Philanthropist and entrepreneur Lizzie Tisch is bringing downtown to uptown, transforming the old Cartier boutique on NYC’s Madison Avenue into a modern-day cabinet of curiosities.
Like the centuries’ old rooms that housed wondrous and exotic objects, the LTD by Lizzie Tisch store features whimsical clothing and objets d’art from small, sustainable brands.
There are colorful kaftans and dress coats made with hand-loomed silks, rich brocades and wools from designer Nazzy Beglari, who’s based in New York and Abu Dhabi. There’s playful jewelry created by New York jewelry designer Mckenzie Liautaud, including the brand’s Cupola Magic Crystal necklace, which became a favorite of both Tisch and actor Sarah Jessica Parker. Not to mention the “f——–ck” mug created by artist Dustin Yager at Ceramics + Theory, as well as vintage china “insult” cups by Miss Havisham’s Curiosities, with messages such as “I Hope You Choke” and “Yep, Still Single.”
“I’m a big stalker,” says Tisch, a perpetual Vanity Fair best-dressed-lister who’s been curating pop-up boutiques in the Hamptons, Palm Beach and at the Loews Regency, the Park Avenue hotel owned by husband Jonathan, for the last five years. “I love the hunt and I love the find.”
(The couple are also dynamic patrons of the arts, donating $10 million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011, and serving as early backers of the Shed, the cultural center in Hudson Yards.)
Reclining in faded jeans and Philipp Plein velvet loafers with glittery beaded skulls on a velvet easy chair in her eponymous boutique, she explains that the “LTD” refers to both Lizzie Tisch Design and Lizze Tisch Discovers.
The store stands apart from retail on Madison Avenue, with its unfinished concrete walls and exposed pipes. A display of velvet pillows sits on piles of hay at the entrance. The space has an informal, neighborhood vibe, recalling the days when the street was home to a collection of small boutiques rather than multinational brands.
“People don’t want to shop fancy anymore, and Lizzie instinctively knew this when we found the space,” notes her partner, celebrity stylist and entrepreneur Robert Verdi. “The whole place looked like Beirut after the war.”
ReLoved upcycled sweaters, $495 to $795 and Saj upcycled jammies and jackets, $685 to $900
Tisch embraced the chaos, not wanting to cover up the flaws in the retail space. For her, the store’s raw interiors epitomized the philosophy of the brands they carry, which is “all about reviving, restoring, revitalizing — the entire aesthetic is built on renovation with a lot of tongue-in-cheek,” Verdi says.
Sustainability is also the ethos behind the store’s products, including New Yorker Darcy Barber’s quilted coats and jackets, made from repurposed textiles and comforters. Barber began making the outerwear for her brand, Socially Acceptable Jammies, during the COVID pandemic.
“I love that we are helping to bring out new content that hasn’t been seen before,” says Tisch. “We’re working with a lot of younger brands that wouldn’t otherwise find a home on Madison Avenue … and I am thrilled we are doing our part to help the city we love emerge from the pandemic.”
All at LTD by Lizzie Tisch, 828 Madison Ave.
Photos by Mackenzie Stroh; Hair: Valery Joseph, Makeup: Dani Levi
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