Since its expansion in the 1980s, when it transformed itself from a reliable menswear merchant into a trendsetter for both sexes, Barneys has been known for showcasing new designers as well as established pioneers of fashion. In the flagship store on Madison Avenue, the beauty department occupies the entire lower level, which is cleverly dubbed The Foundation. If you can pass the countless cosmetics counters without getting distracted, you will find the fragrance area stretched along one wall. The men’s and women’s scents are arranged together along a single counter, and that counter is staffed by a phalanx of assistants who will demonstrate the fragrances, letting you know which ones are newest to the line-up…
Founded as an apothecary in 1838, C. O. Bigelow Chemists has thrived into the twenty-first century as an unlikely, but very popular, combination of neighborhood drugstore and high-end beauty emporium. Its aisles are crowded with long-time local customers waiting for their prescriptions to be filled at the pharmacy, as well as visiting aficionados of luxury toiletries, hard-to-find home fragrance lines, and unusual perfumes. 
A first visit to the