Photo: BOFFO & Nicola Formichetti

If Nicola Formichetti had it his way, his new Walker Street pop up would stay pretty much empty throughout its two week run. “I told everyone yesterday that I don’t want anyone in the store because it looks really beautiful when there’s only one person!”  He’s right, because the space is made of broken mirrors, and it’s kind of dizzying to add people into the mix when vintage Versace‘s reflected in a hundred different mirrors. “I’m not overhwlemed,” he promised. “I just want everything perfect. And it’s never like that.” The shop, which opens with three sets of TV screens playing Formichetti’s collaboration with MAC, the building of the pop-up shop, and a retrospective of his work, offers racks full of Mugler as well as mannequins draped in Haus of Gaga looks and shelves lined with everything from massive platform shoes to one of a kind skateboards featuring Rico, the entirely tattooed model who’s become a Mugler regular. In fact, Formichetti’s had trouble editing down the wares. “The first thing I thought was, ‘How am I gonig to make a shop with all of the things that I like?’  I have a whole building in Soho full of stuff that I have to bring in somehow. I don’t want to bring everything because I want it to look quite nice—and I don’t want to have a jumble sale—so everyday I’ll bring in something new.” So what then wasn’t right? “Everything! I’m never satisfied,” Formichetti sighed, admitting that he starts thinking about next season before this one’s even hit the runway. He is, however, thrilled with the way the space turned out. He says he didn’t even need to listen to BOFFO’s pitch, he was sold after one look at their rendering. As for whether they’ll be appointed architects of Mugler’s stores? “Well I haven’t asked them yet…” On our way out, between the teeth-plated bracelets and bondage corsets, we spotted what looked like a vial of blood. It’s not real, but Formichetti promises the Swarsovski-covered rings are “real zombie pandas.”    Something for everyone!