The retail expansion of forte_forte has gained new momentum with the opening of a new boutique in Los Angeles. The Italian womenswear brand has inaugurated a number of standalone retail spaces across Europe, and little over two years ago, even one in Tokyo. With the latest opening, in a fashionable pocket in West Hollywood, forte_forte’s expansion continues. The store occupies a 4,820 sq.ft. (448 sqm.) space on the ground floor of a low-rise 1930s structure built in Melrose Place, rubbing shoulders with the boutiques of a string of leading brands, such as A.P.C., Balmain, Golden Goose, Linda Farrow and Marc Jacobs. The interior design, created by forte_forte co-founder Giada Forte and Robert Vattilana, her husband and the brand’s communications director, sees a warm and feminine palette that ties in with the aesthetic of the brand’s other boutiques, but also features site-specific tweaks inspired by California modernism. The façade, framed by sage green enamel, sees two large windows, a recessed entrance and a door in matching enamelled wood.

The setting indoors oozes a sophisticated Mediterranean vibe, featuring a range of soft hues with a shimmering brass, but also pairing eclectic materials such as an existing wall’s old bricks, resin floors, muslin curtains, and large decorative rocks sourced from the desert around Palm Springs and meant as a nod to the work of Swiss artist duo Peter Fischli and David Weiss. Four thin columns are lost in the ceiling inside three non-concentric circles of plaster and are an homage to the luminous geometries of artist James Turrell. The stage box is a harmonious balance of curves and straight lines—on the left side, the volume is squared while on the right side, the wall is round and incorporates a small pillar as well as the dressing rooms. on the two long sides, symmetrically, calligraphic hangers in ground brass folded by hand like shrub branches display the product, anchored to the ground or to the ceiling. Furnishings have been carefully selected to add to the alluring Mediterranean-inspired narrative, such as vases near the entrance, a daybed with golden studs, a large circular bench with perforated leather cushions, and seats in curved wood covered with gold leaf. The new forte_forte store carries the brand’s full range of women’s apparel, accessories, and shoes.