February 2007 

 

SURVIVAL OF THE CHICEST
Horn Is The Celebrity Spot
On Robertson Boulevard

By Allie Geller

Clacking heels, bustling shoppers and the ever present click of paparazzi cameras – all mainstays on Los Angeles’ trendy Robertson Boulevard. But just like celebrity eatery The Ivy - one boutique outwits, outsmarts and outlasts the rest. Several boutiques have come and gone, but HORN has been the go-to spot for celebrity tastemakers and elite shoppers for nearly a decade.

The boutique is the brainchild of Berlin born fashion maven Suzanne Zenker. Born into the fashion world – Zenker is the daughter of Germany’s reigning retail family – with several boutiques throughout Germany and the rest of Europe. Following her years in fashion school, including a stint at acclaimed fashion house Plein Sud - Zenker chose to put her fashion knowledge to work in Los Angeles.

Despite her desire to open her own store, it was one fateful call that led her to charming Robertson Boulevard. “The broker dialed my number by accident – offering me a retail space on Robertson” says Zenker. “I could not turn it down.” With one impulsive real estate gamble, Zenker opened HORN in 1998. The store, named after family friend and retail mogul Rolf Horn, opened to huge success drawing in shoppers like Catherine Zeta Jones, Heather Locklear and Britney Spears.

Zenker’s success rests on her uncanny eye for new and original talent. With finds such as Uli Herzner, Jasmine de Milo and Plein Sud – Zenker has established herself as a fashion innovator – a barometer for upcoming trends and designer names. In fact HORN was the very first U.S. boutique to stock Stella McCartney’s debut collection for Chloe.

Today, HORN plays host to celebrities like Cameron Diaz, Heidi Klum and Penelope Cruz who come in to stock their armoires with the store’s edgy, hard-to-find European lines and local Los Angeles favorites. From Blumarine to Missoni Sport – Rebecca Beeson to Alessandro Dell’ Acqua – HORN has become the one, the only stop for chic one-of-a-kind designs.

HORN Boutique is located at 140 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048, 310.278.2052 and online at hornfashion.com .