Close out the lazy days of the season with spare, modern essentials from these chic stops
Words by ELIZABETH VARNELL
Beyond Denim
Solidifying its relocation to Los Angeles last spring, BLDWN, the Kansas City-bred denim line that’s become a full-fledged ready-to-wear brand helmed by Johnathan Crocker, selected Melrose Place for its flagship boutique. The minimalist space, designed in collaboration with Montalba Architects (the minds behind The Row’s nearby outpost), is filled with Platner tables and Eames chairs — nods to modern American design — in addition to floor-length poplin shirt dresses and ivory jeans. Crocker says his vision for the space is rooted in “an American Identity, a space that celebrates American design.” For him, apple pie, baseball and Coca-Cola are less interesting signifiers of our nationality than Frank Lloyd Wright, Bob Dylan, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Georgia O’Keeffe, Donald Judd or Billie Holiday. The new space and a slew of custom T-shirts launching as part of BLDWN’s latest project (called “American is …”) are an exploration of the timely concept. 8424 Melrose Place, L.A.
Pared Down
Intentionally crafted accessories fill the windows at Fred Segal on Sunset, where the Want Les Essentiels pop-up (open through the end of the year) combines classic bag and backpack designs from the decade-old Canadian brand with fresh looks dreamed up by its new creative director, Christine Charlebois. The Central Saint Martins graduate’s inaugural collection includes the ingenious Luka belt crafted in Italian leather that’s designed to hold a series of Round, Rectangle and Half Moon belt bags that zip open to hold, well, the essentials. Fred Segal, 8500 Sunset Blvd., L.A.
Pretty in Pink
Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel’s light-filled Melrose boutique just got even brighter. Their coveted made-in-Italy Mansur Gavriel bags and shoes are now available in a new vibrant, end-of-summer coral shade, and if that isn’t eye-catching enough, the boutique just added a Ladurée outpost, complete with a 1,550-square-foot garden patio where the famed candy-colored French macarons earn pride of place. The 28-seat cafe serves avocado toast, omelets, salads and club sandwiches, and the dessert menu includes La Rose, a location-exclusive pink confection combining rose panna cotta, rose pound cake, white chocolate and raspberry confit. La vie en rose, indeed. 8475 Melrose Place, L.A.
Feature image: Inside BLDWN’s new flagship boutique on Melrose Place in Los Angeles.
Aug. 20, 2019
