Designer Lloyd Klein has launched his first independently owned retail location, a 7,700-square-foot combination boutique, atelier and design studio in Los Angeles that is as opulent as his intricately detailed couture gowns.
The store on Beverly Boulevard represents Klein’s first foray into retail since a handful of now-defunct franchised Lloyd Klein stores in Europe during the Nineties.
“We found that there is an amazing couture clientele in Los Angeles,” Klein said. “I think Los Angeles women have much better style than women in New York or Paris. Also, I find the light is very special here. We have no tall buildings, so you can see the sky.”
Klein, who is a favorite of rapper Eve and singer Christina Aguilera, said being close to the Hollywood set was another major factor in choosing to make his retail debut here. He picked Beverly Boulevard over Rodeo Drive — once the default locale for designer boutiques — because “I would like this place to be for L.A. people and not tourists,” he said. “I heard some socialites say they would never shop on Rodeo Drive. They think it’s more hip for me to be here.”
The Canadian designer was raised in Paris and rose to prominence after his appointment as head designer at Maison Madame Grès in 1994. Known for his innovative draping and whimsical aesthetics, the soft-spoken Klein had trained under the famously meticulous Madame Grès. He formed his namesake company after stepping down from Maison Madame Grès in 1998.
The designer modeled the store, which opened last month, on scenes from the 1939 George Cukor film, “The Women,” starring Joan Crawford.
“We had this idea to open a fashion house, but we needed to find something that looked like the movie…that would be elegant, vintage and simple, but very Art Deco,” Klein said.
The store is housed in a designated city landmark, a circa 1928 structure with a façade resembling a tiny castle.
Inside, Klein recreated the feel of a black-and-white movie by covering the walls in gray ultra-suede and installing gray carpeting throughout, allowing the clothes — draped on glossy-black mannequins and in glass armoires — to visually pop.
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An accessories room features glass cases full of Lloyd Klein handbags and jewelry. A separate men’s lounge has two overstuffed gray chairs and a table with reading material.
A former architecture student, Klein designed the store’s interior and all its display pieces, which marry Art Deco and classical influences.
“The idea was to try to connect with the building, but also make it modern,” said John Arguelles, U.S. brand director of Lloyd Klein.
The Beverly Boulevard location also houses Klein’s new design studio, a roughly 1,000-square-foot space on the second floor. Downstairs, a staff of eight works in the stock room and the brightly lit atelier, ground zero for hand finishing and alterations. The atelier is adjacent to a space that houses all 2,714 looks from Klein’s collections since 2000.
Prices for evening gowns range from around $2,000 to $6,000; suits, from $4,500 to $7,000, and oversize belts, which feature prominently in the fall collection, from $360 to $1,100.
There are plans to develop licensing partnerships and to open more stores, Arguelles said, adding, “We are also developing our wedding dress line and a line of shoes that will be ready by March or April. We would also like to do a line of sunglasses and work on a fragrance.”