Luxury Retailer Ludivine Moves to New Location on Upper East Side

Ludivine, the womenswear boutique known for its curated assortment of women’s designer clothing, has opened a new 2,500-square-foot flagship at 28 East 73rd Street in New York.

Originally founded on West 4th Street in Greenwich Village by French native Ludivine Gregoire, the retailer is recognized as the first store in New York to introduce brands like Golden Goose, Gabriela Hearst, Khaite and Auralee.

Madison Dowd, the owner of Ludivine, bought the store from Gregoire in 2018 when Dowd was 22 years old and fresh out of Fordham University. At the time, the store was situated on 83rd Street and Lexington Avenue. A business major, Dowd initially took out small business loans and worked with Gregiore, who mentored her for a few seasons and took her to Paris on buying trips, before parting ways. Dowd later moved the store to 66th Street and Madison Avenue for four years before relocating to its current location.

Discussing the reason for the latest move, Dowd said, “Mostly I was inspired by the change in Madison Avenue’s retail scene right now and we felt we wanted to be more part of the neighborhood in the 70s, although only seven blocks away from our old location. We felt this part was the sweet spot,” Dowd said.

She said her customer is “the wealthy Upper East women, but she is cool and understands fashion.”

“Our brands are luxury but they’re under the radar,” she said. She appreciates that they’re something to be discovered and not sold everywhere. Among the brands they do well with are Gabriela Hearst, Etro, R13 denim and Elder Statesman.

She said this new location is a great opportunity to capture a new customer. She said there are stores such as Toteme, Khaite and FoundRae that are attracting a younger customer to the avenue. “It’s an exciting time to cultivate this customer on the Upper East Side, and it will be great to entertain and have trunk shows and art events,” she said.

The store, which was designed by Emily Ord of Studio Order, is located on two floors in a town house right off 73rd Street.

“The store was originally a hair salon that we renovated, and it took quite a bit of time. I was inspired by the second floor which has these beautiful French windows so it felt like a Parisian living room in the middle of the Upper East Side,” she said. “I was excited about having this additional space so we can host people and invite people in and cultivate the new uptown customer in this store.”

The first floor contains their best favorite ready-to-wear pieces, and some shoes, and upstairs there’s denim, more ready-to-wear, the fitting rooms and the sofa. “It’s more intimate upstairs, and more showroom style hosting,” she said. There are fitting rooms on both floors.

The store is open seven days a week.

Asked if she’s concerned about shipments coming in for the fall, she said, “I’ve heard from a few brands that they’re changing their cost structures a bit to account for the tariffs, but nothing is delayed,” she said.

The store officially opens to the public on Thursday.

This fall, Ludivine will introduce Freya, the retailer’s first label designed in-house and informed by nearly a decade of working with a discerning clientele. The pieces are crafted in couture level lace, beading and tweed fabrics and designed in easy shapes like a simple slip, a hoodie and boxy jacket. Retail prices for the fall collection range from $1,500 to $6,500.