Laura W.
Yelp
Okay, so I don't know really how to star this place because there are so many different ways to approach it. Honestly, I feel like people who would shop here are not going to Yelp to assess it. But, I couldn't help myself because it is quite possibly my weirdest experience of a store ever.
On point style and brands / General weirdness and curiosity: 5 stars
The moment you walk in you know that you are in a "seriously cool place". This is a place that people in the know go to impress upon themselves that they are cool. It is by far one of the most LA places I have ever been. It is owned by Paula Russo, the old fashion director of Maxfield if that helps to place the style for you. It is has an amazing amount of hip-girl jewelry, which was probably my favorite part. It is the epitome of a curated space. Everything about it seems to be the height of intentionality. I recommend going if only to just experience its aggregation of interesting things. If you like Dover Street Market, Collette, 10 Corso Como, then you should definitely make a stop here.
Prices: 0 stars - Like seriously insane
Okay this place is hilarious on pricing. Like 30k markup hilarious. I loved the mosaic table in their main showroom and asked about the designer. I then started to do some research. That table is listed as $32,500 on their website. I was like okay, fair enough. Then I found the EXACT SAME table on live auction for $2,750. It seems that Just One Eye bought this table and then was like "these rich Hollywood people don't understand what Google is; let's mark it up by a billion percent." Go to the actual artist, Massimiliano Beltrame who lives in SF and get it custom made. It was a serious LOL moment. All of their stuff that isn't a fixed MSPR is like that. I know that Just One Eye is currently famous for the 55k backpack, but honestly that isn't off-putting to me because it is a collab with Damien Hirst and to be expected. There is a difference between selling high end products/art and just making markups that are aimed at people with more money than sense. I am down to pay thousands for a handbag, but not if I know that it cost them say $500 and I am paying a $4500 curatorial fee.
https://new.liveauctioneers.com/item/30470167
http://justoneeye.com/missimilianobeltrameeyemosaiccoffeetable.html
Art: 5 stars
So I feel l like I have to give this a 5 stars because there is some serious blue chip art in here. They have a Sterling Ruby painting that is to die for (recall his art in Dior and I?). The Murakami in the men's dressing room is not to be missed. That being said, it is a bit flat on taste as a collection. It is the stereotypical stable of art that you see from people who have a bunch of money and want to park it somewhere. Like it hits each of the bullet points, but it is not discerning, surprising or interesting. Honestly, if you told me their curator is Kanye I would believe it. But, as someone who loves stores like Collette in Paris, I feel like I need a bit more from a collection than a splash of wealth.
Staff: 2 stars
They are nice in a sort of hipster-ly inattentive manner that I enjoy because then I don't have to deal with them. That being said, when I did have questions for the saleswoman literally knew nothing. Like absolutely nothing. I had some questions about the art, and she knew none of the artists at all. Like how do you work around a bunch of multi-million dollar art that is the foundation of this concept store and not know a single of the artists. Well, you say, they don't sell the art, so maybe she focuses on the stuff they do sell? Nope. She didn't know any of the jewelry designers either.
Selection: 3 stars
They have a bunch of cool stuff, but they don't really have various sizing. It seems like a place not to buy thing but to get inspiration.
Atmosphere: 4 stars
It is in Howard Hughes's old building, and I love the art deco feel of the place. I also sort of love the whole concept of multiple rooms that you float to one by one. It is the opposite of open concept which is sort of refreshing.
I hope this is a helpful inaugural review of Just One Eye.