Images by Jenni Avins

I’ve always found my subway landing, the Hewes Street stop of the JMZ train in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to be somewhat cinematic. Its raised platform provides a birds-eye view of Hooper Street and music from Moto, a romantic little restaurant marked by a bicycle suspended outside, can often be heard as I descend the metal staircase to the sidewalk.

Last night, it was decidedly less picturesque. Moto was closed, spotlights glared harshly on Broadway and thick wires coiled around the corner of Hooper, where I overheard “Tony Baloney,” a neighborhood fixture, tell a curious passerby that a Chanel ad was being filmed.

This morning, all traces of the camera crews and their equipment were gone—as was Tony Baloney.

Was it a dream? I called Billy Phelps, Moto’s owner, to find out. He told me the commercial was indeed for Chanel, and none other than Martin Scorsese was directing.

Cinematic, indeed.

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Moto

Hooper Street

Left: Courtney Crangi & Sidney Prawatyotin; Right: Jennifer Mankins & Ole Sondresen

Co-hosted by Refinery 29, the lively opening was packed wall-to-wall with stylists, designers and loyal Bird fans, who gushed about the store’s spacious 2,500-square-foot interior. Between sips of Red Stripe and champagne, they were heard shouting, “This place is gorgeous!” while swaying to the mixed beats of DJ Holy Ghost. Emotive works from photographers Shaniqwa Jarvis and Ignacio Parodi enhanced the store’s rustic brick walls, and partygoers couldn’t keep their hands from wandering through the racks of designer temptations.

Maintaining an air of bohemian nonchalance in her emerald Thakoon dress (Bird recently picked up the label), Mankins enthusiastically explained her retail vision. Influenced by Scandinavian design, she wanted the store’s aesthetic to be organic with “simple wood and soft fabrics.” With the help of renowned Norwegian architect Ole Sondresen, Mankins not only achieved an “organic” look but also built a sustainable, green store that is LED certified.

“The space compliments the clothes rather than complimenting itself,” noted a deservedly proud Sondresen. But with such an exceptional collection of men’s and women’s wear, it would be hard for the clothes to fall out of the foreground.Combining such fashion favorites as Stella McCartney and Maison Martin Margiela with emerging designers and local labels, Mankins has curated a sophisticated store that caters to her customers’ every whim.

“Jen is a great buyer; a great editor,” said Courtney Crangi (aka Giles) of Giles & Brother, a NYC-based jewelry line carried in the Bird boutiques. Each of the featured designers is so different, so unique, but Mankins seamlessly unites them to represent the smart, cool, free urban spirit that rests at the heart of the Bird mentality.

Bird 203 Grand Street, Brooklyn, New York 11211.

Images courtesy of photographer Olivia Jade Horner and Refinery 29.