Remembering Bijan, Founder of "World's Most Expensive" Store

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This morning's list of the nation's 25 most expensive shops paid tribute to big-name luxury houses like Oscar de la Renta, Armani, Chanel and Tom Ford. But there was no mention of Bijan Pakzad, the Rodeo Drive legend who enjoyed describing his boutique as "the most expensive store in the world."

The Iranian-born designer, who sadly passed away at the age of 67 in 2011, opened his namesake boutique in 1976. From the get-go, Bijan catered to the 1%. The by-appointment-only salon has outfitted presidents (Reagan, Carter, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., Obama), royalty (King Hussein, the last Crown Prince of Iran) and Hollywood heavyweights (Nicholson, Schwarzenegger, Cruise). His New York Times obit mentioned some of the store's luxuries, including "a $15,000 vicuña coat, a $120,000 chinchilla bedspread and a $65,000 crocodile-trimmed luggage set."

Bijan didn't just sell extravagance, he lived in it. TMZ reported that the designer had left five multi-million dollar properties—including a mansions in Beverly Hills and Malibu—to his family in his will. After his death, Bijan's son parked his beloved, custom yellow-and-black Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport in front of the store as a tribute to his father. Bijan also owned a Ferrari, a Bentley, a Mercedes, an Aston Martin and a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

The Bijan boutique is still open, run now by his co-founder and business partner as well as members of his family. The appointment-only policy still stands.
· Bijan [Official Site]
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