all I'm saying. DY is on another level, a higher plane than is Tiffany's when it comes to men's collection design. So--what do you say--can we stop comparing apples to oranges?

Now having said that, allow me to present to you a slew of side-by-side product comparison shots. :)

The Basic Cuff

David Yurman, $450

Tiffany & Co., $425

The Classic Band

David Yurman, $425

Tiffany & Co., $2250

The Cross Necklace

David Yurman, $785

Tiffany & Co., $225

The Trend Ring

David Yurman, $975

Tiffany & Co., $475

Do those help to elucidate my argument? See left for original, masterful designs. See right for those that suffice but call to mind pieces found at large-chain jewelry stores (or appear straight from the Armani Exchange catalog).

Briefs: Two New Yurmanagrams and DY Is Coming to YYZ

What's new in the world of David Yurman? Give me three--exactly three--minutes of your time, and I'll get you up to speed.

To begin, @DavidYurman has been busy on Instagram these last two days. The 'gram to the left was posted yesterday, the 25th, while the one to the right was posted earlier today. (Want to look closer? Give each image a click.)

The piece pictured resembles DY's Signature
Oval Ring ($2650), only it appears more
round than oblong. I'd love to be a fly on
the wall in that production studio!

DY returned to form today, posting
this piece of ad-art, which showcases new
Renaissance bracelets ($4800 for sterling
varieties, $15750 for 18k gold)

David Yurman's original cable bracelet

Before moving on, I'd like to point out for those who do not know the likely reason the bracelets in the second 'gram are part of a collection titled "Renaissance." Take a look here (right) at David Yurman's original cable bracelet, which was handmade by the designer himself back in 1983. Does the designation make sense now? The original cable is enjoying a renaissance in DY's Renaissance collection! How apropos.

OK, now to promulgate my third and final brief. David Yurman is evidently building its first boutique in Canada, a country that has recently been identified as number 8 on the list of the world's wealthy. The boutique is set to open in Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, a venue that strives to sate the "aspirational rich," later this year.

All right, so there you have it. You are caught up on your Yurman news, and look at that: You have some thirty-odd seconds to spare. Why not spend that time sounding off? Post a comment below or write me an E-mail. Let's go; now you're down to twenty-nine seconds!

How to Stack Your Wrist with Style (and potentially impress Colette Neyrey)

Wrist candy. Arm party. Bracelet swag (cringe). Whatever you want to call it, the practice of stacking bracelets up and down (and beyond) one's wrist has never been hotter. David Yurman acknowledges this in the company's latest Instagram (see right) in which the following imperative is forwarded: Stack up. Snap off. Impress our Executive Style Director. Evidently those who succeed at doing just that will have their Instagrams featured in DY's Facebook gallery.

So does this mean it's time to take every bracelet, watch, and bauble you own and string them somewhere between hand and elbow? No, in fact, it doesn't. You see, there is an art to properly adorning one's wrist. An art? you think. Please, I don't need to learn how to apply bracelets. Oh no? Based on what I've happened upon via Instagram in recent weeks, I'd beg--heartily, in fact--to differ.

That being said, I'm not here to waste your time nor to prate on endlessly. So I'll be quick. I'll keep my suggestions brief. But I think it in our collective best interest that this posting gets read. (We have some heavy offenders out there.)

DYguy's Three Tips for Bracelet Stacking

 

1. Stack only pieces that complement or starkly contrast.

And your best bet is to go with those that complement. Stacks are like outfits, like clothing ensembles. Each piece, while important on its own, contributes to the whole. Bear that in mind when stacking to avoid adornment catastrophes. (Don't think they exist? See below.)

2. Stick to a general theme or statement.

What do you want your wrist to say? Limit yourself to one message per stack. Want to exhibit a light and carefree attitude? Great, select pieces that contribute to the development of that aura. Want to go sultry and mysterious? Excellent. Stack accordingly. Avoid going, however, light and sultry or carefree and mysterious. Doing so may set you on a course to Trainwreckville. (Never been? Again, see below.)

