A. Mason Opens Second Store

More than 200 fashionistas feted the Dec. 13 opening of the second A. Mason store on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles—a 1,200-square-foot showcase of hard-to-find, one-of-a-kind looks scouted out by co-owner Sam Lauachus. She and her husband, Andrew Mason, debuted their first location on tony Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, Calif., more than three years ago. But the new store, which actually opened Oct. 20, promises a different aesthetic, they claim.

“We will skew it edgier here—the Westside is more utilitarian,” Mason said.

Lauachus illustrated that a painted, rubberized fabric miniskirt by Trosman Churba would be a Robertson exclusive.

Known already for their distinctive fashions, the couple have brought aboard Wendy Vaughan as another creative partner to buy for the store, whose looks hail from around the world.

De Campos from Belgium, Batiste from Paris and Jensens out of the United Kingdom are a few of the unusual European lines sold at A. Mason. Jensens started off as a hand-knit, hand-beaded underwear collection and has grown to include cashmere sweaters.

The store also stocks the wares of local designers Petro Zillia, Bahar Korcan and Amy Mitton, known for her reconstructed vintage and lace dresses, which already have sold out.

Lauachus herself created Samwear, a line of reconstructed vintage separates that has been selling strong, according to Mason.

Wearing a Gucci shirt, an original pair of Sassoon jeans (that had come with the Bullock’s price tag still attached) and a vintage fox fur–trimmed jacket he designed, designer Cornell Collins also was on hand to pay tribute to the store, which will begin carrying items from his Spring collection early next year.

“The store has a very urban sensibility,” Collins said. “A customer can really understand the store’s point of view the minute they walk in.”

Collins said he had been busy these past few months creating a gown out of $1 million worth of casino chips for the opening of the Palms Resort hotel in Las Vegas. —Nola Sarkisian-Miller