Elisabeth Weinstock’s flair for the exotic
Luxury designer and native Angeleno Elisabeth Weinstock knows the art of blending elegance with edge — a skill she attributes to having grown up a punk rock kid in Beverly Hills (the spiked Christian Louboutin sneakers she is wearing one recent day further validates this point).
Her line of accessories for men, women and the home incorporates exotic skins and leathers in a variety of colors in one-of-a-kind pieces such as humidors, cigar holders, travel valets, Dopp kits, clutches and jewelry armoires. Weinstock’s travels inspired the look and feel of each hand-made item, most of which are named after foreign cities and countries such as Dubai, Milan and Greenland. Prices range from $96 for a travel valet to around $25,000 for a large jewelry armoire.
Weinstock’s line began when she decided to build a 4-feet-tall jewelry box wrapped in exotic skin. After that first armoire quickly sold in 2008, Weinstock continued creating boxes in a multitude of shapes, sizes and purposes — including stacking boxes, cuff link boxes, tissue boxes and special use containers such as condom boxes, which can be used to discreetly store their contents on a boudoir table. In 2011, she introduced a bag collection for women, and her men’s line followed shortly thereafter.
On Monday, Weinstock brought her three collections under one roof at her new West Hollywood boutique. Weinstock, who worked as an interior designer for nearly a decade, gutted the 1930s-era property and rebuilt the rooms to showcase the brand while preserving the integrity of the building. “The vision that I had for the property was, first and foremost, to make each room a little bit different,” explains Weinstock.
The brand is showcased through four rooms. The “living room” displays furniture pieces and accessories. The “boudoir” features the jewelry box collection and premier bag line. The “man cave” is filled with items suitable for a gentleman, and the “dining room” is set up for hosting private dinner parties and selling tabletops.
With the exception of the dining room table, all items in the store, from the cabinets and shelves to the wood paneling and fully stocked bar, were designed and constructed by Weinstock. “The living room is very whimsical and is a more modern, playful room. You see that in the fuchsia couch, the cases, the snakeskin backgammon table and the pop art on the walls,” Weinstock says.
“I wanted the boudoir to feel warm, alluring, sexy and old-world beautiful,” she says. “I want customers to walk in that room and immediately feel the need to reach out and touch everything. And then the man cave was where I wanted you to imagine Spencer Tracy sipping brandy. I made a room that gentlemen can go into. It’s a comfortable room.”
With a barista, cappuccino machine, crystal glasses from which to drink complimentary alcoholic beverages, the shop feels welcoming. “We want people to come here and feel special,” Weinstock says. “We want them to understand and appreciate each and every item that we have and understand the craftsmanship that has gone into it.”
Elisabeth Weinstock, 8159 W. 3rd St., West Hollywood, (323) 655-3000, https://www.elisabethweinstock.com.
