"It's a block where I can see lifestyle coexisting with fashion," RKF's Cohen said. "I see the block becoming more dense in the three- to five-year picture, and long term, I'd love to see Robertson fuse with Melrose. It makes a lot of sense," especially given what's already there and what's slated to go in.

At the intersection of Robertson and Melrose, John Varvatos sits on the southwest corner, and the famed Morton's restaurant, which soon will close and reopen as the Los Angeles outpost of Soho House next year, is on the southeast corner.

To the west on Melrose, there are edgy stores such as Maxfield, Chrome Hearts and Costume National. To the east, there is the Pacific Design Center and a space soon to be occupied by Balenciaga. Jenni Kayne is around the corner on Almont Drive. Other design houses such as Nina Ricci and Givenchy also have been exploring around the area.

Mario Grauso, president of Ricci's parent, Puig Fashion Group, put it this way when he visited Los Angeles in October: "I can't say one street is better than another. Los Angeles is just an exciting place right now and there are some amazing options."