Holding their press preview just days before Christmas, Dover Street Market is finally open in New York. We went, we saw, we took mental notes…

• It’s pretty much identical to the original DSM in London — thank god! — but with a slightly different roster of labels.

• The most jaw-dropping of the site-specific artworks is Magda Sayek’s yarn installation, where she covered a giant column with a rainbow-colored knit like a column cozy!

• Apparently Rei Kawakubo herself envisioned (read micro-managed) the architecture elements and interior design. She was spotted darting around the space — convening with the designers, artists, and movers — days and hours before opening.

• Like the DSM in London and Tokyo, labels are invited to personalize their own space, or rooms. Which makes sense, since designers tend to be perfectionists — like Thom Browne, who created what looks like a private detective’s office from film noir.

• You could seriously go nuts here. In addition to its own 15 lines, Comme des Garçons shares the multi-floor space with the likes of Rick Owens, Yves Saint Laurent, and Azzedine Alaïa. (Plus, there is a fall/winter sale going on at the moment!)

• Prada — known for its art collaborations, not fashion — has created a capsule collection exclusively for the store, called Prada at Dover Street Market.

• Louis Vuitton, too, has assembled a space. Except theirs is extra-special as it’s the only one on the first floor. It’s a pop-up that lasts three months, featuring Kim Jones’ men’s line first, followed by women’s.

• So nice of Rose Bakery to provide nibbly bits. Delicious!

• A staff member told us we’d get younger if we went up a staircase that looked like a purple cocoon. We tried, it didn’t work.