Author: Shannon Adducci, Amanda Friedman, and Roopika Malhotra
Photo: Courtesy of the Brands
Information provided by: Angeleno
Gucci’s Rodeo Drive store gets a face-lift; Piaget and DSquared2 open their first L.A. boutiques; Krigler’s West Coast spot debuts.
Beverly Hills’ most famous street already has a posh reputation, but recent store openings and renovations have given Rodeo Drive an even glossier sheen. Case in point: the reopening of Gucci’s L.A. flagship. The Italian luxury goods brand has been a mainstay of the street for more than four decades (it first opened in 1968), and Creative Director Frida Giannini looked to both the past and future to redo the 22,000-square-foot space, working with architects to create a vintage-esque brass-rod exterior and installing a massive, two-story LED wall with 3-D animation to showcase seasonal collections. During the private cocktail party held in October to fete the reopening, the screen was lit with video images of artist Kris Knights’ Flora prints, which he designed in collaboration with Giannini for the new cruise collection. Meanwhile, guests like Charlotte Casiraghi, Eva Chow and Lapo Elkann gathered on the new wraparound terrace adjacent to the shop’s third floor, which is now dedicated to red-carpet dressing. To celebrate the revamp, Gucci also introduced an exclusive, limited-edition style of its iconic Jackie bag—another wink to the brand’s past. 347 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.278.3451 –SA
OUT OF THE BOX
Nearly 20 years after founding Italian fashion brand DSquared2, brothers Dean and Dan Caten have chosen Rodeo Drive as the location for their first-ever United States store. The two-story boutique carries the entire DSquared2 collection, including signature men’s suits and tuxedos procured by Isaia (from $1,200) and a capsule line of Old Hollywood-inspired cocktail and evening gowns ($800). “L.A. has made us feel so welcome,” says Dean. Adds Dan, “From the operative opening to the party, everything was in the right place, surrounded by the proper atmosphere!” We agree. 461 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.888.0117 –AF
GOLDEN DAYS
Piaget’s new midcentury-modern high jewelry collection finds an equally elegant home in the brand’s recently opened Rodeo Drive boutique.
Piaget is no stranger to Hollywood royalty—after all, the brand was a favorite of Elizabeth Taylor, who owned some of its most iconic pieces, like the ’60s-era jade-and-gold cuff watch, an emblem of the actress’ jet-set, caftan-clad lifestyle at the time. That’s why it was surprising to learn that Piaget had never had a shop in town until this October, when the brand opened its West Coast flagship on Rodeo Drive. “Los Angeles is one of the world’s great cities, and Rodeo Drive is its most glamorous address,” says CEO Philippe Léopold-Metzger. “This will enable us to be closer to our friends in the film and entertainment world with whom we have such strong ties.”
The 2,628-square-foot space is done in gold-leaf wallpaper and black oak and is dotted with archival photos of models wearing Piaget pieces from its midcentury golden age—an era that the brand recently returned to for its 140th anniversary earlier this year. The 120-piece collection, called Extremely Piaget, is filled with ’60s- and ’70s-inspired yellow gold, turquoise, lapis, coral and jade that incorporates archival designs that have since become collector’s items (like Jackie Onassis’ jade stone dial watch, which was reimagined with turquoise, shown here, $62,000). The collection made its West Coast debut at the boutique’s opening party Oct. 9, adorning modern-day starlets like Jessica Chastain and Dianna Agron, and giving a flashback to a true gilded age. 323 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 424.332.4280 –SA
CUSTOM BLENDS
Since 1879, Krigler has been customizing high-end fragrances for the world’s upper crust, including the royal families of Monaco, Sweden and Belgium. The perfume atelier made its stateside debut in 1931 at New York City’s Plaza Hotel and quickly became the preferred perfumer of style-setters such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and John F. Kennedy. This month, the brand—now helmed by fifth-generation “nose” Ben Krigler—opens its first West Coast locale inside the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. Inside, the shop will stock the entire Krigler collection of luxe fragrances (from $210) and candles (from $75)—contained in Austrian crystal vessels and jars designed by French artisans—along with a selection of body care products (from $52). For even more discerning clients, Krigler is taking the idea of bottle service up a notch by offering private sessions to create bespoke perfumes (from $65,000). “With its beautiful property and gardens, the Four Seasons is an oasis in the middle of the city,” he says. “Our fragrances transport you in exactly the same way.” The nose knows. 300 S. Doheny Drive, L.A., 310.273.2222 –RM