The pretty The Wing West Hollywood has thrown open its doors, with everything you need right at your fingertips
Words by MARIE LOOK
The seventh Wing outpost by media darling duo Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan brings the pair’s members-only women’s club to an 11,000-square-foot space in West Hollywood that includes stylishly appointed workplaces, conversation pits, long banquettes, phone booths, private work nooks and even a 2,000-square-foot, wraparound terrace complete with swing cabanas for alfresco brainstorming sessions.
Weaving elements of an old Hollywood aesthetic throughout, The Wing West Hollywood features custom wallpapers, neon custom lighting, plush couches outfitted in Raf Simmons fabrics and an original Cristina Celestino-tiled reception desk. A coastal scallop motif pops up in assorted places, and a cheery, pastel color palette extends to the terrazzo tile, custom Italian hand-blown glass pendant lights, and serpentine sofas by L.A.’s Voila! Creative Studios.
Building your empire and getting appointment-ready at the same time is a cinch, thanks to the on-site showers, lockers and “beauty room” (fully stocked with products by Chanel and women-owned brands); and the dedicated mothers’ room and childcare space, called The Little Wing, ensures the smallest entrepreneurs have a home away from home here, too.
Between meetings, you can refuel and caffeinate via the full-service cafe and bar, which makes it a point to highlight coffee, baked goods, and other fare by local female purveyors and artisans, including Cowgirl Creamery, Bellwether Farms and Equator Coffee, to name just a few. After five o’clock, trade industry tips with fellow members while sipping one of the more than 20 Californian biodynamic wines by women vintners, such as vintages by Donkey & Goat, Oeno Wines, Martha Stoumen Wines and others.
Of special note on The Wing West Hollywood’s menu are collaborative dishes by notable area chefs Nancy Silverton (Pizzeria Mozza), Melissa Perello (Octavia & M. Georgina), Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson (both of Kismet), and Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins (El Jardin), whose creations were designed to not only taste great but also to showcase sustainable ingredients from local small businesses.
In between work sessions, the on-site lending library and art gallery are there to keep your creative juices flowing. In partnership with Strand Bookstore in New York City and Skylight Books in L.A., The Wing has curated more than 2,000 titles for its library, encompassing contemporary women’s literature, art and fashion folios, and books on feminist theory and other topics important to women. Meanwhile, the club’s art curator, Lolita Cros, has made a permanent exhibition of rotating works by both established and up-and-coming California artists, with all pieces available for purchase.
Fostering further inspiration are weekly events like financial planning workshops, panel discussions, social hours, fitness classes and support group meetings. And with high-profile founding members such as producer Shonda Rhimes, actor Maya Rudolph, and author and activist Janet Mock, not to mention a slew of other female leaders across the realms of entertainment, food, politics, technology and nonprofits, The Wing West Hollywood is poised to deliver a knockout programming lineup year over year. From $2,350 annually. 8550 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood.
Feature image: The expansive wraparound terrace at THE WING WEST HOLLYWOOD. Photo by Madeline Tolle.
This story originally appeared in the Summer 2019 issue of C magazine and has been updated as of June 11, 2019.
