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West Coast versus Left Bank: What’s the difference? Forgetting the 5,642-mile distance for a minute, come September 1, not a whole lot. That’s when Le Bon Marché in Paris launches Los Angeles Rive Gauche, its celebration of all things L.A., the latest in its series of storewide happenings—or “exhibitions,“ as it dubs them—which take place twice a year. (Earlier this spring it was logomania.) There will be fashion (Amiri, The Elder Statesman); food (an outpost of Parisian-Californian café Echo Deli and—what else?—juices, juices, juices); beauty (May Lindstrom, Rare Elements); home (Chris Earl ceramics, Kryptonics skateboards); and that very 21st-century retail phenomenon, experiences, which in this case will be Le Bon Marché ’s first-ever yoga studio, as well as West Coast tattoo artist Dr. Woo bringing his needles and dyes to set up shop in Paris, and a skate park slap bang in the middle of this grand magasin overseen by Scott Oster.
“Paris has a real fascination for L.A., and I think we can say a real passion for it,” says Jennifer Cuvillier, the store’s head of style. “Culturally, creatively, [the emphasis on] sport and wellness . . . Los Angeles brings this unique vision of life, and this is what makes it so rich, so attractive. For all of our exhibitions, we do an immersion in the city. We want our French customers to discover—or rediscover—L.A. in a different way, but also surprise our American customers and make them experience a familiar sensation.”
To say that the City of Angels is having its day in the sun right now seems somewhat redundant. It has been that way for pretty much this decade, ever since Los Angeles became home to a mega-talent like designer Hedi Slimane, whose presence credentialed it fashionwise, and who in turn mythologized it further thanks to his Saint Laurent collections and his photography. Then there was the explosion of interest in the city’s artistic community, as well as the allure of some of its most iconic locales, such as the Chateau Marmont hotel, whose name was recently emblazoned across the Gucci Resort 2019 collection.
For many in the past few years, the city became more than fantasy idyll, but a place to relocate to and then reimagine life. “Los Angeles is really representative of that creativity moving from the East to West coasts, with a strong allure to all kinds of industries,” says Cuvillier. “It has this amazing attraction to not only those in the U.S., but draws people from all over the world.” And lo, the exodus to L.A. began.
What makes Los Angeles Rive Gauche work so well is the level of research that Cuvillier and her team have undertaken—and the intricate and spirited execution of such a huge project that followed. All of the associated products, collections, and experiences have been grouped into three overarching categories intended to mirror one perfect day in L.A.—Sunrise, Sunlight, and Sunset. “The unique light in L.A. gives you a very different feeling from anywhere else,” she says. “It gives you energy and a continuative vision all day long.” There’s certainly a grand sweep at work here: starry L.A., surf L.A., spiritual L.A., outdoorsy L.A., skate L.A., wellness L.A. . . . . In other words, the eternal sunshine of the spotless Californian life.
