Burberry Bows in Beverly Hills
Playing the consummate host, chief executive officer Rose Marie Bravo welcomed guests on Oct. 25 to Burberry’s newly opened 8,000-square-foot flagship store in Beverly Hills, Calif., a creation modeled after the company’s signature Bond Street emporium in London.
The opening of the new location represented the achievement of a goal for Burberry, said Bravo.
“We have been eyeing Los Angeles for the past four years,” she said. “When I joined the company, I was determined to have a store in Beverly Hills.”
Co-hosted by Rita Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, the event drew Hollywood glitterati, including Jada Pinkett Smith, Mena Suvari, Daryl Hannah, Teri Polo, Tori Spelling, Tiffany Thiessen, Jennie Garth, Mimi Rogers, Shannon Elizabeth and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. Proceeds benefited Shakespeare Festival L.A.
Bravo said she thinks the one-time musty trench coat company, marking its third unit in California, will fill a void in Los Angeles style.
“Burberry has a British sensibility and cut that doesn’t exist in this market,” she said.
Burberry’s creative designer, Christopher Bailey, on the job since May, also said his collection, inspired by the relaxed looks of British icons Twiggy and Mick Jagger, should resonate well with Angeleno tastes.
“We have a slight eccentricity and individual sense of style that suits Los Angeles,” Bailey said. “I like how people are individuals herehellip;and how they’re not dictated by any one look.”
Most attendees took Burberry’s check theme to heart, wearing the line in their own interpretations. Romijn-Stamos boasted a Burberry bikini top and Beckinsale sported her bare midriff in a low-rise Burberry skirt and T-shirt with an attached plaid flower strip.
“I’ve become a huge fan recently as I’ve gotten to know the line,” said Elizabeth, wearing Seven jeans and a Burberry cap and T-shirt. “They’ve got such beautiful leathers and the check print is really hot.”
Added Wilson, donning a black strapless taffeta dress and wrap: “They’re not just about plaid.”
While Rosanna Arquette played deejay, guests sipped vodka martinis and checked out the company’s full line of offerings—Burberry London, Burberry Prorsum and Baby Burberry. Strapless dresses with side buckles, plaid and striped Oxford shirts, shearling and mohair hooded coats, and corduroy shirt jackets were part of the mix. Men also will have the option of custom-ordering suits and tuxedos for a 6- to 8-week delivery.
Surfboards, $450 skateboards and an expanded array of sunglasses are items limited to the Beverly Hills store.
Taking front stage was the babywear line, designed by Burberry model Stella Tennant. Called Tennant & Son, it features skirts, jumpers, car coats, shearling coats and booties.
Given the difficult economic climate in retail, Burberry will work heavily with local institutions to promote the brand, according to Eugenia Ulasewicz, president of Burberry’s U.S. division.
“We’re going to work with hotel concierges and host a cocktail event, explaining the store and concept, and we’ll work with upscale hotels in the area, advertising in their publications which cater to the Burberry customer,” she said at a breakfast fete held at the store the next morning. —Nola Sarkisian-Miller
