Sitting inside a tony Beverly Hills restaurant, Lloyd Klein is casually attired in black denim pants, a black T-shirt and an off-white leather jacket. A gold necklace hangs around his neck.
The sportiness of his garb is an indication of where the Canadian-born, French-speaking designer is headed these days after closing his haute couture showroom and studio in Los Angeles last year.
For years, the man who became the head designer in the 1990s at the House of Madame Grès in Paris has been dressing some of Hollywood’s most elegant and richest women. There has been singer Natalie Cole in an emerald-green strapless evening gown, Jane Fonda in a tangerine and yellow summer evening frock, and Kim Kardashian in a strapless gray dress with ruching to accent the media star’s curvaceous attributes.
Fashion mavens such as Betsy Bloomingdale and Ivana Trump frequented his house of couture, called Lloyd Klein Couture, located in a 1928 chateau-like two-story building, known as “the Castle,” on Beverly Boulevard.
Inside, the walls were covered with gray suede and large mirrors. There was a VIP consultation lounge and fitting room for couture clients as well as retail space to showcase accessories, jewelry and handbags. The space also included an archive library featuring more than 4,000 runway sample garments that chronicled the history of Klein’s work as well as other pieces.
But two years ago, Klein fell behind on his $7,518-a-month lease and eventually was taken to court in Los Angeles to pay $73,858 in back rent due for the 10-month period between July 1, 2011, and April 30, 2012. Klein didn’t want to comment about the court case, which ended in April with a judgment to pay $118,187 in back rent and other fees.
“There are more details not disclosed in the lawsuit,” the designer said, pointing out he invested a good deal of money in the building. He felt he and the landlord were even when it came to the rent.
The interior-design investment was to make his studio as European as possible. “‘The Castle’ was set up like it was going to be the house of Givenchy,” Klein said, while lunching at Spago. He said he poured $1.8 million to remodel the building into something worthy of a Parisian designer.
But the location at 7415 Beverly Blvd. proved inconvenient for his wealthy customers, who preferred sticking closer to the city’s Westside. “I wish I had known Los Angeles better when I decided to open my studio,” he said. “It would have been better if it had been in Beverly Hills.”
Diane Merrick, whose Diane Merrick Clothing Salon is near “the Castle,” noted it is a slow shopping street. “The truth is, I love my store and I love the size of it, but it is not really a busy location,” she said.
Since moving out of “the Castle” in the middle of last year, Klein has been working out of his house and busy embracing the ready-to-wear market. Last year, he sold a majority share in three of his diffusion labels—Lloyd Klein Signature, Lloyd Klein Private Label and Chateau Lloyd Klein—to a Chinese group for foreign development.
New direction, new growth plans
And two months ago, he formed Lloyd Klein Holdings with a Chinese company to develop his LKLA (Lloyd Klein Los Angeles) sportswear brand for men and women. The Spring 2014 collection of leather and jersey clothing debuts in November, with the aim of selling it to high-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Klein said.
Other plans for Lloyd Klein Holdings include opening a new store in Beverly Hills by early next year.
“I think it is time for me to expand, and there are some businessmen who know how to do business better than I do,” said Klein, who noted he is the majority owner in Lloyd Klein Holdings to make sure he doesn’t lose control of his own company. “I have worked over 20 years very hard. And the offer they gave me was very delicious.”
LKLA is a sportswear line that will mix the cool vibe of Los Angeles with the European sophistication for which he is known. “There are some leather inserts. I always love leather but in a very soft way,” Klein explained of his sportswear vision. “And I am mixing jersey with leather.”
Retail price points will be around $160 to $200 for women’s tops, $180 to $200 for dresses and $450 to $900 for women’s suits. Men’s leather jackets will sell for $300 to $400 and leather slacks for $185 to $250.
For now, all the sportswear will be made in Los Angeles and sold in the United States, Klein said. Eventually, sales could expand to Europe and Asia. “I am not even interested in going to Europe unless it is in very good stores like Colette in Paris,” Klein said. “But at the moment, it is important to bring LKLA nationwide.”
If sales volumes increase sharply, production could move to Asia.
Paris roots
Klein, a self-taught designer who originally studied architecture before switching to fashion, is known for his excellent tailoring and draping of gowns that have been purchased for tens of thousands of dollars by Palm Beach society mavens, wealthy Angelenos and members of the Saudi royal family, according to the designer.
Klein got much of his design training through his friendship with Parisian designer Givenchy and his years of working at the House of Madame Grès, later known as Grès, which was owned by a Japanese company during his tenure. He left in 1995 to focus on his own label.
In 2000, he met Los Angeles businessman John Arguelles, who was visiting Paris. Arguelles later became president of Lloyd Klein Couture. He helped Klein secure an invitation to participate in Style Palm Beach, an important fashion event in Palm Beach, Fla.
It was there that Klein met Lynn Manulis, whose family owned the famous Martha stores in New York as well as Palm Beach and Bal Harbour, Fla., frequented by the nation’s wealthiest socialites. Known for discovering new talent, Manulis organized a trunk show for the French designer. “In three days, we made $1.7 million,” Klein recalled.
Later, after living part-time in Los Angeles and showing at New York Fashion Week, Klein moved permanently to Los Angeles in 2003 and the following year opened “the Castle.” For several seasons, he showed at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, but in recent years he has been primarily participating in California runway shows and getting his gowns worn by more than 200 Hollywood celebrities.
“I have kept the haute couture part [of my business],” Klein said. “I am very happy with the haute couture.”
On Oct. 3, Klein will be one of several local designers, including Sue Wong and Louis Verdad, showing at “Designer and the Muse,” a runway event at the Sofitel Los Angeles hotel.
One of the show’s organizers is Susan Stein, the fashion editor of Palm Springs Life magazine. She also puts together Fashion Week El Paseo in Palm Springs, Calif., where Klein last year was the featured designer.
Stein said she included Klein last year because she thought he could keep the week a luxe event. “I think Lloyd does very special work,” she said, “and he is very talented.”
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