Cut 25: Yigal Azrouel's New Store Opens In Soho (PHOTOS)

Stylelist | By Sarah Leon | Become a fan | Posted: 02/03/12 12:55 PM ET | Updated: 02/05/12 01:37 AM ET

Thursday night, it felt as if all of Manhattan attended the opening of Yigal Azrouel's new store for his diffusion line Cut 25. Or, maybe it just seemed that way since the long, clothing-filled space had not a spare inch of free space. As I pushed my way to the back, past the trays of Champagne and plates of cute, brightly colored bracelets, we found the designer himself, standing with his co-hosts Moda Operandi's Hayley Bloomingdale, actress Zelda Williams, Vogue's Bookings Editor Valerie Boster and photographer Jaime Johnson.

Cut 25, which is located at 129 Grand Street, isn't the only high-end shop in the neighborhood. Azrouel explained, "I love Soho, it still represents the real artists in New York. It's very trendy, and fun and it is always in style. Even all the big luxury brands, like Stella McCartney just opened here, you have like Jil Sander, Derek Lam, Opening Ceremony, so many more."

"Trendy" and "fun" are two excellent words to describe the neighborhood, and the pieces in Azrouel's Cut 25 line: "I felt like the contemporary market was missing something," the Israeli American designer explained, "There wasn't anything with that heat, that's sexy, but also cool and chic at the same time. It's artistic, in a way. Effortless, you know?"

We do know. And so does Azrouel. As an attractive, straight man working as a designer in the New York fashion industry, he has quite a unique perspective on the way women should dress. "I love women, so for me it makes a difference. It's not about a dream for me, it's about the reality when I think about what a woman wants to wear. The way I want to see a woman is what I design." Looking out at the crowded store, past the stretchy mini-dresses and cropped t-shirts, Azrouel explained his sexy designs, "How confident women are, is what makes the clothes sexy. It's not what they wear. It's how you wear the clothes. I think that a woman who is very confident can wear anything. You can see a beautiful woman, but if she's not confident about herself it doesn't matter what she puts on."

Azrouel, who has been with his girlfriend for over a year, seems like the perfect boyfriend (think of all the free clothes!), but he may find himself in the doghouse soon: "I've been bad, I have been working like crazy. I definitely have to do something for Valentine's Day." He does have an excuse, however, as Valentine's Day inconveniently takes place during New York Fashion Week. "I am just working crazy hours," he explained, "like a machine. I saw my full collection yesterday, and I couldn't believe it. You have to enjoy the work. If you don't enjoy it, then that's not what it's about."

Following fashion week, Azrouel has plans to go surfing, "I have been surfing all my life, I learned when I was 6-years-old," but that doesn't mean he will be taking it easy. When asked whether or not the busy designer would expand his empire further and pursue a mass retail collaboration a la Jason Wu or Karl Lagerfeld, "I'd think about it. Why not?"