Claire Distenfeld

Business

How Scott Stringer Became New York's Most Fashionable Candidate

Last night New York City comptroller candidate Scott Stringer hosted a fundraiser at the Maritime Hotel in Chelsea. The world "comptroller" alone sounds utterly and terminally unhip--and Stringer, himself, middle-aged white guy politician and wearer of practical suits, doesn't exactly scream "cool" either. Yet, the event could have easily been mistaken for an exclusive fashion party. The host committee read like a veritable who's who of the fashion industry and downtown scene: Lena Dunham, The Man Repeller's Leandra Medine, Pamela Love, Emily Weiss, Vogue's Chloe Malle and Thessaly La Force, and Claire Distenfeld were all listed. Harper's Bazaar's Laura Brown and Prabal Gurung came out, too. So why were they there?

Style

Ugly Is In for Summer Footwear

Athletic, orthopedic and downright dorky sandals are popping up on the feet of some of the coolest girls I know. We're not just talking about Adidas shower sandals: Tevas and Birkenstocks are also becoming favorites. Yes, this is a real thing.

Style

Style Advice I Learned from My Father

Dads. They get some pretty funny ideas about style. Like that wearing Hawaiian shirts is acceptable year-round. Or that socks with sandals is a totally cool look. But, though they may not be the most obvious style icons in our life, they've certainly passed down their own brand of sartorial wisdom--for better or worse. So, in honor of Father's Day, we asked our favorite fashion and celebrity friends--from Leandra Medine and Olivia Palermo to Wyclef Jean and Richard Chai--to share the most memorable style advice they ever got from their dad.

Shopping

Meet the 26-Year-Old Behind New Boutique (and Colette Rival) FiveStory

When New York native Claire Distenfeld hit 25, like most young 20-somethings, she had something of a quarterlife crisis. "I had a few months of 'What am I going to do with my life?' moments" she told me. Unlike most 20-somethings, the answer for Distenfeld was an incredibly ambitious undertaking: to launch a luxury retail space in New York to rival Colette in Paris or Corso Como in Milan. Last night, fashion's elite gathered to celebrate the opening of Distenfeld's boutique, FiveStory, which is not five stories, but two and a half floors of a gorgeous townhouse on East 68th St (number 18, if you're in the neighborhood). The boutique, which Claire opened with the help of her father, Fred, displays a meticulously curated and unexpected selection of women's and men's apparel, accessories, jewelry, shoes, kids and home wares displayed just-so in a space designed by Ryan Korbon. The floors are black and white marble and the staircases are lined with wrought iron balustrade. Read: This store is fancy. Thankfully, the upscale setting and location doesn't necessarily mean that what's for sale there is prohibitively pricey. There is contemporary clothing too, priced between $200 and $600. We caught up with Claire to ask her how a 26 year old managed to pull this whole thing off.