ALL IS PRETTY | PRE-FALL EDITORIAL 19 | FORTY FIVE TEN

I wanted to create a campaign with a soft vintage mood that eases into the chicness of fall. Our last few seasonal campaigns have been in vibrant locations that focus on art and its conversation with fashion. In this way, we’ve been able to shine a subtle light on a few of my favorite art collectors, galleries, exhibition spaces, and photographers. Pre-Fall ’19 is no exception. This time, I’m delighted to share a taste of the oh-so-chic collectible design world of The Future Perfect. My friend David Alhadeff, the man behind The Future Perfect and Casa Perfect, was generous enough to let us shoot at his Casa Perfect in Beverly Hills, a mid-century gem once owned by Elvis and Priscilla Presley.

We had the pleasure of working with acclaimed photographer, visual artist, and international Vogue contributor, Yelena Yemchuk. I met Yemchuk at the opening of her show at the Dallas Contemporary and her short film, Mabel, Betty & Bette, is a real treat.

—Kristen Cole
President & Chief Creative Officer, Forty Five Ten

Chatting with David Alhadeff, founder of The Future Perfect and Casa Perfect

The Future Perfect, Casa Perfect… How do you perfectly define the two?
The Future Perfect is a contemporary design gallery showcasing collectible works with unique locations in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Casa Perfect is our conceptual gallery—part exhibition; part residential space. The first one is in L.A. and we opened a second Casa this year in an incredible five-story townhouse in the West Village.

How is Casa Perfect different than a showroom?
It’s not a showroom in the traditional sense, where rooms are staged to look like actual bedrooms or living rooms. It’s more of a gallery, so rooms are used as individual places for exhibitions. Another major difference: it’s lived in!

Then visits must be by appointment only?
Definitely. Opening by appointment only allows us to make it something really special—a private experience where you have our full attention. It’s like inviting you over for a drink at my home.

What gave you the idea to open Casa Perfect?
It was born a little out of selfishness and confusion! As a New Yorker, I couldn’t grasp the idea of how retail works in L.A. where everything feels like a destination. Like, how do you open as a brand in L.A. and not just die? But I really love this city. In fact, that’s Kristen’s fault! In 2008, we did The Future Perfect concession at her first store, Tenoversix.

L.A. at that time was all about Mid-Century Modern and historical design; I wasn’t sure how we’d fit in with our contemporary aesthetic. But by 2017, everything aligned and it occurred to me: Why not just get a kick-ass house, put everything in it, and then move in?

It sounds like Casa started very much as an experiment…
I flew out to L.A. with the idea—just to see if there was a perfect house and if this could work. I surprised everyone when I came back with a signed lease to the most quintessentially modernist home in Hollywood Hills. In 2018, Casa moved to its current location in Trousdale Estates, Beverly Hills.

The house you chose has a lot of history, doesn’t it?
It’s the former house of Elvis Presley—the most famous house in Trousdale Estates that made it a neighborhood of note. There were a lot of celebs living there in the ’60s and Presley’s manager suggested he move there as a way of networking. When he moved in, the neighborhood went bonkers.