A+R is British ex-pat Andy Griffith, a former film editor and self-avowed design junkie, and Rose Apodaca, a pop culture and style journalist.
In late 2005, we opened our tiny shop in the heart of Los Angeles' creative enclave known as Silverlake, keen on sharing our excitement for great design with anyone who would listen.
At A+R, we strive to bring together an uncommon and exclusive product mix that emphasizes good and thoughtful modern design.
We love talking about the designers we find locally and from afar, because it only goes to show that this brilliant and bold community is not so much distinguished by geographic or cultural boundaries but bound by the pursuit of aesthetics and innovative ideas.
From stemware to stuffed toys, books to baubles, body care to bright lights, the constant is design that charms, functions and inspires.
How does this make A+R different from the other great design shops in the universe?
We obsessively seek out the newest products, aiming to offer them first. We cherry pick the best from the best manufacturers. We don't settle for product simply available through domestic distributors: Challenges be damned, we import from anywhere in the world. We never sell anything we haven't personally handled. We love everything we sell.
In a sound bite: Global design. Edited.
That's A+R.
We hope you find things you've been looking for all your lives, and stuff you didn't know you needed. And, whether you're a designer or enthusiast like us, if you come across anything you believe fits our world, please let us know.
Hello A+R, Very congenial merchandizing. I would like to share some of our accessory designs with you. ADJEKTIVES+MODDIF IERS. http:adjektives.c om Greetz from SF, -FzS
In case you’ve been under a rock this last month and missed out on all the generous attention we’ve been receiving in the press, we wanted to give you a heads up that our A+R shop on Abbot Kinney in Venice is OPEN. Visit us! We’ve scarcely had a moment to pause and take it all in since we opened the door a month ago. With the original Silver Lake store and our online shop cranking at full throttle because, well, ‘tis the gift-giving season, life is A+R 24/7. And we're loving it (albeit, a little worse for wear...) Here’s a glimpse at the new digs. We were fortunate to collaborate on the design with Barbara Bestor. And her cabinet maker Frank and his team are absolute craftsman. We love our new neighbors, too. On the corner is the 3 Square Café and Bakery, our dining room most nights (try the spaetzel and chanterelles). On our other side is Vert, a one-stop shop to load up on natural, yet chic beauty products. Like all of us, Liseanne Frank’s jewelry box of a jewelry shop, LFrank, is yet another newbie to this end of Abbot Kinney. More later!
It’s official: We’ve signed the lease on an amazing space on Abbot Kinney in the Cali town of Venice! We’re aiming to open this Westside outpost by October, which is the second anniversary of our first A+R shop, on Silverlake Boulevard. At 450 square feet, it’s also twice the size of the east side store.
We’re particularly excited about the location. Not only is the Abbot Kinney culture the closest to Silverlake’s, the owner and architect of the brand-new, award-winning building is Michael Sant of Sant Architects, whose office is just up the block. He’s taken extreme care in selecting the tenants of the commercial space downstairs and the glass-walled lofts above to reflect the architectural aesthetic and public-private mission of the project. A+R will sit between the new luxe beauty shop Vert, owned by H’wood makeup artist Renata Helfman, and chef Hans Röckenwagner’s yummy 3 Square Bakey + Café. Stay tuned for more…
The 1938 Steinway baby grand piano, artfully charred by Dutch designer Maarten Baas made it. As did the stunning block column crystal chandeliers surrounding it by Georg Baldele. Yet not everything planned for showcase in the brand-spanking new Moss store on Melrose Avenue made it for the opening party last night, and that was probably a godsend considering the endless line of acolytes come to see what, and who, many design junkies consider is the grand poobah of their affliction.
It’s such a weird night,” Murray Moss told me in that impish, intimate way he has, as if he’s known you since kindergarten. “As you get closer to the night of an opening, you imagine what it will be like when the doors finally open, the theater of it all. Yet you wonder if anyone will come. Then the moment happens.”
The nominees are in for this year’s Los Angeles Fashion Awards, and it’s going to be a tough call for those of us on the jury, particularly in the category of fashion innovator considering the talented four named. The Moss Adams-sponsored prize might go to Jasmin Shokrian, Paula Thomas of Thomas Wylde, Juan Carlos Obando or Rami Kashou. But for me (who’s been covering the fashion world here forever), the real victory is the city for, once again, showing that L.A. style is more than just spangled red carpet gowns and pubic-grazing jeans.
