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By Marcelle S. Fischler

The plums on the shelves at the eastern end of theAmericana Manhasset are Gucci pocketbooks. Next door,some fine peaches can be found among Louis Vuitton'sleather luggage. Around the corner at St. John, pricey knitsuits have replaced prime beef.

The posh boutiques, which officially opened on Sept. 3,replacing a Waldbaum's in the Americana Manhassetshopping center, are part of the continuing metamorphosis

of this 225,000-square-foot stretch of shops alongNorthern Boulevard that rivals Worth Avenue in PalmBeach or Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

Nancy DeMatteis and Carol Wolowitz, grandmothers andfriends from Manhasset who call themselves ''black-beltshoppers,'' don't miss the sales on bananas or the double-coupon specials.

''At our age we really don't supermarket shop,'' said Ms.DeMatteis, who like Ms. Wolowitz is part of the luxurypack who frequent the high-end apparel, jewelry and giftboutiques during breaks from schedules packed with golf and volunteer work and charity events. ''We're lunch

people. We're dinner people. It's more important to havethe elegance and completion of this area.''

Ms. Wolowitz said she had frequented this stretch of theGold Coast's ''miracle mile'' for more than 40 years. ''Wedon't have to go to Madison Avenue or Worth Avenue orRodeo Drive,'' she said. ''We have it all here.''

From silk-screened Hermès scarves and Dior gowns to theemerald green velvet Yves Saint Laurent runway jacketsthat are selling like hotcakes at $1,59 5 a pop at itswickedly glamorous new boutique, the scent of money atthe Americana is as voluptuous as the flowers along itslandscaped walkways.

While chains like Talbot's and Banana Republic still havespace, and the first freestanding Ellen Tracy shop in thenation is moving in this month back to back with DanaBuchman, the latest and most extensive renovation of theshopping center in its nearly 50-year history is devotedalmost exclusively to brands that target the rich.

Which was exactly the evolution Frank Castagna, the

owner and developer, had in mind when he asked thearchitect Peter Marino 18 years ago to refine and developa master plan for the double-sided strip mall.

''I don't do shopping centers,'' Mr. Marino recalled

responding. But Mr. Castagna wanted the shoppingcenter, which once had a Baker's Shoes, a Swenson's icecream parlor and a movie theater, to be a premiershopping destination, not a mall. Mr. Marino, a designerknown for creating Barneys New York, Louis Vuitton andChristian Dior boutiques, accepted the challenge.

''There's Madison Avenue,'' Mr. Marino said. ''There'sAvenue Montaigne in Paris and then there's Manhasset.What we have created is really on an international scale.''

Mr. Marino said the shopping destination was anythingbut another Long Island strip mall.

''We never call this a suburban shopping center,'' Mr.Marino said, as valets parked a steady stream of Lexuses,Mercedeses and Range Rovers, the rooftops of oversizedbut decidedly suburban homes visible across the road,nary a skyscraper or apartment building in sight. ''I callthis my semi-urban street of shops.''

''Suburb sort of implies overweight people in sandals,''Mr. Marino told a slightly pudgy reporter who had wornsandals instead of Manolo Blahniks. ''This is not sub-

Post-Waldbaum’s, a Rival to Rodeo Drive

as seen in

Sunday, September 14, 2003

Dior is one of the new high-end boutiques that replaced theWaldbaum’s store at the Americana Manhasset. Other retailersthat have opened there include Gucci, Hermès, Louis Vuitton,St. John and Yves Saint Laurent

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