In L.A., the world’s designers build shopping temples

The new Comme des Garçons guerrilla store is hidden off a gritty alley in downtown’s old Banking District.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Chanel’s new store on Robertson Boulevard is decidedly upscale, with a black-and-white motif that recalls the classic Chanel No. 5 perfume packaging.  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Balenciaga’s new boutique in West Hollywood boasts an otherworldly-looking succulent garden out front.  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

A set of wide, wooden steps welcomes shoppers to Prada’s gargantuan Epicenter store in Beverly Hills.  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Phillip Lim’s new store on North Robertson Boulevard features a stately facade of rounded stone tiles.  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Spiky foam coated in elastic white paint lines the curvilinear walls inside Phillip Lim 3.1.  (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)