With the unveiling of his P.A.D. outdoor furniture set, RISD alum Eli Bonerz not only proves his design chops: the kingpin behind the streetwear phenom X-Large, now in it’s pubescent 16th year in biz, also reveals he’s all grown up—or at least his taste is.
The debut quartet dubbed the Clip Series—a lounge chair and ottoman, pool chair and site table—unveiled Saturday night at FordBrady , the converted movie house on the edge of downtown L.A.’s Chinatown dedicated to contemporary furniture and art.
Word Damien Hirst is doing jeans shot to mind his mum’s gasp with each of her son’s new work: “For the love of God, what are you going to do next?” He slapped the statement on his latest, the platinum skull set with 8,601 diamonds, which we caught on opening day at the White Cube in London. And now we’re wondering the same about the Brit’s collaboration with the original denim kings, San Francisco’s Levi Strauss on its Warhol Factory X line.
What happens in Vegas doesn’t necessarily stay there. Not if you were within shot of the photographers who came to America’s City of Lights in the last five decades. Some of the best results are the subject of “The Show on Vegas,” which opened Thursday night with a bash at M+B gallery in West Hollywood.
Slim Aarons, Todd Eberle, Curt Gunther, Ed Ruscha, Bruce Weber, Dennis Hopper and Bernard of Hollywood are among the three dozen photographers represented in the exhibit, an extension of The Book on Vegas, a luscious 300-page tome packed with 226 images curated by Roman Alonso and Lisa Eisner. Published by their art book imprint Greybull Press late last year, and timed to the city’s centennial, it’s a visual compendium of intimate moments and better-known milestones: William Claxton catching Marlene Dietrich mid smoky cigarette and backstage at the Sands Hotel in 1958, and, three decades later, Richard Misrach’s melancholic sunset scene of a deserted drive-in theater.
First robots. Now anime. Iconoclasitic designer Miuccia Prada continues her fixation on Japanese cool by designing costumesfor the animated film “Appleseed: Ex Machina.”
Directed by Shinji Aramaki, the futuristic story pits humans and their their clones. This is the sequel to 2004’s “Appleseed” and based on the comic series by Masamune Shirow. Having never designed for a film before, Prada created two costumes for heroin-warrior Deunan Knute, inspired by the first film’s story and its 3D live animation production. "Watching the previous 'Appleseed,' I thought that the expression of contrast in man and machine, violence and love was wonderful," the designer said at a press conference in Tokyo, reported WWD on Friday. "I designed something contemporary that matches the movie's feelings." These conceits seemingly spilled over into her groundbreaking “Metropolitan Armor” collection last fall. And she enlisted the film’s Mana Ota to model in the Miu Miu ad campaign then, too. The film hits Japanese theaters on October 20, and will be distributed worldwide via Warner Home Video.
It might be tough to believe that the duo behind Kova & T are actually that interested in offering denim and cashmere staples that perfectly fit every body type. After all, designers Christina Tang and Dasha Zhukova (pictured here) count the Olsens, Mischa Barton and Ashlee Simpson among their most-photographed acolytes. And Rachel Bilson, China Chow and Joy Bryant were among the super-lithe, die-hard fans at a coming-out party last night at the Chateau Marmont (where else?) celebrating Kova & T’s relatively recent arrival in stores.
It's as if Rome was burning. As bright flames edged the tallest crest of Griffith Park, the 70 or so glamorously turned out guests—including Michelle Hicks, Minnie Driver, David and Courtney Cox-Arquette, Diane Kruger, Johnny Lee Miller—stood rapt on the expansive penthouse balcony of the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. We were there last night to celebrate Thomas Wylde, the rapidly rising L.A. fashion star brand heavy on luxe and skulls. Inside and outside, a dozen round tables were chicly laid out with black wine glasses and black plates. So as calamity burned in the distance the billowing red cloud and 90-degree temps gave the evening an unintended surrealism. Area evacuations had already prompted some guests to phone host Paula Thomas and cancel. Kelly Lynch and Mitch Glazer, who had already made it to the party, left hastily to check on their Neutra in the hills.
