451 N. La Cienega Blvd. LA
Dries Van Noten’s LA location is the global brand’s largest and every inch of it is interesting.
The building itself was once Charlie Chaplin’s dance studio but the current contents are neither colorless nor silent.
Past collections are on display creating a museum like quality which flows into art gallery on through to retailer.
When I came to only gawk, not buy, the people there were not just gracious but truly helpful. Like docents with style.
8500 Sunset Blvd. LA
Fred Segal opened in 1961 and claims to have pioneered the shops inside-of-shops that are now the norm for modern department stores.
Some give Segal credit for creating the brand of “cool” that the world imagens when they hear the word “California”.
I don’t know if that is true, or care if it is, but I do know that Cher in Clueless shopped there.
They carry all the brands and items that are on trend, or are the trend, or whatever. It felt a little to me like visiting the inside of a phone as it scrolls through Tik Tok, Snapchat, or whatever app the glossy kids use these days.
5711 N Figueroa St. LA
The first thing I saw when I walked through the door was a pair of pink jeans. They stood out in an otherwise indigo and brown space while somehow retaining their masculinity.
The space is masculine in a way I appreciated, meaning, this is a shop that caters to the masculine and there was a woman working there who did not appear to be attempting to sell her sexuality.
The walls are covered by Indian Giver prints, the racks are filled with leather and denim, and the woman is there as an expert
not as an object.
I love that.
8700 W. Sunset Blvd. LA
H Lorenzo feels feels huge inside, maybe because of the lack of ceiling panels, but probably more due to the amount of easily accessible racks ow wearable art.
It is hard to tell if the clothing is for sale or on display. Like an art gallery. Browsing the racks feels like being in the vault of the Broad. I love the Broad.
There is a slight hint of macabre, the sort that leans toward Bram Stoker or Trent Reznor not Tim Burton.
4017 W. Sunset Blvd. LA
Mohawk General Store is two shops, one for women and another for men. If you want furniture and home decor, there is yet another shop for that. They are all curated, nothing big box there.
They are designer and they are not cheap, but if you want to wear something cool with no fear of bumping into someone wearing the exact thing, Mohawk is great for that.
Unless your friends are famous. But even then, they will have on the same brand, but not the same thing so its cool.
Locations across the nation but in LA:
10250 Santa Monica BLVD, Los Angeles
Okay, so Buck Mason isn’t boutique, couture or, locally owned, but it is still something. A lot of its something is what it is not.
It is not big box. It is not inexpensive. It is also not flashy, bright, extravagant, over the top, or childish. It is simple, clean, relaxed without being unkempt. I like it. I would 100% wear almost everything in there. I say “almost” only because there is a lot of size smedium in there and I am definitely not that.
I was very politely (no snark at all, they were so kind) asked to not take pictures.
I suppose I am in fact, a leopard.
Maxfield is avant-garde in the best possible way. It is full of things I would love on my shelf, my wall, or worn by other people on the street.
But only because I present better as Andy Warhol than as one dressed by him (no snark at all, I would love Andy as a stylist).
Pardon the worst comparison ever, but Just One Eye feels to me like someone with taste, and money, opened a flea market.
915 N Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles
This speaks more to my class than anything else, but there are booths, or stalls, each with what appear to be a different vendor, all under one industrial roof.
But in between, or in front, or above, there is art. At flea markets I look for large scale images to paint over (cheaper than buying raw canvas) while at Just One Eye there is art to which I would only aspire.
I see his work as a sort of loose, maybe even sloppy, Matisse. Not that he would ever say that about himself, at least not that I have heard, but then again, how would I have heard?
But what I have seen, is pared down lines, patterns, and brush strokes that despite lack of detail and apparent precision, form fashionable women and style. Like Matisse.
Having survived the heyday of art directing at Conde’ Nast and Vogue, Donald Robertson has left the hustle of New York and opened up shop in LA, and when I say “opened” I mean his door is open (not right now though) and you can go say hello.
I went and said hello.
With his new work hanging, or laying, around and his young kids doing the same, Donald and I didn’t hatch a new collaboration or become best friends (I am open to both) but he did answer my question easily and helped me feel relaxed and welcomed.
Then he drew me a picture in my sketch book thereby increasing its value by approximately 2000%.
His studio is where Evett’s Model Shop once was (1636 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica) and he will let any fool off the street just walk right in and talk to him.
Matisse never did that.
A Day in LA
Brohammas 