Go West

Can I tell you about…shopping in Los Angeles. I was recently in the city of Angels for a long weekend to catch up with friends and do a little trendspotting. Over the years, Angelinos have developed their own sense of style and have even launched certain brands into the spotlight as a result of being worn by celeb trendsetters. Hello, remember UGGs?! Now, you can actually say “that’s so LA” as a sartorial reference point.For day, the look is more relaxed, understated, casual and intentionally somewhat disheveled but with a rock and roll edge and a "because I can" attitude. For the red carpet, they go all out! The current obsession with celebs and what they wear has only added to the allure of the Hollywood lifestyle and aspiring to look like one lives it. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a huge concentration of celebs, demi- celebs and stylists all living within driving distance from Chateau Marmont. As a result, LA has become an accidental style mecca.Now a trip to Lala land would not be complete without a celeb sighting. I went to check out an MTV award gifting suite that I was a part of. I usually don’t like going to these events but since I was in town, I thought a drive by was in order. As I was getting ready to leave, in comes Ugly Betty’s Eric Mabius with his wife Ivy Sherman. Since I can’t give him a handbag, she had no choice but to take one for him. And you can just imagine the look on her face when I handed her my printed snake clutch that complimented her dress! A happy wife makes a happy husband because he happily posed for the paparazzi avec moi.
Later that day, as I was perusing the jeans at the Diesel store on Melrose place, I literally bumped into American Idol runner up Adam Lambert. I normally would not approach a celeb for a photo op especially on their day off but what are the chances of ever seeing him again? He was totally sweet about getting his photo taken ( he’s obviously new at this) and even chatted with me a bit about the whole ‘not winning’ the title. He was refreshingly positive about the turn of events. He knows he’s made it now so everything else from here on will be a walk in the park.If you want to know what’s hip and happening in LA, then you have to make your way to Fred Segal Melrose. They have the whole look down pat from the sales associates to the way they merchandise the store. This time they were working the “Commando Surfer” look and I know it sounds disparate but you know what, it actually worked. That’s LA for you, it’s all about the mix.
Since I was in the neighborhood I headed over to see Philip Lim’s new boutique on Robertson. By New York standards, it’s a gorgeous, sprawling space of undulating walls covered in the kind of foam used in recording studios. Philip has a deft hand when it comes to color, cut and details. That's why he's become a fave amongst Hollywood A listers.Next up was Fred Segal Flair in Santa Monica. Owner and buyer Jeannine Braden has always been ‘au courant’. She just ‘gets it’. Jeannine developed her sharp eye and eclectic aesthetic while styling the Go-Gos back in the 80s and Rolling Stone covers. She loves color, print , humor and mixes designer with streetwear and vintage. She’s my kinda girl.On my must see list is Opening Ceremony, a NY downtown institution recently opened an outpost in West Hollywood in what used to be Charlie Chaplin’s dance studio. It’s a destination store but in LA, everything is a destination so it doesn’t matter. I loved their ‘mini-mall concept’ and it especially worked here where they had ‘shop in shops’ for Hello Kitty, Acne Jeans, Alexander Wang, Nom de Guerre, Schiesser Revival, their own Opening Ceremony label and their most recent collection in collaboration with Japanese mass retailer Uniqlo.
The last but not the least, is the Confederacy located in the artsy neighborhood of Los Feliz.
It's a deceptively large boutique with women’s clothing and accessories in the front and mens in the back separated by a litte outdoor veranda. Conveniently right beside it is a famous celeb watering hole, Cobras and Matadors. So after shopping, they head over for some tapas. Unfortunately the evening I was there, none such sightings occurred. I had just missed a huge party they threw for Matt Albiani’s book about Surfers. Apparently, it was a celeb packed party. C’est la vie. You win some, you lose some. Next!
So if you're feeling the need to go trendspotting, I suggest you go West.