Rachel
Zoe is having a very busy February. In addition to launching her e-commerce
website RachelZoe.com and showing her Old Hollywood-inspired fall 2016
collection at New York Fashion Week, the fashion multi-hyphenate became the
creative director of Hudson BLVD Group, a portfolio of specialty beauty service
brands including Pucker makeup salon, Spruce & Bond hair removal salon and
Zoe´s own DreamDry blowout salon.
And
on Wednesday, Zoe unveils her first brick-and-mortar store: a pop-up at The
Grove shopping center in Los Angeles which will be open through March 31. She
joins a roster of celebrity-backed brands that have “popped up” at
The Grove, including Nicole Richie´s House of Harlow and Jessica Alba´s Honest
Beauty. Always meticulous when it comes to aesthetic details, the stylist
partnered with Laurel & Wolf to design the store´s quintessentially Zoe
interiors – think faceted marble tables, gold fixtures and textural fur details
set against white brick walls.
Dedicated
to her namesake collection, the store carries spring apparel, jewelry and shoes
with prices ranging from $75 to $1,795. It will also sell exclusive pieces from
Zoe´s Core Collection – a range of classic separates that Zoe calls
“wardrobe builders.” The store aims to provide a “360 degree
experience” for customers including styling, beauty and gifting events
with special appearances by Zoe and her team. We sat down with Zoe to talk
about her new ventures, how her collection has evolved and her plans for Oscar
Sunday.
In
February alone you´ve announced Hudson BLVD, shown your collection at NYFW,
launched an e-commerce site and opened a pop-up. How are you juggling it all?
It´s
been crazy. But you know what? It´s now or never, right? I say, “Let´s
just do it.”
Did
you always envision a Rachel Zoe store?
I
think that the collection is now where I really want it to be. I kind of needed
to take some time to get to the place where I understand who is my customer,
who is the woman that I am designing for and what people want from me as a
designer. I took some time to really get my feet wet, but I feel like now is
the time for the store.
The
launch of e-commerce and the pop-up together is so that people can start to
really experience the world of the brand. Because I have a media business, we
were able to do our e-commerce when we were ready. We have such unbelievable
team-they´re a dream come true.
The
Grove is such an LA institution, and Rachel Zoe is such an LA brand. Is that
why you decided to have your pop-up here?
That´s
it! It´s really that so many people in my life spend so much time at The Grove.
For me, it´s an honor to be a part of it-women come to shop, they come to have
lunch, they come to hang out, they go to the movies. But also it´s a family
destination, and I think – what a great thing that the kids can run around and
have fun and the moms can come in and shop. I kept it very open and airy so
that kids can run around in here and hide under the racks, but you can still
see them. [Laughs.] Kid-friendly store, always.
A
big open, white space-that´s important to me in my home. It´s important to me
pretty much anywhere that I´m going to be spending time. My office is that way
as well. For me, I love shades of white and ivory with gold accents. In my
spring collection, I use gold accents throughout.
Also,
wood-always. Sometimes when you use all white, it can feel clinical and cold,
but when you have wood floors, it warms everything up. I want someone to come
in to shop and feel a lightness and airiness.
It
definitely has that feeling. Are you testing this space to perhaps be a
permanent fixture here at The Grove?
Yes.
I don´t know that it would be this exact space, but perhaps another location at
The Grove.
What
about the possibility of expanding outside of LA?
Sure.
Oh, absolutely. We definitely plan to.
The
Oscars are this Sunday. Are you styling anyone this year?
I´m
not this year.
So
you´ll be sitting on the couch with champagne, like the rest of us?
so I´ll be talking about what everyone is wearing as it happens and then also,
I´ll be here [at the pop-up]. I´m excited to see everyone.
Anyone
that you´re particularly excited to see?
There
are a couple people. Cate Blanchett for sure, always, she is a dream. And
Alicia Vikander – I love what she´s been wearing.