For Just One Night, Bottega Veneta Took Over NYC’s Iconic Bookstore The Strand

On a normal day, food and drink are strictly prohibited inside The Strand, one of New York’s most iconic bookstores. But Matthieu Blazy, creative director of Bottega Veneta, has a way of bending the rules—and to fabulous effect.

The Strand’s iconic three-story building, located below Union Square and known for its creaky wood floors and towering stacks of books, was transformed for an intimate dinner. On the top floor—where the shop’s inimitable rare books collection is usually located—a mobile kitchen was erected. An army of cooks whipped up lobster and burrata, seared halibut, shrimp and gnocchi in a red sauce, and cocoa-dusted tiramisu. While the second floor became a warmly-lit dining room, soft music filling the space. A sprawling cloth-covered table for fifty Blazy-approved guests sat in the center. Euphoria star Angus Cloud, musician Kevin Abstract, artist Arthur Jafa, actor Chloë Sevigny, and model Bella Hadid were all present. And right by Hadid’s side the entire night? A bag from the bookish meets fashion collaboration the grand affair was celebrating.

Blazy decided to partner with The Strand for one of his first collaborations as creative director, a role he has held for less than a year. The result: Oversized leather totes screen-printed with The Strand’s logo. At the start of the dinner, Blazy talked of his special connection to The Strand, sharing a story of once spending so long in the store that he fell asleep on the third floor. “I was reading a bad book,” he joked. (Blazy is certainly a bibliophile: the brand released an Olivetti typewriter-inspired capsule earlier this year.)

During the night, Nancy Wyden, owner of The Strand, seemed awestruck. At the cocktail reception, which took place on the ground floor, Wyden gaped at the portraits of her paternal line that decorate the walls. The images paint how the store has passed through the family since it first opened in 1924 on 4th Ave’s bygone “Book Row.” She appeared moved.

“My ancestors—there’s Grandpa Ben, there’s Fred Bass, and there’s me with my dad,” she said, pointing up at the images. “I keep thinking about what they would think about tonight. Never in a million years would they think that our logo would be on a Bottega bag.” Were they fashion people at all? “Not at all,” she said with a laugh.