Everywhere, there are relics of a once-abuzz life in the office, lurched to a sudden stop. Monitors abandoned on their backs, stuck in a loop. Desk chairs flipped on their heads with their legs up in the air. A silver sofa wrapped in transparent plastic. A gargantuan printer-copier, a stack of printed papers left abandoned on the tray. A row of gorgeous water coolers. Piles and piles of binders spelling out: The Frankie Shop x Crosby Studios. 

There’s perhaps no other brand as well-loved by the street style crowd as The Frankie Shop — purveyor of oversized jackets, power-shouldered coats, and well-made, trusty tees. And for good reason. Helmed by French-born Gaëlle Drevet, the New York-based brand sells fail-proof, cool-girl outfit formulas at a reasonable price point. It’s the perfect place to stock up on elevated essentials — pieces you can wear for years and years to come. 

I’ve seen The Frankie Shop’s staples in Los Angeles, Paris, and Copenhagen. I’ve seen them worn by nine-to-fivers on their morning commute as well as the style set on en route to a fashion show. The Frankie Shop is everywhere — on the streets and on our social media feeds. It’s in my closet, too. I own a solid selection of pieces from the label, and I’m always stalking the website’s new arrivals section. So needless to say, when I read it was making an appearance here in Los Angeles – in the flesh! – I caught myself smiling ear to ear. 

For its Los Angeles pop-up, The Frankie Shop has taken over 8580 West Sunset Blvd. with a chrome storefront that reflects Los Angeles’ iconic boulevard and the houses tucked into the hillside beyond. (It’s quite striking.) Harry Nuriev is the man behind the creative concept. A multidisciplinary artist, designer, and architect, Harry is also the founder of Crosby Studios, an interior architecture and furniture design firm. He has a dozen or so interiors to his credit; he’s designed everything from immersive environments to art installations for the likes of Balenciaga, Nike, and Valentino, just to name a few. 

For this pop-up, Crosby Studios drew inspiration from the “powerful women of the post-office age,” paying homage to the late 1990s — the inflection point for women in the workplace. There’s nothing definitively indicative of that era (not to me, at least) other than the feeling it evokes. Along a long conference-room table, there is a serried row of boxy chairs, perfectly arranged. Bottles of water, desk lamps, and binders are set up as though they’re about to welcome a whole crowd of dot-commers. 

Sorted by color, The Frankie Shop’s familiar silhouettes are displayed along the center of the room on sleek silver racks: wear-with-everything leather coats, clean-cut blazers, button-up shirts, jackets with subtly voluminous shoulders, and other wardrobe essentials to have and to hold, now and forever. This includes items from the brand’s latest collection as well as several exclusive pieces. 

Together, clothing and design come together in a “dynamic combination of fashion and nostalgia, where the power suits of the past are infused with the modern attitude of The Frankie Shop,” the press release states. (Oh, and I’d be remiss not to mention the brand’s associated campaign, “The Frankie Shop goes to Hollywood,” which features actress Demi Moore. Is there a Hollywood face that better defines the ’90s than Demi?) 

The installation comes at the perfect time. The city is gearing up for Frieze Los Angeles, an contemporary art fair that’s slated to take place from Feb. 29 to March 3. The annual happening usually brings about a constellation of other art-centric events. Fashion brands often celebrate with parties of their own; some host pop-ups and installations. Few pass the threshold of “meh.” The Frankie Shop, in my humble opinion, did it right. Standout design, a thoughtful concept, and of course, fabulous garments to cap it all off — what more can you ask for?