LOS ANGELES — Dolce Vita, the hip New York footwear brand that recently launched its first apparel collection, has opened a second retail location on Melrose Place here.
The 1,600-square-foot specialty boutique opened Monday, mere weeks after the debut of its apparel line at the Project trade show in Las Vegas. The fashion-forward line of cotton dresses, rompers and separates features geometric silhouettes and bold colors such as teal and fire-engine red. The collection complements Dolce Vita’s hip, structural shoes, which are sold at Urban Outfitters and Anthropology, among other outlets. Dresses wholesale from $90 to $130.
The five-year-old company also operates a 1,100-square-foot store that opened in December on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. “We were terrified to do it, but it has well exceeded our expectations,” said Nick Lucio, president and co-owner of Dolce Vita.
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Lucio and partner Van Lamprou initially considered opening in Los Angeles’ up-and-coming East Side, but when Lucio spotted the “for lease” sign in the window of the Melrose Place unit, he dialed the number listed immediately. “We were a little afraid of the lack of foot traffic on the East Side, and of the price points not being right,” he said.
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On Melrose Place, a growing hub for designer boutiques such as Lloyd Klein, Carolina Herrera and Chloé, the Dolce Vita store will be a standout — for more than its contemporary price points.
“They told me most of the stores aren’t open on Sunday on Melrose Place,” Lucio said. “I was like, ‘Forget that.’ We pay rent on Sundays, right? Then we’re open on Sundays.”
The white-walled store is decorated much like its New York counterpart, with a vintage Seventies Paco Rabanne screen, octagon-tile floors, dark wood cabinetry, Italian crystal chandeliers and small seating vignettes.
Though Dolce Vita will be the sole shoe brand in the store — the footwear retails from around $89 to $200 a pair — the space will also carry contemporary looks from brands such as Neve, United Bamboo, Nobody Jeans, Sweetface and Brooklyn designer Lisa Levine.
Dolce Vita is carried by specialty stores Madison and Diavolina on Robertson Boulevard here, about a mile from the new store. Asked if wholesale accounts will be put off by a freestanding Dolce Vita, Lucio said, “In the L.A. world, Diavolina on Robertson is an eternity away from Melrose Place.”