Each month we share five unmissable things to see and do in the Golden State. You heard it here first.
Words by DAVID NASH, ELIZABETH VARNELL, and S. IRENE VIRBILA
SAN FRANCISCO
This Floral Art Show Is Anything But Garden Variety
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is celebrating its 41st year, and BOUQUETS TO ART is once again in full bloom. In celebration of the Legion of Honor’s centennial — and for the first time in the annual fundraiser’s history — the event’s extravagant nature-inspired displays will extend from the de Young into the halls of its 100-year-old sister institution. Between the two venues, more than 100 lush and colorful creations will transform the museums into a veritable feast for the senses. The weeklong event also includes programs led by well-known floral experts like winner of HBO’s Full Bloom, Conner Nesbit, and Napa Valley floral designer Christina Yan (who is known for her use of unexpected materials), as well as San Francisco designer Tyson Lee, whose experimental creations are as thought-provoking as they are eccentric. As a special treat, a gigantic installation conceived by Raul Dueñas welcomes visitors in the Legion’s central Rodin gallery. June 3–8. 100 34th Ave., S.F., and 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, S.F.; famsf.org. D.N.
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WEST HOLLYWOOD
Thom Browne Makes His Return to L.A. With First Flagship
THOM BROWNE’s instantly recognizable downsized aesthetic, often embellished with sporty stripes, has landed in Los Angeles among the ivy-covered facades of Melrose Place. The new 2,000-square-foot West Coast flagship housing his precisely tailored suits, ready-to-wear, bags, and accessories for men and women is designed to resemble a mid-century office with mini blinds, fluorescent lighting, a sliding library ladder, and chairs and desks by Jacques Adnet, George Nakashima, and Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Here, in the city where the designer lived for much of the 1990s, Browne’s crisp collared shirts, jackets with strong shoulders, and abbreviated ties join basketball jerseys and sweaters embroidered with the number 65, the year of his birth. Pinstripes and grosgrain are as ubiquitous as pleated skirts, and all manner of utility trousers, shorts, and tapered chinos give his footwear — including loafers, sneakers, brogues, or wingtip pumps — its place in the sun. 8408 Melrose Pl., L.A., 213-357-0420; thombrowne.com. E.V.
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BEVERLY HILLS
These Pastries and Scones Are Pure Couture
Calling all fashionistas: Don’t miss tea at the MAYBOURNE BEVERLY HILLS, which features not only the expected jam-slathered scones and dainty tea sandwiches, but also astonishingly intricate pastries in homage to Hollywood’s red carpet. The Maybourne’s sister hotel in London, The Berkeley, has been delighting fashion mavens with its Prêt-à-Portea tea service based on each season’s couture shows for some two decades. For this first season at the Beverly Hills hotel, executive pastry chef Brooke Martin is channeling iconic red carpet looks like ankle wrap sandals Taylor Swift wore at the 2021 Grammy Awards and Bjork’s Oscars swan dress, which makes its entrance as a pavlova with passion fruit ganache and swan meringue. 225 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-860-7980; maybournebeverlyhills.com. S.I.V.
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SAN DIEGO
An Historic Boutique Hotel Is Reimagined With an Emphasis on Exclusivity
Originally commissioned by prominent banker Ralph Granger — and built in 1904 by celebrated architect William Quayle — the 96-room Romanesque-style property now known as the GRANGER HOTEL is San Diego’s first “guest-only” hotel. The property, including the hotel lobby and cocktail bar, is private, and access is permitted only to overnight guests and their visitors. The building’s fabled history adds to its allure: It was once home to the original Bank of Italy and to one of the city’s most famous jewelers, Joseph Jessop, and San Diego Zoo founder Dr. Harry Wegeforth used it to house young animals while their habitats were being completed. Following a $30 million renovation, the stylish interiors feature imported handmade tiles, unusual rose marble, custom furniture, and vintage artworks spanning the 1920s to the ’70s. Each guest room also includes original 120-year-old doors that swing open into the unique and eclectic studio-style accommodations. From $179 per night. 964 Fifth Ave., San Diego, 619-485-5006; grangerhotel.com. D.N.
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LOS ANGELES
A Gallery Concept to Feed Your Appetite for Art
Rosa Park, founder and director of Francis Galleries in L.A. and Bath, England, debuts a third gallery concept with CASA FRANCIS. The art advocate’s 1929 Spanish colonial West Hollywood residence has been transformed into a spartan-yet-stylish exhibition space with its inaugural show, Bap meogeosseouyo? The Korean phrase, which means “Have you eaten today?,” is a way to check in on a person’s well-being. In that hospitable tradition, guests are welcomed with Korean tea and biscuits in the garden before taking a private one-hour tour of the home. Reflecting on the idea of sustenance, nine Korean and L.A. area artists — including Koo Bohnchang, Ash Roberts, Will Calver, Nancy Kwon, and John Zabawa — reflect on the idea of sustenance in its most basic form. A no-social-media policy requires you to remain strictly in the moment. By appointment only. Through June 12. 323-413-2327; la@francisgallery.com; francisgallery.com. D.N.
June 2025
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