Double RL Finds Happy Trails on Melrose
Ralph Lauren is on the move in Los Angeles.
On Sept. 19, a Ralph Lauren boutique opened at 141 N. Robertson Blvd. The New York–based fashion house opened a large, 2,600-square-foot Ralph Lauren’s Double RL store on Oct. 31 in a former mechanic’s garage at 8150 Melrose Ave., about a mile away from the Robertson store.
The Melrose location is a neighbor of the venerable Fred Segal boutique, which has long anchored the fashion neighborhood Melrose Heights. In the past couple of years, retailers such as DC Shoes, A Bathing Ape, Crooks Castles and Parke Ronen put down stakes in Melrose Heights.
Like the other Double RL stores located around the United States, the Melrose boutique focuses on the romance and style of blue-collar America. Western wear, workwear and military-inspired clothes are offered at Double RL along with some vintage fashions. However, this blue collar comes at a price. One pair of jeans with oil-cloth details retailed for $825. Store price points ranged from $60 for some T-shirts to $3,500 for some vintage pieces.
The interior design of the store must have been inspired by high-class bohemian style. A photographic portrait of deceased reggae star Peter Tosh gazes over the north side of the store and elegantly-frayed, military-looking couches are perched by the store’s dressing rooms.