When Jack White decided he wanted to ape the iconic pearly king and queens of London’s boroughs for the White Stripes’ next incarnation, the duo’s stylist didn’t bat an eye. In part, because she admittedly didn’t know what the hell Jack was going on about. But Brandy St. John (yes, that’s her christened name) was frustrated with the current state of her job: rock stars actually striving for a look that came off the VIP rack of some designer’s exclusive stockpile. “What’s the deal with rock stars wanting to all look the same? They all want clothes from the same store, the same designers,” she laments to me. “But rock ‘n’ roll should be about one-of-a-kind outfits no one will have, or even want to wear.”
Turning the prosaic on its head is not simply an exercise for the guys at the Czech Republic-based Qubus Studio. It's religion. This is the studio, after all, that rendered life-size Wellington boots in porcelain—thereby flipping something that keeps water out into something that holds the wet stuff in. So when they got the task to renovate the baroque St. Bartholomew's Church in the Eastern Bohemian village of Chodovice, designers Maxim Velcovsky and Jakub Berdych did, in essence, the expected and the results are anything but predictable.
I suppose it should've been no surprise that Steve Jones--he of Sex Pistols legend and now lord deejay on Indie 103.1--clocked my T-shirt shift with the 18th century cherubs ringed in gold lame as Vivienne Westwood. She was, of course, the architect behind many of the iconic clothes (plaid bondage pants, etal) that defined the Pistols and punk rock forever after. We talked about Westwood, Sharon Stone's white wardrobe in "Casino," Jonesy's own T-shirt--a remake of a Granny Takes a Trip graphic--oh, and the new LA Times Image section--of which I'm the consulting editor and the reason why I was booked on "Jonesy's Jukebox" Friday (the third issue of Image drops tomorrow). The two hours were a kooky hoot, thanks in part to the "jury" I was on, which included Andrew Phillips of UK's Channel 4 Radio and TV giant Norman Lear and his precocious 12-year-old Madeline, who loves Pink Floyd as much as Mika and seemed to know more about music than all of us in the studio. We weighed in on a bunch of new songs and the conversation meandered into some crazy directions. If you missed it, the podcast will be posted in the coming days here and at 103.1's site. You can also tune in again tonight from 6:45-7:15 when I, again, go on the air with Camp Freddy's Dave Navarro and Billy Morrison to plug Image.
Just back from nearly a week in Nicaragua. Forced ourselves to keep unplugged, hence the interruption in entries. Believe the hype. The country is on a major rebound after a lifetime of being a political pawn. Yet despite the rush to prove it’s entering a new era, much of the construction appears slow to embrace a more truly modern aesthetic. Too bad, too, considering the capital of Managua boasts one of the most modern churches anywhere, the Metropolitan Cathedral.
Targets ongoing partnership with the most talented rising fashion stars has already been impressive, what with Luella Bartley, Proenza Schouler and (up next) Patrick Robinson getting in on the GO International program. But it's the July 15 roll out of the cheap-chic chain's co-branded goods with Libertine that has us marking the calendar. That's right, Libertine of the crystal skulls and Victorian edge. Word is that bi-coastal designers Johnson Hartig of L.A. and Cindy Greene of NYC will be delivering their signature look--but at decidedly more accessible prices.
In case you’ve been under a rock this last month and missed out on all the generous attention we’ve been receiving in the press, we wanted to give you a heads up that our A+R shop on Abbot Kinney in Venice is OPEN. Visit us! We’ve scarcely had a moment to pause and take it all in since we opened the door a month ago. With the original Silver Lake store and our online shop cranking at full throttle because, well, ‘tis the gift-giving season, life is A+R 24/7. And we're loving it (albeit, a little worse for wear...) Here’s a glimpse at the new digs. We were fortunate to collaborate on the design with Barbara Bestor. And her cabinet maker Frank and his team are absolute craftsman. We love our new neighbors, too. On the corner is the 3 Square Café and Bakery, our dining room most nights (try the spaetzel and chanterelles). On our other side is Vert, a one-stop shop to load up on natural, yet chic beauty products. Like all of us, Liseanne Frank’s jewelry box of a jewelry shop, LFrank, is yet another newbie to this end of Abbot Kinney. More later!
It’s official: We’ve signed the lease on an amazing space on Abbot Kinney in the Cali town of Venice! We’re aiming to open this Westside outpost by October, which is the second anniversary of our first A+R shop, on Silverlake Boulevard. At 450 square feet, it’s also twice the size of the east side store.
