Plus Chanel takes a Chance at The Grove and Skims touches down in Kim Kardashian’s hometown
Words by DAVID NASH and ELIZABETH VARNELL
Jacquemus brings the breezy feel of coastal Provence to L.A.
JACQUEMUS, the cultish French label known equally for surrealist shoes, massive straw hats, credit card–size purses, and viral fashion shows, has arrived on Melrose Avenue. Women’s collections embrace stripes, fruit patterns, sunny hues, and whimsical proportions inspired by coastal life, and the men’s line is equally laid-back. It’s all instantly eye-catching on social media. Founder Simon Porte Jacquemus, a creative phenom who started his label at age 19, was born in the South of France and taps into his love of seaside retreats for the new space. Olive trees line the entry and sunny yellow linen sofas evoke the golden tones of the Mediterranean coast. There are also nods to nearer bathing spots: Venice’s Muscle Beach inspired a health-driven capsule including jump ropes and barbells with the line’s instantly recognizable circle and square imagery. And, in addition to a selection of vintage jewelry, home objets, and a new Timberland collaboration yielding a monochromatic butter-colored boat shoe, there’s a Peggy Sirota snap of David Hockney, the master of L.A. pool paintings. 8804 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323-286-0004; jacquemus.com. E.V.
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Kim Kardashian’s body-conscious Skims debuts on Sunset
Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line has arrived in her hometown, complete with a monochromatic Sunset Boulevard storefront housing a 12-ft. Vanessa Beecroft sculpture. The new SKIMS boutique, designed by Rafael de Cárdenas Ltd., features tonal mannequins, ultrasuede, and Corian decor that reflect the line’s body-focused aesthetic, as do the rounded-edge fixtures and color palette attuned to the foundations, underwear, and loungewear for women and men. Collections include Fits Everybody, Cotton, Ultimate Bras, and other staples, plus monthly drops such as NikeSKIMS and more. The line, founded by Kardashian and Jens Grede and known for its stretch, technical construction, and shape, has launched partnerships with the WNBA, NBA, and USA Olympics, not to mention swimwear and bridal lingerie. At the new flagship, a SKIMS loves LA limited-edition line is debuting with proceeds going to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. 8569 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; skims.com. E.V.
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L.A. inspired Adriana Iglesias’ newest silk designs
The golden light of Los Angeles sunsets has drawn painters, novelists, filmmakers, and all manner of creatives to the city, and now Spanish fashion designer ADRIANA IGLESIAS is joining their ranks. Her Spring/Summer 2025 collection of flowing silk dresses, softly structured blazers, high-waisted trousers with matching jackets, and billowing blouses and striking jumpsuits is a love letter to the magnetic energy found on the West Coast. Known for devising looks crafted with Mulberry silk from the Northern Italian city of Como and produced across the Mediterranean in Valencia, Iglesias has been creating her limited-edition collections for more than 10 years. Michelle Monaghan, Olivia Munn, Hailey Bieber, and Kiki Layne have worn looks inspired by her Spanish roots, and the sultry pieces in her latest L.A. launch are sure to turn more heads in Hollywood. adrianaiglesias.com. E.V.
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Jimmy Choo launches a deep dive into its archives
Eight original shoe styles instrumental in establishing the JIMMY CHOO archetype are back on the eve of the house’s 30th anniversary. The Archive: 1997–2001 capsule developed by creative director Sandra Choi, along with fashion designer Conner Ives and fashion journalist Alexander Fury, includes boots, thongs, slides, and even strappy sandals from its first collection. The designs are derived from the first years after the line was established as a ready-to-wear business following its eponymous founder’s foray into bespoke shoes for members of the jet set. Also reissued are an animal print design, a sandal with leather bows, a relaxed mule, a daring boot, and a barely there sandal with an embroidered silken flower. jimmychoo.com. E.V.
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Dior is serving up a sporty spring collection
As the days get longer, DIOR is launching a sporty selection of white polo shirts, pleated skirts, and cardigans complete with a racket motif and sporty red-and-blue stripes inspired by the tennis world. The capsule, designed by the house’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, reflects her vision of alluring sportswear fit for a game with roots among royals. In addition to classic on-court attire, there are tank tops, T-shirts, shorts, briefs, and three-tone sunglasses in blue, white, and red. The French house’s lucky star emblazoned on each piece may just energize players to add spin to their serves and power to their overheads. dior.com. E.V.
