It’s a homecoming for Thom Browne in Los Angeles.
“Today couldn’t get much better,” said the American designer, calling from his new West Coast flagship at Melrose Place on Thursday. “A beautiful day here in California.”
He lived in L.A. for four-and-a-half years in the ‘90s. “They were formative,” he went on. “So, it’s nice to come back, and I have so many really good friends that I get to see. Friends that I’ve known for, gosh, almost 30 years.”
Longtime friends including editor Lisa Love, who cohosted a dinner at Chateau Marmont later that evening. Among the guests were Leighton Meester — the first celebrity to wear Thom Browne women’s on the red carpet (at the Gotham Awards in 2010) — along with filmmakers Barry Jenkins, Lulu Wang, Baz Luhrmann and Janicza Bravo, as well as actors Ke Huy Quan, Yara Shahidi, Teyana Taylor and Manny Jacinto.
Thom Browne
Courtesy of Thom Browne
“I was trying to figure things out,” Browne said of L.A.’s impact. “I was in my late 20s, early 30s. Those were the years that I met really interesting people and through their influence, maybe, saw the world differently and opened my eyes to being able to do different things. It’s where the idea of design, or the potential of doing something in design, really started. It was those years that really are the reason why I started the collection back in 2003.”
He’s come a long way since then, counting more than 100 stores globally to date. L.A. was always in the works, he said. “It just needed to be the right space, needed to be the right time. Now’s the time.”
Sky Ferreira
Courtesy of Thom Browne
Melrose Place, he added, “feels like a really special, small, little enclave in the middle of West Hollywood.”
Spanning about 2,000 square feet — at 8408 Melrose Place (between A.P.C. and forthcoming Khaite) — the store features an ivy-covered facade and a mid-century modern design that embodies Browne’s signature retail aesthetic. Consistent with his other boutiques, the space’s interior incorporates marble and terrazzo, paired with furnishings by celebrated artists like French Art Deco pioneer Jacques Adnet, American designer Edward Wormley and American woodworker and architect George Nakashima.
Yara Shahidi
Courtesy of Thom Browne
“They all really represent localized versions of my initial store back in 2006…in Tribeca,” Browne explained. “Initially, they were based on a mid-century Midwestern bank. I wanted them to feel not like a true retail space. But, over the years, they’ve evolved into being more retail feeling and more retail working.”
Leighton Meester
Courtesy of Thom Browne
Browne has recently expressed a desire to make his brand more accessible to a broader audience. “It’s really just people seeing exactly what I do, because I have always offered a very wide range of things.”
His elevated take on preppy Americana extends beyond suiting, though tailoring remains central to his brand DNA. Showcasing menswear, womenswear and accessories, the collections found in-store emphasize structured silhouettes while incorporating lighter fabrications for the Southern California climate.
“I do want people to come to my stores for what I do best, and what I do best is leaning into tailoring,” said Browne.
Barry Jenkins and Lulu Wang
Courtesy of Thom Browne
He brought his design touch to the dinner at Chateau, held in famed room 64. Two long tables were lined with white flowers and candles, adorned with grosgrain ribbon.
The night also brought out actors Manny Jacinto, Mía Maestro, Lorraine Nicholson, Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames, as well as some names in music and art, with singer-songwriters Sky Ferreira and Maggie Rogers; musician Del Water Gap; artists Kohshin Finley, Alex Israel and Ariana Papademetropoulos; model-photographer Jacob Bixenman; stylist Brad Goreski, and content creator Madeline Argy.
Was Browne planning on sticking around L.A.?
“I’m leaving tomorrow,” he laughed. “It’s dinner and out.”
Teyana Taylor
Courtesy of Thom Browne
