Consuelo Castiglioni doesn't like the obvious. Her new Marni store is no exception. Rather than open a boutique on Fifth Avenue or Madison Avenue, Castiglioni opted for a 2,500-square-foot, two-level space on the quiet, tree-lined East 67th Street, at No. 21. "Most of my stores are in a location that is somewhat discreet with a hidden element," she said. "I like for our customer to have the sensation of discovering the boutique."

There's plenty to discover inside the store. Architecture firm Sybarite cut a hole in the ceiling at the front to create a double-height entrance. Fiberglass mannequins dangle from the second-floor ceiling, visible to shoppers on the floor below. At the back of the store, in the shoe area, a giant abstract stainless steel tree grows through to the second hole via another hole in the ceiling. Walls were purposely left unpainted near the top and bottom for an unfinished look, with intentionally visible roller marks creating striations on the Sheetrock. White angular plastic screens of different heights and shapes cover areas of the walls.

The unit is Marni's second in Manhattan. A store on Mercer Street in SoHo bowed in 2002 and was expanded in October when the brand took over the space next door, doubling in size. Marni, which had sales of $174 million in 2008, is expected to open a store at CityCenter in Las Vegas by year's end. Freestanding accessories stores "are in the planning stages." Castiglioni said she decided to open a second boutique here "to better service our customers living uptown."