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
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.
The rest of us made due. Even though the fire raged not too far from Andy's and my home and our A+R store, I knew they weren't under threat. Besides, Paula had been anticipating this night for four fashion seasons now, since 2005 when the Brit expat launched the label she named after her grandfather Robert Thomas and great-grandmum Catherine Wylde. The former model segued way into ceo of Julien MacDonald through his appointment at Givenchy, then collaborated with Milanese designer Stefano Guerriero, and then relocated to L.A. four years ago where she helped launch young designer Jenni Kayne.
The Thomas Wylde skull print became an instantly successful and recognizable mark of the brand. But that’s not all the collection is about. There’s a remarkable ready-to-wear line. And with fall, Thomas is launching jeans, sneakers and a haute home line that includes 1,000-thread-count sheets embroidered with crosses, three-foot-tall marble skull planters, silver metal-wrapped furniture and cashmere blankets—like the ones hanging idly on the backs of chairs at Monday night’s party because, well, it was too damn hot to even care about them.
I'm not sure that all the Hoopes Cab we put away at my table was really quenching our thirst. But Danny Huston kept pouring, and his charming lady Lynn and charmed nephew Jack Huston kept it amusing between courses. The ghastly heat couldn't have been more appropriate in some respects, considering that among the reasons for the celebration was the publication of "Death Valley." The black fabric-covered tome is filled with sumptuous images of flawlessly turned out glamazons in California's dusty inferno. Shot by Gitte and Delaney, the book is a keepsake showcase of Paula Thomas' demi-couture, skull-speckled bikinis and studded jeans and bags, and the striking furniture (a 5-ton bed with a dozen-plus cowskulls all white washed). Flaunt published this first picture book for the brand and, of course, founding publisher Luis Barajas was there, as were fashion writer Monica Corcoran, super stylist Maryam Malakpour with shear genius Yiotis Panayiotou, Vincent Gallo, Marley Shelton, Maxfield owner Tommy Perse, Eric Dane and jewelry designer Stephen Webster (who made sure Thomas sparkled in his work).
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.
The rest of us made due. Even though the fire raged not too far from Andy's and my home and our A+R store, I knew they weren't under threat. Besides, Paula had been anticipating this night for four fashion seasons now, since 2005 when the Brit expat launched the label she named after her grandfather Robert Thomas and great-grandmum Catherine Wylde. The former model segued way into ceo of Julien MacDonald through his appointment at Givenchy, then collaborated with Milanese designer Stefano Guerriero, and then relocated to L.A. four years ago where she helped launch young designer Jenni Kayne.
The Thomas Wylde skull print became an instantly successful and recognizable mark of the brand. But that’s not all the collection is about. There’s a remarkable ready-to-wear line. And with fall, Thomas is launching jeans, sneakers and a haute home line that includes 1,000-thread-count sheets embroidered with crosses, three-foot-tall marble skull planters, silver metal-wrapped furniture and cashmere blankets—like the ones hanging idly on the backs of chairs at Monday night’s party because, well, it was too damn hot to even care about them.
I'm not sure that all the Hoopes Cab we put away at my table was really quenching our thirst. But Danny Huston kept pouring, and his charming lady Lynn and charmed nephew Jack Huston kept it amusing between courses. The ghastly heat couldn't have been more appropriate in some respects, considering that among the reasons for the celebration was the publication of "Death Valley." The black fabric-covered tome is filled with sumptuous images of flawlessly turned out glamazons in California's dusty inferno. Shot by Gitte and Delaney, the book is a keepsake showcase of Paula Thomas' demi-couture, skull-speckled bikinis and studded jeans and bags, and the striking furniture (a 5-ton bed with a dozen-plus cowskulls all white washed). Flaunt published this first picture book for the brand and, of course, founding publisher Luis Barajas was there, as were fashion writer Monica Corcoran, super stylist Maryam Malakpour with shear genius Yiotis Panayiotou, Vincent Gallo, Marley Shelton, Maxfield owner Tommy Perse, Eric Dane and jewelry designer Stephen Webster (who made sure Thomas sparkled in his work).