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Zac Posen’s Gap evolution continues with a sculpted new collection
There’s more to fall into at the Gap with the April debut of GAPSTUDIO, an internal fashion incubator where, according to executive vice president and creative director Zac Posen, “craftsmanship, creativity and culture come together.” Developed within Gap’s New York headquarters, The Collection 01, designed by Posen, launched with several accessible wardrobe essentials that showcase the designer’s signature approach to drape, tailoring, and construction. A denim tailored trench coat, double-breasted denim blazer, and high-rise denim sailor pants flaunt new proportions and finishes, and the poplin maxi shirtdress (which sold out upon limited release last spring) is back in new colorways. gap.com. D.N.
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Kamperett is taking a Sea Ranch–inspired plunge
San Francisco–based KAMPERETT is applying its minimalist lens to swimwear, inspired by Sea Ranch’s dramatic raw coastline, architecture, pools, and saunas. The result is an edited capsule of self-lined suits designed to hug and support with beautifully clean lines made locally from Italian regenerated nylon-and-elastane material. “We mainly use natural fibers, but knew that with swimwear functionality was key, so we sought a fabric with great memory that had a regenerative component to it,” says Anna Chiu, the line’s cofounder. There are elegant one-piece suits and a two-piece style, both balancing cut with function, the culmination of a year of research and refinement. “We chose colors for our swimwear the same way we do with ready-to-wear, starting with neutrals that are easy to wear, black, sage, palm, camel, and a few pops of bright colors — coral and chartreuse — that bring a nice kind of energy,” Chiu says. kamperett.com. E.V.
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La DoubleJ and Mother dream up a print-driven capsule
J.J. Martin, founder of the boldly patterned Milanese fashion and homewares line LA DOUBLEJ, has gone back to her L.A. roots to collaborate with MOTHER on a vibrant new capsule collection of denim and dresses. The maximalist archival ’70s prints that comprise Ciao Mamma! are designed for cross-generational appeal, melding maxi dresses with dolman sleeves awash in bright graphics with denim vests and flared jeans. There’s a silk caftan, baby T-shirts, blouses, a silk scarf, and even a Western denim button-up in LDJ’s dragonfly motif. Also included are sweatshirts, minidresses, maxi skirts, high-waisted jeans, cutoffs covered in vintage-inspired patches, and a rigid denim jacket embroidered with one of five goddesses designed for the “grotta” in LDJ’s Milan store by Romanian artist Aitch. motherdenim.com; ladoublej.com. E.V.
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Louis Vuitton’s new sneaker is en pointe
What does one get when combining a trainer with a ballet flat? LOUIS VUITTON’s answer is its newest shoe, the LV Sneakerina. The hybrid design is made with myriad fabrics, from metallic or velvety leather to technical satin. Hues span jewel tones of fuchsia, forest green, and blue, plus a silver sequined pair, a beige version, black-and-white shoes, and black with monogram canvas. Just as dancers’ footwear prioritizes freedom of movement, this new streamlined model foregrounds agility, down to the flexible Sacchetto construction of its sole. The ultralight design allows for graceful steps and the minimalist look is ideal for daily use. Gliding through the day, or leaping into grand jetés while crossing the street, just got easier. louisvuitton.com. E.V.
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Miya Ando’s ruminative art arrives at Saint Laurent
Multidisciplinary artist Miya Ando spent her childhood among Buddhist priests at a temple in Okayama, Japan, and across the globe amid the redwood groves of Northern California, and she uses the lens of nature to explore the passage of time. This reverence for the fleeting beauty of the living world is the subject of her new Los Angeles show, Mono No Aware (which translates to an awareness of the ephemerality of all things), curated by SAINT LAURENT creative director Anthony Vaccarello. Paintings and silk screen prints depict clouds, frost, and galactic stars. Ando explores aspects of permanence and impermanence using fire to carbonize redwood sculptures following Japanese shou-sugi-ban techniques. Next, she paints them with silver nitrate, which transforms each surface, altering its chemical properties and guiding Ando to find harmony in the dualities. Through May 13. 469 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-4110; ysl.com. E.V.
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Chanel takes a Chance at The Grove
Inside a maze created at The Grove and open to the public, there are four words — and as many possibilities to encounter Chanel’s various interpretations of its Chance fragrance line. The special space, open through May 18, also marks the launch of the house’s newest composition, Chance Eau Splendide eau de parfum, a floral scent with rose, violet, and rose geranium plus raspberry, notes of crisp fruit, iris, cedar, and white musk created by Olivier Polge, Chanel’s in-house perfumer. The new perfume can be sampled inside the space, alongside other versions including the original Chance, Chance Eau Tendre, Chance Eau Fraiche, and Chance Eau Vive and various corresponding body products. The song “A Little More” by Angèle, the face of the fragrance, is installed in a listening station to capture the moment. 189 The Grove Dr., L.A.; chanel.com. E.V.
Portions of this story originally appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of C Magazine.
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