Los Angeles’s Just One Eye
Hollywood history, high art and fashion meet in this seriously cool boutique
In a storied art-deco building – once home to Howard Hughes’s film empire – you’ll find Just One Eye, a concept store co-founded in 2011 by fashion veteran Paola Russo. A favourite among style insiders, it’s a 5,000sq ft emporium that’s a mine of unexpected brands and innovative artistic collaborations.
Russo brings a serious fashion CV to the boutique – she worked with Ann Demeulemeester – and her picks pay homage to the quirky, the elegant and street chic. Clothing from Valentino, Chloé and Church’s is interspersed with pieces from more cutting-edge designers, including Atto, Lisa Marie Fernandez and Diemme. Meanwhile, cool accessories include limited-edition luxury backpacks (from $55,000) that are a design collaboration between Damien Hirst and The Row, and Converse trainers co-created with Nate Lowman ($25,000, third picture) plus show-stopping jewellery, such as a gorgeous emerald cocktail ring from French designer Arnaud Porchet ($16,500).
A curatorial eye is also behind the shop’s artwork. Alexander Calder wall hangings ($39,000-$48,000) sit beside edgy prints by NYC-based artist Marilyn Minter ($65,000), while coffee-table tomes such as Donald Judd Furniture: Retrospective ($3,500) are dotted throughout. Standout furniture includes a Maison Darré Triangle Table ($25,000); Chantal Saccomanno and Olivier Dayot’s stunning monochrome, lacquered The Red Line table ($28,000, fourth picture); and an art-nouveau Carlo Bugatti side chair ($14,500).
When I visited, chic metallic slides by Ancient Greek Sandals ($215) and Gianvito Rossi’s super-high Carey three-buckle pumps ($1,020) caught my eye. I was also thrilled to find a pair of black pony boots by Pierre Hardy ($1,595, sixth picture) – one of my favourite designers – while a crocodile chain bag by Jean Paul Gaultier alum Alexandre Vauthier ($20,795, fifth picture) was swiftly added to my wish list.
I ended my visit torn between several items but, thankfully, I only had to click online when I made my final decision…