St. John to open concept store on Melrose Place

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St. John, the Irvine-based luxury brand, is opening a concept store on Melrose Place on Monday. The gallery-like space will feature St. John clothing as curated by the brand’s creative director George Sharp, who has infused new life into the brand during his two years in the post.

I’m touring the space Friday and am interested to see what Sharp has chosen. Although St. John has enjoyed financial success, it has never been embraced by the fashion elite -- stylists, editors and the like. That’s largely an image problem. Because despite having a broad range of styles, St. John is still associated with matchy-matchy suits. Department store buyers seem to reinforce that image by stocking their selling floors with the most conservative styles.

The new concept store is open through March to coincide with awards show season, and it should be a chance for Sharp to show us what St. John is really made of. I’ll report back after I’ve seen it.

St. John Concept Space opens Monday at 8459 Melrose Place.

--Booth Moore