As the summer solstice nears, all eyes are on Los Angeles-based designer Melissa Akkaway’s array of unfussy ready-to-pack pieces for her Beckley spring 2015 collection. The crisp white eyelet rompers, gingham-printed crop tops, and colorful plaid patterned dresses will be on view at a pop-up shop inside Decades on Melrose from Thursday, June 11 to Saturday, June 13. “It’s such a Los Angeles institution,” says Akkaway of the vintage boutique that she credits with carrying “an assortment of everything from couture vintage to something you can grab and go.”

For Akkaway, who debuted her line in 2011, the shop inside Decades is a homecoming of sorts. Since shuttering her beloved Los Angeles boutique earlier this year to give Beckley her undivided attention, Akkaway has kept a foothold in retail by launching pop-up shops in New York and Las Vegas in recent weeks. “It’s nice to have one focus and put all of my energy into the line,” she says. But, Akkaway admits missing the thrill of discovering up-and-coming designers and spotlighting them inside her brick-and-mortar store in L.A., which opened in 2008.

The pop-up shop inside Decades will include an array of events throughout the weekend, from a design-a-hat station (open from Thursday to Saturday) to brow touch-ups by Striiike salon (Friday from 11 am to 1 pm) to frozen confections from Sweet Rose Creamery (all day on Saturday). Though the Beckley shop is temporary, Akkaway’s strong retail roots—her great-grandfather ran a menswear business and she helmed the development of luxury Las Vegas shopping destination Mandalay Place—indicate that she’ll continue to devise innovative shops for her line. You can take the girl out of retail, but you can’t take the retail out of the girl.

By Jessica Estrada

 

Pictured: A look from Beckley’s spring 2015 collection.
Photo courtesy of Beckley

Email This To A Friend