Jeremy Scott: One Day in L.A.

Jeremy Scott, for part of his career, was an outsider in fashion; his over-the-top shows and in-your-face collections were not immediately embraced by the industry’s “in-crowd.” That’s changed, with the undeniable success of his eponymous line and his work as Moschino’s creative director since 2013. What hasn’t changed is his Pop-leaning aesthetic, love of lowbrow, and totally singular style.

Longchamp, the heritage French luxury brand and maker of the ubiquitous Le Pliage bag, was an early admirer of Scott’s signature spirit. The house’s creative director, Sophie Delafontaine, struck up a conversation with Scott that led to the design of a Longchamp luggage series in 2005. The collaboration led to a friendship, and soon Scott was creating two special bags a year, one for each season. A colorful keyboard, a stash of pills, telephones, boot prints, a rose, tire tracks, zodiac signs, and TV screens have all graced the classic Le Pliage tote. “What is wonderful is that Jeremy’s sense of humor speaks to everybody, and he manages to be funny without being vulgar, which is a rare quality. Although his work is often described as ‘Pop,’ there is a lot more to it than that. His eye for detail is unbelievable. On every design, there will always be something you don’t notice at first sight,” said Delafontaine.

Last November, Longchamp and Scott celebrated 10 years of collaborating with a special celebration in Los Angeles. Whitewall was there—not only to toast the 20 Le Pliage bags the designer has created with the family-run Parisian fashion house, but to get a taste of Scott’s L.A. inspirations and regular haunts. “I’m inspired by my friends; I’m inspired by life in general. It can be as random as the color of a car I drive by or as familiar as a Barbie doll,” Scott said.

So what does a day in the life of Jeremy Scott look like? It starts by getting the heart pumping and the creative juices flowing with a jam-packed SoulCycle class, led by one of Scott’s favorite instructors, Angela Davis (to whom, we should note, Oprah has given her stamp of approval). Several of Scott’s pals and colleagues (like Pablo Oleo and Delafontaine) saddled up to spin and sweat it out.

Sufficiently invigorated and energized by the motivational class, we headed to the base of Griffith Park for lunch to refuel, with some healthful and wholesome bites at Trails Café. Hearty avocado sandwiches, packed with veggies, and artisanal coffees and teas were enjoyed on classic picnic tables outside at Scott’s favorite spot to grab a bite before a hike up the meandering trails to Griffith Observatory. Having worn out our gams from our earlier ride, we opted instead for a drive up to the public monument, perched on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood.

From stimulating natural views, health-conscious eats, and mood-boosting movement, we went on to an afternoon full of cultural insight. First was a stop at The Way We Wore—part vintage store, part fashion library—to meet the amazing owner Doris Raymond. While sipping on champagne and eyeing some thrilling threads, we heard about regular fashion designer visitors like Scott, looking to pull from the past to construct fresh future collections. On a recent visit, we were told, Scott asked for sixties silhouettes and Americana prints.

Our next stop that afternoon dealt with a different sort of Americana, an exhibition of work by the artist Rosson Crow at Honor Fraser galler,y focused on a fictitious women’s fascination with the Kennedy assassination. The artist counts Scott as a best friend, and gave us a tour of the show wearing a dress by the designer, a remnant of their collaboration on costumes for Crow’s debut film, Madame Psychosis Holds a Séance.

Alongside artists like Crow, Scott’s personality and Pop-inspired patterns have garnered him the friendship and following of celebrities, too. Which led us to our final stop of the day: the historic TCL Chinese Theater, one of the icons illustrated on Scott’s 10th Anniversary limited-edition bag for Longchamp. While walking about we got a glimpse at where the designer impressed his hands into the forecourt of the stars—the first-ever fashion designer to do so (cemented alongside gal pal Katy Perry).

Later that night, we caught up with Scott at the John Lautner–designed Sheats Goldstein residence in the Hollywood Hills, where we found the designer in a very celebratory mood, wearing a snakeskin crown and tuxedo tails paired with a polka-dot-and-toy-gun-patterned shirt and pants. It was a fitting setting for the night, which saw guests like China Chow, Freida Pinto, Kirsten Dunst, and Amber Rose, and a fitting end to our one-day-only slice of Scott’s life in the City of Angels.

 

 

This article appears in Whitewall’s spring 2016 issue, out now.