American Dream's long-awaited luxury retail wing opens. Here's a look inside

EAST RUTHERFORD — After a year's delay, the 300,000-square-foot luxury retail wing at American Dream opened Friday.  

The new wing is anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, marking its return to New Jersey after closing its last Garden State store five years ago at the Mall at Short Hills. 

Ken Downing, the chief creative officer at American Dream and Triple Five Group, was on hand to cut the ribbon along with interior decorator Jonathan Adler, who designed the sculptures throughout the two-floor wing. 

"Who knew New Jersey would be the ultimate glamour spot?" said Adler, a New Jersey native from Bridgeton. Adler also plans to open his own store in what's been dubbed "The Avenue."

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Saks Fifth Avenue sprawls over 113,000 square feet across two levels featuring many high-end brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. 

Saks Fifth Avenue also had a store at The Shops at Riverside in Hackensack that closed in 2014.

The Avenue wing will ultimately host more than 20 stores, including Hermès, Saint Laurent, Tiffany & Co., Dolce & Gabbana and Mulberry. 

Gourmet dining options will include Florida-based Carpaccio, also scheduled to open in September. It will be the restaurant's first Northeast location. Also opening is Brüt, a Champagne bar featuring sparkling wines from all over the world, with sweet and savory pairings. 

The common area of The Avenue will feature seating and sculptures designed by Adler.

A handful of stores were ready to open on Friday, including Hermès, which instantly had a line of customers form after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

Other stores that opened included Dolce & Gabbana, Johnny Was, and Mulberry.

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The corridor of The Avenue is lined with bright colorful artwork that Downing called "barricade art" featuring pink balloon poodles, pearls, porcelain figures and other interpretations of luxury. The barricades hide the construction of other stores that are not yet open. 

Coming soon are Saint Laurent, Alexander Wang, Gentle Monster and Tiffany & Co.

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In between the unique Adler sculptures, an art and fashion exhibit called Intersection: Art Meets Fashion, will be on view until Oct. 1. It features collections by American designers that are available to purchase at Saks Fifth Avenue. The displays have information available through QR code that can be scanned on a phone. 

Many characters from other portions of the mall helped with the ribbon-cutting including Dream Works water park character Shrek, Angry Birds from the mini-golf experience, and SpongeBob and Blue from Blue's Clues from the Nickelodeon Universe theme park. 

Running down a center aisle is a long fountain that can be turned into a runway for fashion shows, Downing said. 

"We put our heart and soul into The Avenue to bring this gem to New Jersey," Downing said. 

The Bal Harbour, Florida-based restaurant Carpaccio also opened at The Avenue on Friday Executive chef Gaetano Ascione has an Italian cuisine menu. 

“There are few moments that make me as proud as unveiling The Avenue at American Dream,” said Don Ghermezian, CEO of American Dream. “The addition of luxury shopping from the most sought-after fashion brands to our world-class attractions and contemporary retail has solidified American Dream as a destination not seen anywhere else.”

Kristie Cattafi is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: cattafi@northjersey.com

Twitter: @KristieCattafi