The evolution
of Rachel Zoe´s empire takes its next steps with brick-and-mortar Wednesday
when the stylist and designer opens her first store in Los Angeles.

Zoe was on
hand today as the finishing touches were made on the 1,500-square-foot space,
which greets visitors with an airy, serene setting in which they´ll be able to
shop ready-to-wear, jewelry and shoes from her spring collection, ranging in
price from $75 to $1,795. The store, which debuts alongside the launch of an
e-commerce site, will remain open through March 31.

That she chose
Caruso Affiliated´s The Grove seemed an easy choice when discussions first began
about a year ago to open a store, she said.

“I felt like
The Grove was a great place to start because so many people in my life spend
such extended periods of time at The Grove all the time and, ultimately, I want
to be part of people´s lifestyle,” Zoe told WWD.

The shopping
center, which attracts a healthy dose of locals and tourists, is also home to
Diane von Furstenberg, Coach, Anthropologie and this summer will see the
opening of Elizabeth and James.

The store will
serve as the litmus test for future pop-ups, of which Zoe said there are others
planned and a longer-term strategy that would include permanent doors in key
markets.

“I´d really
like to [have permanent stores],” Zoe said as she thumbed through minidresses,
jackets and other items from the collection in suedes and leathers she favors.
“I´m definitely one of those people that likes to baby-step into it first and
see how it goes and then make a permanent decision after that.”

Brick-and-mortar
will be a key player in the growth of Zoe´s brand, especially as the broader
industry reflects on speed-to-market and the concept of buy-now-wear-now.

“I want to
service the customer the best way that I can so I´ve found that my customer
really is buy now, wear now a lot of the time so, ultimately, I want to be able
to provide that,” Zoe said. “It´s funny because we´re in L.A. and it´s 80
degrees and we already have spring out. So this is actually buy-now-wear-now.
But, in a lot of places, there are blizzards currently.”

The creation
of the store is another expression – much like the Rachel Zoe e-commerce site –
of the brand and something Zoe has direct control over, she added.

“I do think
brick-and-mortar is really important for the message of the brand,” Zoe said.
“And I think for me that´s why it´s a dream come true because I´ve always
wanted to put out the feeling of my collection in my own way and you can´t
really do that unless you have your own e-commerce and you have your own
stores.”