Louis Vuitton Sunset Catwalk at the Salk Institute

Giovanni Gianonni

Designed Arrival

The Blue Line

When students disembark from the new Blue Line trolley at UC San Diego, they cross paths with the work of poets, artists, and scientists who’ve made an impact at the university. Conceptual artist Ann Hamilton embossed the 800-foot pathway with 1,300 quotations sourced from the Geisel Library for the quilt-like concordance. The new trolley route is a critical development for the city, serving as physical and intellectual linking of the US-Mexico border through Downtown and UTC.

Subterranean Design

Wildlife Explorers Basecamp

It’s the most ambitious project in the history of the San Diego Zoo. After two years of planning, the 3.2-acre former Children’s Zoo has been transformed into an $87-million state-of-the-art, multi-ecosystem experience. With much of the design going underground, it was a huge engineering feat for Pacific Builders Group, navigating tunnels and Komodo Kingdoms during a global pandemic.

Wonderwalls

Betty Larkin

Never mind wallpaper. The designer on everyone’s lips brings her own wall power. Artist Janie Rochfort is founder of Betty Larkin, the in-demand multidisciplinary design studio focusing on artwork and megawatt murals. Rochfort makes enduring statements by maximizing wallspace with graphic treatment and custom design. On her CV: A Love Island set, Lonny magazine offices and closer to home, Shop Good and Communal Coffee.

Beauty Splurge

Chanel

It’s beyond the beauty counter. Way beyond. The new stand-alone Chanel boutique at Westfield UTC is an immersion into fragrance, makeup, and skincare products, along with an exclusive selection of très chic eyewear—like Telluride-tested shields or pearl-detailed specs for work. The boutique’s black-and-white design recalls house codes.

UCSD North Torrey Pines Living

Tomoko Matsubayashi

Free for Architecture Lovers

Kidsketch

Ready your pencils. From the Hotel Del to Chula Vista Library, the second Saturday of every month is all about KidSketch. Courtesy of the San Diego Architecture Foundation, the free virtual art lessons are aimed at teaching the next gen how to draw iconic San Diego structures. Next up? Cabrillo Bridge in August and North Park Water Tower in September.

Local Collaboration Powerhouse

Nixon

From Metallica to Bones Brigade, Nixon remains unmatched at securing collaborations with collector cred. Last year, the Carlsbad-based brand rolled out Nixon x Grateful Dead. This year’s time bomb is Nixon x Independent. In the 70s and 80s, Independent’s skateboard trucks were designed to grind rails and empty pools. Today? Wrist candy.

Style Moment

Louis Vuitton

San Diego made fashion history when Louis Vuitton conducted a sunset catwalk at the Salk Institute. Glitterati (Vogue editor Anna Wintour, starlet Gemma Chan) descended upon the brutalist icon for the 2023 Cruise collection. “The architecture, with the sea as a horizon, the raw cliffs, it’s searing,” exclaimed artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière. Shimmy in the collection; it’s available at the new Westfield UTC boutique in November.

New Architectural Neighborhood

North Torrey

While UC San Diego claimed the #1 employer ranking in San Diego, its campus has been undergoing its own architectural feat. The La Jolla-based Safdie Rabines designed the award-winning North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood. At 10 acres, it’s the university’s most ambitious new build yet—blending learning, living, cultural pursuits, commercial endeavors, and bike-friendly pathways.

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The new Louis Vuitton store at UTC

Luxury fashion houses have returned to the pre-pandemic tradition of hosting their cruise collections in exotic locales. Chanel shimmied to Monaco. Dior set sights on Seville, Spain. And Louis Vuitton packed trunks for a double mission in La Jolla.

The French fashion house hosted its catwalk at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, coinciding with a new store opening at Westfield UTC. Together, these confirm La Jolla’s significance to Louis Vuitton, founded in 1854. The house’s creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière, is a lover of architecture, and Salk allowed him to be his most expressive.

Named for the Rue des Capucines in Paris, where Louis Vuitton opened for business in 1854, this Capucines MM handbag ($7,850) is superbly crafted from full-grain taurillon leather.

The brutalist icon by architect Louis Khan is not new to the brand, having been central to its 2019 travel campaign. Ghesquière has shown past collections at a John Lautner house in Palm Springs, the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Brazil, the Miho Museum in Japan, and the TWA Flight Center by architect Eero Saarinen.

The Westfield UTC space is a study in craftsmanship. A color-field painting by artist Christine Ruksenas-Burton creates a vibrant backdrop for accessories, jewelry, watches, leather goods, ready-to-wear, shoes, and fragrances.

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