The temperature falls, the sky darkens — though not quite enough to threaten any rain. Everywhere, it’s gloomy, but at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and N. Robertson Boulevard, one particularly beautiful, limoncello-yellow boutique is sun-filled — and that’s the just-opened Jacquemus. Few fashion brands can conjure the kind of sunny optimism that Jacquemus can — thanks to the brand’s founder and creative director, Simon Porte Jacquemus, who has achieved somewhat of a celebrity status with his youthful and almost impish approach to design. Over a week ago, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, he greeted fans and gleefully shook their hands. He paused to scribble autographs on his wildly popular handbags. He posed for photographs, cutting through the grayish gloom of the day with his eager smile and yolk-yellow shirt jacket. 

Even now, three days after the official opening, the turnout is strong. Thankfully, I can skip the line — no small feat given that it wraps around the block. (By some stroke of luck, I was checking my phone at the exact time an email from the brand landed in my inbox, and I made a shopping appointment before open slots vanished within mere minutes.) As my friend and I approach the fenced off area, I introduce myself to the doorman (per the instructions emailed to me), and show proof of my appointment. Beyond, retail associates decked out in butter-yellow linen Jacquemus aprons worn over crisp white shirts greet us with a ready smile.

Ah, at last — my bottled-up excitement about the store’s long-awaited arrival in Los Angeles is finally set free.

Childlike Wonder

Growing up in Mallemort, a small village in Provence, France, Simon Porte always had a precocious talent for design. He was 8 years old when he cut his first skirt out of a curtain and gifted it to his mother. “I grew up in the fields, barefoot, free to play with clothes,” he told the NY Times almost 10 years ago. “That gave me a certain energy.” The sun-soaked, pastoral landscapes of southern France became a major source of inspiration for Jacquemus — the brand he started as a tribute to his mother’s maiden name after her sudden passing in 2009. The self-taught designer was 19 at the time, with neither an official degree nor a high-profile fashion house on his resume. 

Still, he insisted on making the kind of work he wanted to make — and that creative drive was, perhaps, what contributed to his success. His style was refreshing: off-kilter asymmetrical silhouettes, upbeat colors, childlike geometric cuts, and an intentional naïveté that stood out against the slick polish of his contemporaries. He dressed his gal pals in his whimsical creations and created the kind of stop-in-your-tracks content that resonated with it-girls on social media. And it still does, although the brand’s offerings have distinctly matured over the years.

It was that playfulness that first made me fall in love with the brand almost a decade ago. I still remember my first big fashion purchase — a pair of light-blue pumps from the spring-summer 2019 runway that’s still one of my most prized possessions. The jewel-toned letter “J” is suspended inside the circular gold heel, and it swings and jingles with each and every step I take. Today, Jacquemus’ idiosyncratic aesthetic is a little sexier, more finessed but still just as whimsical as ever. I’m curious to see how Simon Porte will inject that personality into Jacquemus’ brand-new Los Angeles flagship store — its second brick-and-mortar location in the United States.

The Collections

Here we are — inside the 2,800-square-foot space designed to feel like a true provincial country homestay. It’s an intimate, striking space with an airy Mediterranean feel: clay stucco walls ascend to a vaulted ceiling, long, yellow linen couches run down the middle of the room, and coffee tables are topped with photography books shot by Simon Porte himself on his iPhone. Plant life can be glimpsed all around — olive trees and lavender. Herringbone floors are cleverly done in stone, which gives it sort of a worn and creaking feel of an art collector’s pied-à-terre. 

And then there’s the art, of course. (What? You weren’t expecting art in a clothing store? Neither was I.) But it’s not just any art. The treasures at Jacquemus include a bronze sculpture (La Petite Laveuse) by one of the great Impressionist painters, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, depicting a nude woman lifting her laundry from the water. There’s a photograph of David Hockney captured by Peggy Sirota in 1999 and a painting by lesser-known French artist Maurice Savin. There’s a slew of incredible decor and furniture pieces, including a Frank Lloyd Wright table lamp and a Croisillon chair designed in 1945 by Jean Royère. “It’s always important to have objects,” the designer told Vogue. “It gives another vibe to the store.”

Displayed neatly on white travertine tables that run the length of the store, there’s also “La Galerie” — a selection of vintage jewelry from the 1920s to the 1960s, curated by Simon Porte from markets around the world. Think: geometric brass earrings that vaguely remind me of the stacked heels of Les Valerie Hautes sandals from many seasons ago. (Valerie was Simon Porte’s mother’s name.) Another pair of spiral earrings bring to mind the swirling gold-tone pendant of Le Collier Turbi necklace. A silver brooch boasts squiggly, sun-like rays not unlike those of Le Collier Sol. It’s true; these objects do give another dimension to the store, and to those familiar with the brand, a look into the designer’s mind. 

Simple Pastoral Pleasures

Jacquemus’ handbags and ready-to-wear pieces get the gallery treatment, too. Seeing them in their natural habitat feels much like the joy and awe of seeing art in person. Here’s the Spiaggia bag and the small Turismo! And over there, look at the pink mules with their stacked heels — a surrealist stunner from La Croisière collection. I also stop to admire the baby pink sarong skirt, which conjures up images of the custom Jacquemus number Chloe wore on her boyfriend’s super yacht in White Lotus. Beyond that, as a nod to the city’s workout culture and the designer’s obsession with Venice’s Muscle Beach, the brand rolled out a limited run of exercise equipment: a jump rope, a yoga mat, a set of silver barbells with a cube and sphere on both ends.

And because this is Los Angeles after all, and Jacquemus is nothing if not a masterclass in creating viral, immersive moments, the parking lot outside the store was converted into a pop-up market. Awash in yellow, the entire setup is catnip for social media flâneurs. We meander past the endless crates of everything yellow under the sun — lemons, bananas, and flowers. Oh, so many flowers: chrysanthemums, peony-flowered tulips, and an explosion of wild chamomile and its disheveled and small, daisy-like blooms. (As a floral non-expert, I need to pre-apologize if I’ve misidentified these flowers.) 

Instagram-y as it may be, I can’t ignore what Jacquemus is doing here, its artful attempt at resurrecting the spirit of the designer’s humble hometown and Provençal roots. “It was important for me to say, ‘I’m from that — I’m from the countryside,’” Simon Porte told Vogue in a video tour of the boutique ahead of its opening. In gazing at the yellow-and-white striped market awning and the people idling over their beautiful bouquets and gelato, my mind is cast to a different place — a place where the pace of life is slower, the Mediterranean sun is always shining, and beauty is around every corner.