Nasty Gal Goes Beachside With Rafael de Cárdenas
Author:Candace AbbottMix midi dresses and crop tops, gladiator sandals with luxe beach living, and high-profile design on one of Southern California’s most gabbed about shopping spots. The outcome: Nasty Gal’s second brick and mortar (at the Third Street Promenade), which boasts an interior done up by celebrated architect, Rafael de Cárdenas.
Cárdenas, who’s put his stamp on spots like Cartier, Nike, and the awe-inspiring Barney’s New York, has transformed the 6,500 square foot space into a custom designed Art Deco-meets-darling retail wonderland which proudly displays his signature nod to the 1980s.
What Rafael de Cardenas did was take Nasty Gal’s in-your-face-feminine vibe and translate it into the shopping space, which features a decadent shoe salon, the LA fashion lover’s dream. Bold blue carpet marks the space that’s surrounded by mirrors and exposed, not to mention ideal, overhead lighting and standout white platforms to display the wares. Photos in the Jeffrey Campbell heels you’re contemplating are completely acceptable here. And situated above the salon is a fresh, fun neon sign which reads, “I still remember what I was wearing when it happened.” Clever.
Rewind to the store entry that lets you know where you are as you step through the door. Nasty Gal is inscribed, like a welcome mat, into the walkway which is followed up by a little greenery, a nod at Nasty Gal’s boho side, and warm blush palette that blends beautiful with the industrial vibe that’s evident throughout. It’s fair to say that you might feel like the interiors were pulled right off the web. The look is seamless without a doubt.
Nasty Gal made sure that fitting rooms weren’t an afterthought. Since the Instgram mavens, the selfie obsessed, and blogger sets look to Nasty Gal as their fashion mecca, it was only appropriate to design fitting rooms that offered more than a mirror, but a bonafide experience. First off, the mirrors were literally made for selfies. Second, the fitting room area is luxe and relaxed and it’s where you’ll find fashion-y girls, better known around the place as “Nasty Gal Muses,” who are there to offer full-service personal shopping. So if you are really into her rare vintage Oscar de la Renta top or Chanel jacket that she’s paired with a pair of One Teaspoon cutoffs, she’ll help you recreate the look. Much like their e-commerce sister, the store is a blissful blend of high and low fashion, vintage and the unmistakably edgy.
Much larger than Nasty Gal’s first location in Melrose, which opened its doors last November, this space features beautiful skylights and high ceilings, which make the place feel more expansive and full. It also shows off the Neo-modernist feel with help from enticing fixtures and vivid red accents. Here, even the point of sale space charms with a brushed aluminium countertop free of clutter just outfitted with fresh flowers and Diptyque candles and iPads as registers.
When fashion and design share the stage, it’s always a smash, so know your place. It’s time to snap some photos, tag your Nasty Gal-friends and upload a pic that says floppy hats off (boho mini-dresses on) to Sophia Amoruso, Rafael de Cárdenas and the Nasty Gal Santa Monica team. This is a #girlboss/#shoppingaddict’s dream come true.
Visit: 1254 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA, 90401
