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East meets West here in a multicultural, multifaith yet secular democracy dating from 1923, when Ataturk, one of the world's most influential political figures of the 20th century, proclaimed a republic after almost 500 years of rule by the Ottoman Empire. And although Istanbul is home to synagogues and churches and is also the capital of the Greek Orthodox world, the city remains predominantly Islamic. On the one hand, it is so liberal that during Ramadan fasting is considered a private choice and lunchtime joints are packed. On the other, the sight of women in head scarves, which had all but disappeared, has become increasingly familiar again, in large part due to massive migrations from the more traditional Eastern side of the country, which stretches to the borders of Iran, Iraq and Syria. Istanbul is now a huge city: no accurate census is available, but the population may be as high as 18 million, making it bigger than any city in the U.S. and with a geographical spread larger than that of Los Angeles.
When Fendi's Burke caught a plane to Istanbul last June just to take in the scene, he started in Nisantasi—known as the Beverly Hills of the city—checking out the fashion group Beymen's premier store. Most of the Fendi bags were sold out or back-ordered on waiting lists. Next, he headed to Kanyon, an architecturally splendid new development comprising living, working and shopping areas with sweeping, cantilevered elevations, broad thoroughfares and intriguing side streets.
"I was absolutely taken aback. I would have expected it in America or Hong Kong, not Istanbul," Burke says. "We don't have anything like it in London, Paris or Milan." Yet it is fitting that what is bound to become the prototype for a new era of shopping malls should be in the city that invented the concept. After all, the Grand Bazaar, the world's first covered market, has been trading since before Columbus landed in the Americas and contains some 4,000 shops, banks, cafés, a police station and a post office.
Kanyon's anchor store is the just-opened Harvey Nichols—the 10th branch of the London landmark—where Fendi's in-store boutique sits alongside those of Balenciaga, Luella, Sergio Rossi, Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren. What's striking is how attractive the store is, with hand-blown glass orbs suspended above the cosmetics counters, walls of black tiles studded with Swarovski crystals and floors of glittering mosaics. Fine Turkish workmanship is also evident in the personal-shopping suites, which include opulent sitting rooms, changing rooms and even shower rooms where customers can buy, bathe and have their makeup done before heading out for the night.
"I have to admit I was expecting a mystical city where my fiancé might have to cover up," says Brian Handley, the general manager of Harvey Nichols, who moved to Istanbul from Britain five months ago. "but the nightlife is incredible, and there's such a desire for fashion. They really push the boundaries and know all the Western brands. There's so much wealth, yet this is seriously undersaturated as a market."