La Brea: Worth the Time
The La Brea Tar Pits dried up 28,000 years ago. In their place is something else you don’t want to get stuck in: gridlock. La Brea Avenue, which slices through metropolitan Los Angeles, is filled with plenty of traffic.
But shopping the street may be well worth the traffic time. Between Melrose Avenue and Fourth Street, a number of trendy clothing boutiques are interspersed among the myriad antiques and furniture stores.
King of the block is the spacious American Rag store at 150 S. La Brea Ave., where the hottest things for men are Tsubi’s graffitisplattered jeans and T-shirts. They are quickly selling out, said men’s and denim buyer Stephanie Seeley.
Guys are also grabbing colorful track jackets by Fred Perry and the heritage line by Adidas. They appeal equally to preppy guys and indie rockers.
For women, jeans by Yanuk and AG by Adriano Goldschmied are popular.
Once you’ve gotten over the blues, check out the Marc line by Marc Jacobs, which includes a Mod sleeveless top that recently sold out, and Da Nang’s rough-silk cargo pants. Cynthia Vincent’s Twelfth Street line is also a top choice.
At Diavolina at 334 S. La Brea Ave., a store known for its shoes, the hottest item is not even in stock yet. There is an impatient waiting list for Chloe’s thigh-high green suede boots, sales associate Jennifer Greene said.
As for in-stock items, Pierre Hardy’s pump-based black thighhighs are in demand.
Top clothing lines include Rami Kashou and Sonia Rykiel. Diavolina buys pieces from the often-theatrical Kashou that have an emphasis on wearability, said Greene, noting that the designer’s jersey tops are especially popular. With Rykiel, whose appeal crosses generations, the store purchases pieces from the youthful end of the collection.
Old clothes get a second chance at Fishnet, the street’s vintageclothing store at 336 S. La Brea Ave. Owner Annie Jacobs also makes tops reconstructed from vintage slips that bear the Fishnet label. Sarah Michelle Gellar recently wore one on the cover of Seventeen. In addition, the designer makes and wholesales lingerie reconstructed from bright vintage patterns.
At 454 S. La Brea Ave., Bleu’s sizzling new fall lines are by T-bags and Miguelina, owner Gabrielle Zuccaro said. Colors are bright—such as orange, green and burgundy— and fabrics include silk charmeuse and chiffon. Customers prize the brands for being feminine and easy-to-wear.
“T-bags’ skirts are inexpensive, great throw-ons, and they fit like a dream,” Zuccaro said.
Also checking are the fall woolens by Development.
“Everybody’s been photographed in them, but people aren’t sick of it,” Zuccaro noted.
Bleu’s hottest jean is by Oliver Twist.
“Everybody who puts these on buys them,” she said, chalking it up to the brand’s magic ability to lift any posterior.
For eveningwear, Michelle Mason is the top draw. Her floor-length silk charmeuse dresses show a ’30s influence.
Oxygene, at 151 S. La Brea Ave., carries French and Italian brands. Cargo jeans by Miss Sixty are so popular there was recently a waiting list for them. Asian influences, including dresses by In Love, are also in demand, owner Caline Kanbari said. Miniskirts, black mini-dresses and “anything by Miss Sixty” round out the hot list.
Men are scooping up Oxygene’s fitted shirts by Imperial and also safari-style shirts. The men’s denim selection includes such hard-to-find brands as Yaz Gato and Absolute Joy.
Up at 605 N. La Brea Ave. sits Yellow. Top items include miniskirts and mini-dresses in all fabrics, colors and brands. The most popular men’s brand is Howe, whose artistic Tshirts “are selling really, really well,” owner Helen Hwang said.
“A T-shirt is just a T-shirt, so it’s the artwork that’s selling them,” she said.
Other shops in the area include Union at 110 S. La Brea Ave., Stussy at 112 S. La Brea Ave., Lucky Brand at 120 S. La Brea Ave. and Volcom at 126 S. La Brea Ave.
