Site Visit: Paul Smith, LA

We stopped by the new Paul Smith store on Melrose yesterday. It was
hard to miss. Smith has painted his blocky building a bright pink.
Outside in the parking lot sat a proud, if little ironic, golden
Bentley. The space inside is a mix of half warehouse, half French
chateau. Ornate paneling covers facades that reach up to an open wide
beamed ceiling.

There is a lot of space in this building and this helps fit the four main sections: two for the ladies, a suit section (heavy wood
paneling) and a men’s section. At the back of the men’s section is a
library of art books for sale - new and old.

Throughout the store,
Smith has left off items of ‘art’ that mix with his displays - in the
display by the front door - Smith’s crockery sits beside doll-house
size tins of Sainsbury’s soup and banana skin door stoppers. The crowd
were a mix of hipsters drifted down from the flea-market back up on
Fairfax and Melrose and some more affluent metrosexual couples in their
effortlessly stylish casual attire.

Over on our sister site IF we have some photos of the interior for our subscribers - here.

Paul Smith, 8221 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles