Printed
February 2, 2025
In stark distinction to the shops of Los Angeles, Melrose Place has been setting itself aside for the previous 25 years.
Developed within the early Seventies round a church and a theater, this romantic two-block avenue was lengthy occupied by vintage outlets, artwork galleries and adorning manufacturers, in addition to a couple of architects’ workplaces, together with that of Scott Mitchell. It gained worldwide reputation within the mid-90s, due to the TV collection of the identical identify, though it was not truly filmed in Melrose Place.
Balmain retailer at 8421 Melrose Place, Los Angeles – Alexis Chenu
Now tree-lined and bird-whistling, Melrose Place is monopolized by vogue manufacturers, a few of which have their one and solely West Coast retailer right here. In all, Melrose Place boasts 48 outlets stretching from North Melrose Avenue within the West to East La Cienega within the East. The posh sector, which has a powerful presence on Melrose Place, now boasts 12 homes, all vying for the best architectural initiatives to showcase their collections, and discovering addresses right here which might be much more sensible and confidential than Beverly Hills, and paparazzi-free, to usher in stylists and celebrities. Italian vogue label Marni was one of many first to arrange store right here in 2004. A outstanding boutique with large porthole home windows. The second The Row retailer opened in 2014 by sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. A very charming location, with a pool and an outstanding patio that includes an olive tree planted in tribute to their good friend James “Jay” Ott, who died in 2014. An ultra-selective constructing, previously occupied by singer Neil Diamond and hair salon John Frieda, the place gross sales groups forbid images to be taken, a rarity in Los Angeles.
One other vogue establishment on Melrose Place, Belgian vogue home Martin Margiela, which opened in 2023, revealed its model new design idea in a superb Artwork Deco constructing, after a number of years in Beverly Hills. Breaking fully with its former scientific and couture spirit, the brand new idea imagined by Dutch architect Anne Holtrop, performs with uncooked supplies, summary types and pure cuts. In the course of the shop, a screen-like set up all in white plaster, highlights the 5AC line.
New VIP house at Chloe retailer at 8448 Melrose Place, Los Angeles – Alexis Chenu
Additionally featured are Balmain, Oscar de la Renta, Bottega Veneta, and Chloé, which opened in 2009 and has simply opened a brand-new VIP and occasion house that includes elegant classic furnishings and work by Danish artist Mie Olise Kjaergaard. Lastly, opened for appointments solely, just like the L’Eclaireur gallery a couple of steps away, the Salon Gucci occupies the previous well-known Marc Jacobs retailer opened in 2005, and recognizable by its ivy-covered façade. Initially organized as a pop-up, round its collaboration with Adidas, this salon idea “was imagined as the ultimate luxury destination around a universe as personal as possible, always marked by intimacy and discretion” commented the Italian label. Closed off by opaque curtains, the house has since plunged the doorway to Melrose Place into an unfriendly environment.
On this luxurious retail panorama, luxurious classic specialist Unusual discovered an empty house in early January 2025. An inveterate vintage hunter fanatic, Sarah Aaronson, previously primarily based within the Larchmont neighborhood, has taken over a 550-square-foot house, the place she shows her very slim choice of garments amidst ornamental objects. On the racks are attire by Ann Demeulemeester, Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière and Issey Miyake, every bit featured by a photograph from a vogue present.
Isabel Marant retailer at 8454 Melrose Place – Alexis Chenu
Within the premium, modern phase, different manufacturers have chosen Melrose Place because the handle for his or her very first boutique. Such is the case of French label Isabel Marant, which opened at Melrose Place in 2012. A constructing of chic fashionable structure is surrounded by spectacular gardens, full of statues of French artist Arnold Goron, and arranged round a big lounge-library showcasing the ladies’s collections and a extra confidential space devoted to males. One other architectural gem, the boutique of French model A.P.C opened in 2014, options ample day-lighting from excessive home windows and a 14-foot-long frameless skylight, in addition to a wall with 18 panels wich pivot open to let within the recent air from a lush courtyard backyard. Close by, designer Rachel Comey’s first Los Angeles boutique adopted in 2016. Surrounded by her staff from her New York boutique – artistic director Sean Carmody, architect Elizabeth Roberts and inside designer Charles de Lisle – joined by Los Angeles architect Linda Taalman, the designer supplied a duplicate of her Crosby Avenue boutique with a mixture of uncovered woods, concrete terrazzo flooring and skylights.
Much more just lately, Italian label Forte Forte snapped up a superb house on Melrose Place in 2022. Its founders, siblings Giada and Paolo Forte, took over a 1930 constructing, characterised by two store home windows that open onto the road and framed by a sage inexperienced enamelled metallic façade.
