Von Furstenberg Lands on Melrose
Melrose Avenue remains a lure for designers with an international reputation and an interest in retail.
Particularly appealing is the 8400 block of the street. Marc Jacobs and Italian-based luxury label Marni opened boutiques there earlier this year. Now Diane von Furstenberg, the creator of the iconic wrap dress that swept the fashion world in the early 1970s, has opened a store called DVF the Shop., located at 8407 Melrose Ave.
The 1,700-square-foot boutique is adjacent to Marc Jacobs on the corner of Melrose and Orlando avenues. It is just one of three DVF boutiques scheduled to open in the next few weeks. Another DVF store opens soon in Hong Kong, and the designer will open her second Paris boutique in October. Von Furstenberg already has stores in London, New York and Miami.
“I open shops in international places,” Von Furstenberg said at the Beverly Hills house she shares with her media-mogul husband, Barry Diller. “Los Angeles is an international city. It’s ideal for the colors and the weight of my clothes.”
The design of the Los Angeles boutique fits in perfectly with the city’s sunny weather. Behind the glass storefront is an interior cast in plain white and broken up by ornate features such as an antique chandelier from southern France.
There are three entrances. The central entrance leads into the main shopping area, where Von Furstenberg’s dresses are displayed. The east end of the store has a Luxe room, with walls covered in off-white silk upholstery, where eveningwear will be sold. A VIP room is adjacent to the Luxe room. Also at the east end of the shop is a 10-foot-tall handbag display case. Toward the west end of the store, swimwear and shoes are displayed. “It’s intended to be a minimal, simple space, but it will be poetic too,” said Kurt Andernach, the architect who designed the store. He’s a principal of Andernach Consulting in New York.
Von Furstenberg said she visits Los Angeles once every two months. It’s the home of her son, daughter and three grandchildren. She said that Melrose Avenue happens to be one of her favorite shopping areas when she’s in Los Angeles. Typically, she visits Ron Herman at Fred Segal and Maxfield.
Each month, her store will receive Von Furstenberg’s mini-collections. Retail price points will range from $150 for a top to $1,000 for a coat. Her Spring 2006 collection was inspired by the “La Dolce Vita” style of the 1960s. The collection also features the wrap dress that made Von Furstenberg a fashion star and landed her on the cover of Newsweek at the age of 29.
“It’s the most traditional shape of dresses,” said the 58-year-old Von Furstenberg. “Every culture has a wrap dress. The Japanese have the kimono. The Romans had the toga. [The wrap dress] was like a dancer’s top. Ballerinas would wear wrap sweaters, but I turned it into a dress.” —Andrew Asch
