Tod’s throws a party to celebrate the re-opening of its newly designed Beverly Hills digs
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Italian luxury label Tod‘s threw a grand re-opening party at its Beverly Hills flagship boutique Thursday night that lured a gaggle of Hollywood celebs, including Marisa Tomei, Kate Beckinsale, Halle Berry, Kelly Lynch, Jessica Alba and Pierce Brosnan.
The cocktail soiree, which was also thrown to commemorate the arrival of Jeffrey Deitch, the newly appointed director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in L.A., was hosted by Tod’s Chief Executive and Chairman Diego Della Valle, and spanned all three floors of the freshly revamped boutique. The company’s new store concept, which is meant to evoke a luxurious residence, will be rolled out to other locations in the coming year.
‘I think in this town, everything is a destination,’ said Della Valle, who speaks with a melodious Italian accent and wears a wrist-full of colorful braided leather Tod’s bracelets. ‘We wanted this to be an address for our customers during their Rodeo Drive shopping. They can take coffee, go upstairs, maybe touch or buy something. We wanted it to be a really friendly point in one of the most important luxury streets in the world.’
The store’s new design evokes the feel of a warm, luxurious manse — with sofa-and-table vignettes in shades of brown and beige placed throughout. Walls have been painted a rich burgundy and decorated with clusters of framed family photos and paintings. Side tables bearing fresh flowers abound.
‘For a retail environment to go with a dark color scheme I think is very daring — but I’m selfish, it highlights what I do,’ said Derek Lam, creative director for Tod’s ready-to-wear and accessories, who also flew in from New York for the occasion and mingled with Tomei and Vogue editor-cum-socialite Lauren Santo Domingo (in town for the Coachella music festival this weekend).
Indeed, Tod’s clothes and accessories (including its signature driving moccasins) clearly served as inspiration for their new surroundings — which are chic, but not at all trendy. Because as Della Valle so perfectly put it, ‘We need to be contemporary and modern, but we don’t want to be fashion.’
Top photo: Derek Lam, left, and Diego Della Valle. Bottom photo: Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry. Credits: Donato Sardella for Tod’s