424 retailer by Guillermo Andrade at 8441 Melrose Place, Los Angeles – Alexis Chenu
Extra surprisingly, streetwear has just lately arrived on Melrose Place. Two years after the opening of the Warren Lotas retailer, a streetwear model finest recognized for its collaborations with the NBA, 424 made its look within the neighborhood in early 2024. Its founder, Guillermo Andrade, whose Paris present in January generated an actual buzz, has created a very progressive house within the basement of a Melrose Place constructing, recreating a California desert panorama. “Because of Covid, I had to close my store in Fairfax,” explained Andrade. “From 2020 to 2022, I devoted all my time to this undertaking. The soul of Fairfax now not existed, so I advised my new companions: Melrose Place is the long run! I needed to create a spot for all of the younger individuals who had supported us in Fairfax. And are you aware what occurred? All of them got here.”
Initially a UFO in Melrose Place, the store revitalizes the neighborhood with brand launch parties, such as the new vintage of B.A.A, Bel Air Athletics, the brand owned by Will Smith and Ben Priest, or music listening parties, including one organized by singer 070 Shake last December.
Another segment present on Melrose Place, sportswear and athletic wear, is also present in recent years. Malbon Golf, formerly on Fairfax Avenue, has occupied a boutique on Melrose Place for the past two years. Since 2017, the brand founded by Stephen and Erica Malbon has been rejuvenating the classic golfer’s outfit with collections focusing on color and a pop logo with a positive imagery. The lesser-known Set Active brand, with its activewear wardrobe, opened its first boutique in 2022, followed by New York and Bleeker Street a year later.
Malbon Golf at 8478-B Melrose Place, Los Angeles – Alexis Chenu
Jewelry is increasingly making its presence felt at Melrose Place. Among the headliners, New York designer Irene Neuwirth’s boutique presents her celebrity-popular collections in a space with signature furnishings and a private salon where the designer welcomes guests and special events. Other New York jewelry brands have been making inroads in recent years. Among its main players, luxury jewelry brand Maria Tash, famous for its luxury piercings, opened in 2022. Since late 2023, Grown Brilliance, also present in New York, has been showcasing its collections made from lab-grown diamonds. Other jewelry houses complete the picture with Maria Tash, the lab-grown diamonds brand Vrai and Studs, a costume jewelry boutique.
Since last August, Foundrae, the jewelry brand of New York-based designer Beth Hutchens, has joined the ranks of jewelry brands. Superbly displayed, her collections of medallions, necklaces and rings inspired by mysticism and spirituality are revealed to customers. The location also has an in-house workshop where two artisans – a bench jeweler and a hand engraver – can help craft a personal story.
“We see Foundrae jewelry as a path to self-reflection and self-discovery. Every symbol in our lexicon was created as a means of unearthing deeply held values that will help each individual evolve,” said Hutchens.
Ambassade Biologique Recherche at 8461 Melrose Place, Los Angeles – Alexis Chenu
In the beauty field, Melrose Place boasts eight specialist establishments and institutes. The Violet Grey salon, which occupies the former offices of architect John Elgin Woolf, distributes high-end beauty products from Dior to La Mer and offers makeup artist services by appointment. Opening in 2022, the Ambassade Biologique Recherche occupies over 800-square-metres of space on Melrose Place, with a hairdressing salon on the first floor and a VIP area with private access via the parking lot. More complex, the food and restaurant scene saw the closure a few weeks ago of its Caviar Kaspia restaurant. Opened in 2022, the luxury caviar specialist failed to attract its audience in Los Angeles. And even Maor Cohen’s presence in the back room did nothing to help. After a disagreement, the jeweller found a new space on Melrose Avenue at the end of 2024. Cursed, the superb villa on Melrose Place has seen one closure after another in recent years, notably the case of leather goods brand Mansur Gavriel, which for a time shared its space with La Durée.
Also closed in 2023, Moon Juice, a specialist in healthy juices and powders, has been replaced since 2024 by Kreation, another fruit juice and smoothie chain with over a dozen Los Angeles addresses, despite its wood-clad facades decried by locals. Today, Alfred Coffee remains the favorite address of Melrose Place customers and the only restaurant with a terrace on the always-crowded street.
The former Caviar Kaspia restaurant location is looking for a new retailer – Alexis Chenu
A variety of openings are prone to be the speak of the city within the coming months, such because the villa housing Caviar Kaspia. The current closure of baggage and way of life model By Far also needs to carry additional surprises.
