Now Open: Ron Herman's Got The Whole World of J Brand In His Hands

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It's been a good week for denim here in LA—just a few days after last weekend's Gap pop-up launch on Robertson, J Brand has unveiled a temporary gallery at Ron Herman's Jean Bar on Melrose. As we reported last week, the cozy space has been transformed in homage to all things J Brand, with new ad campaign photos decking the walls, floor-to-ceiling shelves curated specifically for the shop, and special company relics and bits of inspiration scattered about—think the first ever J Brand sample and the vintage photo that inspired it, or the antique Japanese rice bag that influenced the pocket lining for the ultra-premium Boutique range.

In addition to styles from the higher-end Boutique line and the main men's and women's collections, the gallery also carries the four styles designed by Hussein Chalayan for J Brand this season. We tried on all of them—a super-skinny legging jean in black and dark grey, a jodhpur-style pair with ankle zips (relaxed at the top, loose around the knee, tight from the knee down), and a straight-leg with an off-center yoke at the back and enhanced stitching on the pockets—and, although we weren't totally blown away by any of them, we were surprised by the comfort factor of the "jeggings", the subtle, yet interesting detailing on the straight-leg pair, and the fact that the jodhpurs didn't look totally ridiculous, as you might expect from denim riding pants. Plus, we were even more impressed by the price tags, which topped out at around $250—not that much more than a regular pair of J Brands. Staffers told us they weren't yet sure which styles would be sticking around after the gallery disbands in about a month's time, so we recommend stopping by before then to get pick of the season's best.
· Launches and Releases [Racked]
· J Brand [Official Site]
· Ron Herman [Official Site]