Ace Hotel DTLA to close its doors early next year, showstopping moments from Design Miami/, and the Met celebrates women’s fashion. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Ace Hotel DTLA to shutter

The Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, designed by Commune; photo by Lauren Coleman
The Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles will close its doors at the end of January, which the hotel announced in a statement on Instagram. The hotspot opened in 2014 inside the 1920s-era former California Petroleum Building in the heart of downtown LA’s historic district—a rebirth for the neighborhood that saw an influx of development, writes Eater Los Angeles. However, like many downtown cores, DTLA has struggled to recover since the pandemic. In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, the brand said: “The owners of the building that houses Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, as well as the Theatre at Ace DTLA, have recently elected to convert the property to a limited-service, rooms-only operation, managed via a tech platform. The Theater, long a beacon for performance and cultural happenings, will be managed separately. With this shift comes the end of Ace’s tenure: our last day in the building will be January 31, 2024.”
The Met explores the legacy of women’s fashion

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
Women Dressing Women, a new show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York, explores how women have helped shape the fashion canon, writes Smithsonian Magazine. The exhibition showcases around 80 garments from the museum’s collection from more than 70 designers. Many of the pieces have never been shown before. Divided into four sections—anonymity, visibility, agency, and absence/omission—the garments date from the early 20th century to the present day. The final section, for instance, highlights women from fashion history like Black designer Ann Lowe who made Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress. “There were so many different viewpoints we wanted to highlight,” co-curator Mellissa Huber told Vogue. “The main takeaway is that the better periods for women in general were also the better periods for women in fashion—they’re correlated.”
Highlights from Miami Design Week

Villa Albertine and Mobilier National’s all-white installation curated by Alban Roger; photo courtesy of Design Miami/
Design Miami/ ended on a high note last week, welcoming more than 50 gallery and Curio presentations, 20 brand collaborations, and a variety of projects, including Marjan van Aubel’s interactive Lexus installation and Villa Albertine and Mobilier National’s all-white installation curated by Alban Roger, according to a roundup of the week’s best moments from Cool Hunting. In the Ken Fulk-designed Goodtime Hotel, for example, creative agency No.9 created the Vivid Suite, an immersive destination that demonstrated the future of wellness (including micro-dosing sessions courtesy of Muse). Other memorable exhibits: Omi Iyo, the special entrance wall piece by Nifemi Marcus-Bello (which received the Curator’s Award, selected by curatorial director Anna Carnick), conceived as a response to the dangerous journey of undocumented migrants from Africa to Europe.
Notre-Dame’s spire is back

Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris during restoration works after the massive fire on its structure; photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
In 2019, a devastating fire damaged the 860-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral’s wooden roof, leading to the collapse of the 19th-century spire, originally designed by Viollet-le-Duc. Today, a year before its scheduled reopening, the spire—a masterpiece of Gothic architecture—has finally been reinstalled. Built out of a wooden structure covered in lead sheath, the spire quickly caught fire during the 2019 incident. “Its collapse endangered the stability of the stone arches below, as the charred beams and molten metal fell through the gothic vaults over the church’s nave. For those who witnessed the event, the spire’s fall was one of the most memorable and devastating images,” writes Arch Daily.
HD Awards judges announced!

The 2024 HD Awards judges in projects and products
Meet the 2024 HD Awards judges who will choose the winners and finalists of the 20th annual HD Awards in projects and products. This group of celebrated industry leaders and innovators (with more to be announced soon) comprises hospitality designers and developers from major brands and firms including Marriott, Six Senses, Hilton, Tao Group Hospitality, Gensler, MGM Resorts International, and more. To celebrate the awards’ 20th anniversary, this year’s ceremony, where winners will be revealed, will take place on April 30th at the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas during HD Expo + Conference. Submit your projects and products today. The deadline is Friday, February 9th.