California Apparel News

The massive sprawl of La Brea Avenue should make the street just another one of Los Angeles’ hard-to-define thoroughfares. But Michelle Dalton Tyree was sure that her stretch of La Brea would increasingly take on the character of a luxury-fashion street.

When she debuted her boutique, Iconology, at 353 S. La Brea in February 2006, the inspiration for the store was a Parisian atelier. While that theme might not fit neatly in other parts of the city, there seemed to be no problem in putting it near the intersection of La Brea Avenue and West Third Street.

Dalton Tyree’s neighbors included stores such as The Way We Wore, a boutique and for-profit fashion library whose client list includes high-profile designers Zac Posen and Tory Burch. Down the street was Bleu, a store that helped bring designer fashion retail to La Brea when it opened its doors in 1998. Travel a couple blocks north, and shoppers will find American Rag, one of the stores that pioneered many of Los Angeles’ sartorial tastes, with its dedication to vintage and new designers.

But this year, the street’s fashion stock seemed to skyrocket. Last month, Studio R.C. opened at 324 S. La Brea. The store specializes in Korean designers with a luxury pedigree. In March, Zoe Schaeffer and Renee R. Klein opened high-design boutique Presse, which also offers top designers at its address at 326 S. La Brea.

Up the street, Publik Park opened in June at 114 S. La Brea, and it sells streetwear and designers at an affordable price point. Lily Savitch sells downtown New York–style fashions. It opened in March at 524 1/2 N. La Brea.

Fashion got a boost on La Brea because of two trends, according to Iconology’s Dalton Tyree. Space on neighboring fashion thoroughfares such as West Third Street has been getting scarce.

Also, retailers discovered an underserved market around La Brea. The wealthy women of the Hancock Park neighborhood, which is adjacent to the street, typically had to drive through increasingly traffic-choked streets to reach designer stores on Los Angeles’ Westside. According to Dalton Tyree, these sophisticated consumers appreciate the opportunity to save travel time when they shop.

At Iconology, they have been buying the “Joplin palazzo” pant from Los Angeles–based JBrand. The wide-legged jean costs $228. Also popular have been caftans. Fashion label Camilla produced a caftan with a leopard-skin print and beading, which has been selling well. It retails for $506 at the boutique. Los Angeles–based Rory Becca created a popular green floral caftan. It retails for $338. Iconology also will debut its e-commerce store (www.shopiconology.com) by August.

When the entertainment industry’s awards season starts in autumn, Dalton Tyree often finds herself selling red-carpet gowns. Popular gown designers at Iconology are New York–based Reem Acra and Los Angeles– based Riser Goodwyn.

Gabrielle Zuccaro, chief executive of Bleu, also does a good business in gowns during awards season. Bleu’s popular gown designers are 3.1 by Phillip Lim, McQ by Alexander McQueen and Australian-based label Willow.

The store also has been doing well with shrunken leather jackets with a ruffled front from Development by Erica Davies. It retails for $715. A gray bell-sleeve sweater from 3.1 by Phillip Lim has also been retailing well. It costs $297 retail.

Before La Brea became a fashion magnet, Zuccaro said that her store thrived because it was a destination. Women traveled from all over Los Angeles County to visit the store, even from as far as Westlake Village, more than 30 miles north of La Brea. Zuccaro said her client base from Westlake Village was so significant that she decided to open a store in the affluent city. The Westlake Village store is scheduled to open in September.

At American Rag, guys are still choosing denim, according to menswear buyer James Hammonds. The top brand is Levi’s premium Capital E label, with retail price points that range from $150 to $200.

San Francisco–based Nice Collective has been attracting male customers with its deconstructed military looks. One of its most popular pieces has been its jackets. They retail for $300.

American Rag’s men have also been buying United Kingdom–based Paul Smith’s Red Ear label. The vintage-inspired collection features woven looks with a Western theme. It retails for $300.

At Sugar on La Brea, at 633 N. La Brea, dresses have been all the rage. Top-selling pieces have been the Susana Monaco label’s Chloe dress, a sleeveless baby-doll dress that costs $138. Other popular dresses have been a silk jungle-print dress with a plunging neckline by New York–based Yumi Kim. It costs $209. Another strong seller is Coco, a short knit dress by Revolver Los Angeles, which costs $110.

Sugar has been doing business on La Brea for more than two years, but co-owner Jeannette Chivvis said that she still thinks of her store and others as destination boutiques because the street does not offer a lot of foot traffic. “We’re still being discovered,” she said.