A Boutique for the Boys | Vision Monday
By Delia Paunescu: Assistant Editor
Van de la Plante, optician and owner. The scene of a lady, usually in heels, strutting through a shopping center with stacks of purchases in each hand comes to mind when one imagines “shopping.” And with good reason, according to optician Van de la Plante. “Every aspect of retail in L.A. County, and around the world, is built for girls. Men experience retail as sitting on a bench and holding a purse. Every advertising pitch in consumerism seems to be targeted at girls so I thought it was interesting to have a store for dudes,” he told Vision Monday.
The boutique is tucked away off of Sunset Blvd. 
A small selection of vintage tie clips, cuff links, pens and sports coats are also offered alongside the “cornucopia of glasses.”
Contrasting our collective image of the “Pretty Woman” shopper, de la Plante’s vision expanded modern-day fascination with all things distinctly male (barber shops, hunting, tailored suits) and emerged as Gentlemen’s Breakfast, a 250-square-foot vintage eyewear boutique in L.A.’s Echo Park neighborhood. The shop is described by its proud owner as colonial American at its foundation, with touches of Edwardian and Napoleonic design. The interior is painted “bitter chocolate” and features various hunting scenes. “It’s a bit rustic, and even though that’s cool now, it’s also timeless,” said de la Plante, who designed the location entirely on his own.