We’re particularly excited about the location. Not only is the Abbot Kinney culture the closest to Silverlake’s, the owner and architect of the brand-new, award-winning building is Michael Sant of Sant Architects, whose office is just up the block. He’s taken extreme care in selecting the tenants of the commercial space downstairs and the glass-walled lofts above to reflect the architectural aesthetic and public-private mission of the project. A+R will sit between the new luxe beauty shop Vert, owned by H’wood makeup artist Renata Helfman, and chef Hans Röckenwagner’s yummy 3 Square Bakey + Café. Stay tuned for more…
The 1938 Steinway baby grand piano, artfully charred by Dutch designer Maarten Baas made it. As did the stunning block column crystal chandeliers surrounding it by Georg Baldele. Yet not everything planned for showcase in the brand-spanking new Moss store on Melrose Avenue made it for the opening party last night, and that was probably a godsend considering the endless line of acolytes come to see what, and who, many design junkies consider is the grand poobah of their affliction.
It’s such a weird night,” Murray Moss told me in that impish, intimate way he has, as if he’s known you since kindergarten. “As you get closer to the night of an opening, you imagine what it will be like when the doors finally open, the theater of it all. Yet you wonder if anyone will come. Then the moment happens.”
The nominees are in for this year’s Los Angeles Fashion Awards, and it’s going to be a tough call for those of us on the jury, particularly in the category of fashion innovator considering the talented four named. The Moss Adams-sponsored prize might go to Jasmin Shokrian, Paula Thomas of Thomas Wylde, Juan Carlos Obando or Rami Kashou. But for me (who’s been covering the fashion world here forever), the real victory is the city for, once again, showing that L.A. style is more than just spangled red carpet gowns and pubic-grazing jeans.
With the unveiling of his P.A.D. outdoor furniture set, RISD alum Eli Bonerz not only proves his design chops: the kingpin behind the streetwear phenom X-Large, now in it’s pubescent 16th year in biz, also reveals he’s all grown up—or at least his taste is.
The debut quartet dubbed the Clip Series—a lounge chair and ottoman, pool chair and site table—unveiled Saturday night at FordBrady , the converted movie house on the edge of downtown L.A.’s Chinatown dedicated to contemporary furniture and art.
Word Damien Hirst is doing jeans shot to mind his mum’s gasp with each of her son’s new work: “For the love of God, what are you going to do next?” He slapped the statement on his latest, the platinum skull set with 8,601 diamonds, which we caught on opening day at the White Cube in London. And now we’re wondering the same about the Brit’s collaboration with the original denim kings, San Francisco’s Levi Strauss on its Warhol Factory X line.
What happens in Vegas doesn’t necessarily stay there. Not if you were within shot of the photographers who came to America’s City of Lights in the last five decades. Some of the best results are the subject of “The Show on Vegas,” which opened Thursday night with a bash at M+B gallery in West Hollywood.
Slim Aarons, Todd Eberle, Curt Gunther, Ed Ruscha, Bruce Weber, Dennis Hopper and Bernard of Hollywood are among the three dozen photographers represented in the exhibit, an extension of The Book on Vegas, a luscious 300-page tome packed with 226 images curated by Roman Alonso and Lisa Eisner. Published by their art book imprint Greybull Press late last year, and timed to the city’s centennial, it’s a visual compendium of intimate moments and better-known milestones: William Claxton catching Marlene Dietrich mid smoky cigarette and backstage at the Sands Hotel in 1958, and, three decades later, Richard Misrach’s melancholic sunset scene of a deserted drive-in theater.
First robots. Now anime. Iconoclasitic designer Miuccia Prada continues her fixation on Japanese cool by designing costumesfor the animated film “Appleseed: Ex Machina.”
Directed by Shinji Aramaki, the futuristic story pits humans and their their clones. This is the sequel to 2004’s “Appleseed” and based on the comic series by Masamune Shirow. Having never designed for a film before, Prada created two costumes for heroin-warrior Deunan Knute, inspired by the first film’s story and its 3D live animation production. "Watching the previous 'Appleseed,' I thought that the expression of contrast in man and machine, violence and love was wonderful," the designer said at a press conference in Tokyo, reported WWD on Friday. "I designed something contemporary that matches the movie's feelings." These conceits seemingly spilled over into her groundbreaking “Metropolitan Armor” collection last fall. And she enlisted the film’s Mana Ota to model in the Miu Miu ad campaign then, too. The film hits Japanese theaters on October 20, and will be distributed worldwide via Warner Home Video.