3. Give due consideration to overall visual appeal.

Aesthetics matter. Indeed, with jewelry, sometimes they are all that matters. While it's great that Bracelet A represents your free spirit and Bracelet B stands for your resilience, if A and B do not look good together, they probably shouldn't be worn together. You might have to find another way to demonstrate your free spirit... like, by being you. ;)

All right, so there you have my recommendations. Sometimes, however, recommendations aren't enough. Sometimes they need to be seen to be believed. So, with that, here are some stacks that succeed and others that, well, fail to succeed.

SUCCESS. Gold with gold. Clunky with clunky.
Brava, @msyoung07!

FAILURE. Too many colors and shapes, not enough cohesion.
This ^ is why I'm a reluctant stacker.
I don't want to look like I have--for no reason at all--
my entire collection on at once.

SUCCESS. A limited number of pieces are on display,
and each is of medium to medium-high weight.

FAILURE. Too much geometry.

SUCCESS. (1) Makes a bold statement.
(2) All pieces are Yurman.
(3) The red coral spiritual beads provide important contrast.

FAILURE. Lack of statement and order.

SUCCESS. There's much going on, but the arrangement is
orderly, tidy, and, perhaps most important, unified.
(I love, too, the extension of the stack to the ring.)

SUCCESS/SUCCESS/FAILURE.
OK, show me what you've learned:
Which of the three wrists is the mess?

On Doorsteps Everywhere: The David Yurman 2013 Spring/Summer Catalog Is Here

The catalog's cover.
DY leads with cable and crossover bracelets
(and, of course, Catrinel Marlon).

Received last week by all those on David Yurman's mailing list was the company's latest catalog, a 36-page card-stock document featured product and promotional images from all three of DY's "Dreaming in Color" sub-campaigns, which are, in no particular order, Seduced by Vibrance, Darkness and Light, and Beauty Radiates.

The sole individual on whom DY layers its latest collections in the booklet is brunette bombshell Catrinel Menghia (Marlon), who's evidently all DY wants and/or needs in models this season (not that I am in any way complaining). While the contents of the catalog are, for those who read this blog or subscribe to DY's E-mail updates, anything but "fresh" (practically all images have been featured here or there before), the effect of the aggregate whole remains profound. I've said it before, and I'll say it again--this is going to be the season of Yurman.

Yurman seems to have saved the best for last.
I'm loving these striking-in-their-strangeness
signet rings on the catalog's back cover.

Which of the featured designs tickled my fancy the most, you ask? Why, the ones far outside my price range, but of course. (Then again, I am a man so the point is rather moot.) I am taken by the beauty of the catalog's back-cover curiosities, one-of-a-kind signet rings whose jewel-encrusted surfaces recall reptile scale. The creations, which, I have to say, don't have me thinking David Yurman, come in at (from left to right) $17000, $20000, and $15500.

Did you receive DY's latest catalog? If so, which pieces made an impression on you? Sound off by posting a comment below or by sending me an E-mail.

What's This? David Yurman Is Using Social Media as More than Just a Vehicle to Push Product?!

This profile of Ms. Neyrey serves as the first of
what I hope will be many ad-free Facebook
posts from David Yurman.

David Yurman bemused its Facebook followers yesterday when the company posted this (see right) to its wall. Wait a minute, thought those who subscribe to DY's updates. Where is the promotional image, the same one that's plastered somewhere on DavidYurman.com? Where is the advertising copy? Where is the "update" that, for all intents and purposes, is not an update at all but an advertisement masquerading as such? 

For once, it seems, David Yurman is using social media as social media is intended--to start conversations, to enable the public to feel an intimacy with the company, to help foster something akin to a relationship between a brand and the consumer. Nowhere in this posting is slogan, is a model's Bambi eyes, is product, even. No, instead, the follower is treated to a glimpse--albeit brief--behind the what-often-seems-made-of-steel curtain that separates the David Yurman customer from David Yurman, the corporation. I, for one, find this variety of update not only refreshing but, well, for lack of a better word, necessary. Using social media to hint at or tease a campaign is one thing. Using it to hawk--and hawk hard--that campaign is entirely another. For too long DY has been doing the latter. Maybe this step in the right direction will prove the first of many... or perhaps that's just wishful thinking on my part. Either way, it was very nice to meet Ms. Neyrey, to be introduced to one of the many alchemists at David Yurman.

What are your thoughts on this Facebook posting? Are you in agreement with me or do you hold a dissenting view? Sound off; post a comment or write me an E-mail.