New Wildfox store on Sunset Strip evokes a girls’ slumber party
In case you’re curious, yes, Wildfox’s new peach-colored, rose-festooned Sunset Strip boutique is every bit as girlie on the inside. The L.A.-based knitwear brand opened its first retail location on Sept. 8, inviting shoppers into what feels more like a decadent slumber party than a store.
The 2,000-square-foot shop has ample room for Wildfox’s signature screen-printed T-shirts, oversized sweaters and hoodies. But the real standout is the décor. In the center of the store, a golden four-poster bed brims with glass perfume bottles, flower vases and furry blankets. There are rolling carts cluttered with delicate teacups and roses. Ornate pastel chandeliers shed light on bookshelves holding pink leather-bound novels and floral travel trunks. These ultra-feminine touches give the place the look and feel of a pampered princess’ boudoir.
With a VIP shopping area, a cabana-style outdoor patio, coffee service and a spacious parking lot — a boon in congested West Hollywood — shoppers could easily feel as if they’re being spoiled rotten. But then you’d expect as much from a brand that has become the go-to label for pop stars in repose. Since the label’s 2007 debut, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez and a slew of other young trendsetters have been snapped sporting Wildfox shirts, sweatshirts and swimwear on their days off.
According to company Chief Executive Jimmy Sommers, the brand’s girliness is here to stay, but the store’s dainty décor is only temporary. “Every season the store will change to match the current collection,” he explains, “from the clothing to the props used in the photo shoots.”
Wildfox’s fall 2014 campaign took inspiration from Jane Austen’s “Sense & Sensibility.” The collection includes English floral prints, T-shirts that read “I want to live in a castle” and “Mrs. Darcy,” and sweaters featuring the Union Jack and the Queen’s Guard. The store also carries the brand’s standard-bearer cotton tops, cheeky sweatshirts and lounge pants, which retail from $60 to $150. For more luxe lounging, there’s the White Label knit collection with prices that exceed the $200 mark. Rounding out the flagship’s inventory, there’s sleepwear, children’s separates, up-cycled vintage jewelry and Wildfox’s own line of customizable sunglasses.
Sommers reports the next two stores will be in the Malibu Country Mart and in New York City’s SoHo district. Also on the horizon, Wildfox plans to introduce a capsule collection inspired by ‘80s Malibu Barbie in November. And in May 2015, the brand is set to launch a perfume collaboration with Elizabeth Arden.
Wildfox
Where: 8710 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood
When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Contact: (310) 855-9040, www.wildfox.com
