Shopping in LA?

[matei]

Hi all,

We'll be in town for the QM event, and I was hoping that someone could give me a few tips on where to go shopping for some general attire and accouterments while in LA. New, vintage - all suggestions are welcome!

We've never been to LA before, so we're looking forward to it.

Thanks!

 

[John in Covina]

Other than Vintage and Retro...

There is a garment district in Los Angeles that goes along "Los Angeles Street" and here you can find mens shops with a wide variety of makes and styles of suits, clothing and shoes. One such shop is Roger Stuart and here is their web site with maps and such.

http://www.rogerstuart.com/

Along the same lines is the 3 Day Suit Broker with sites all around Southern California. The higher priced Mens Warehouse with stores scattered all over, and some locations in the malls. Name brand department stores such as Macy's and Nordstrums at the bigger malls. A trip to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive would be fun especially if you happen to be independently wealthy. If you are looking for rock chique and youthful fashions try Melrose Blvd (East of Fairfax) Also if there go to the nearby Farmer's Market for lunch and have fun. Or visits Pink's for some great hot dogs. Then up to Hollywood Blvd for MTV clothing with a stop along Santa Monica Blvd maybe if time permits.

I don't really know much about the vintage so I leave it up to others to reveal their favorite spots to find Vintage clothes in LA. I know there are some Retro places about but don't really seek them out so...

"Access Los Angeles" is a great guide book and I understand the Latest version was just published. I been getting it since the 1980's and get it every time they come out with a new edition.
It is really a helpful guide book.

 

[John in Covina]

There is a Barney's New York at 9570 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills, CA

 

[John in Covina]

Access Los Angeles

Access Los Angeles by Richard Saul Wurman is the guide book to get for your visit.
They just came out with a 2006 edition.

 

[matei]

Thanks John for the tips - I'll let ye know how we get on!

 

[Snookie]

There's good vintage stores scattered all over the southland, but Long Beach happens to be one of the hubs. I haven't checked out all the stores listed, but Meow and La Bomba are two of the good ones.

http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&lr=&client=safari&q=vintage&near=Long+Beach,+CA&output=html

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Snookie is absolutely right: Long Beach is a great place to start your search.


If you get to the Hollywood area, check out Iguana Vintage Clothing (on Hollywood Blvd., just west of Vine) and, if you have lots of money to spend, go to Golyester and The Way We Wore (on S. La Brea Ave.) . Jet Rag, also on La Brea, costs less. In my neighborhood, we have Squaresville (on Los Feliz Blvd.)


.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Repeat Performance, the best vintage clothing 'store' in Los Angeles, doesn't actually sell the stuff: it rents to the film and TV industries. Still, take a look at some of the goodies:


http://www.rpcostumerentals.com/thirties.html

http://www.rpcostumerentals.com/1940.html



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[Lauren]

If you want something more quirky, you could check out Farmer's Market- and if that's not your style, there's a more swanky shopping center called The Grove right on the other side of it.

http://www.farmersmarketla.com/
http://www.thegrovela.com/

 

[resortes805]

Don't expect too many people to jump onto this thread...vintage shopping can be a touchy thing for some people because it increases competition for a limited supply of similar goods. There are a handful of thrift stores that I will tell nobody about! But most of the vintage stores are pretty well known in SoCAl so there's no harm in sharing those.

I live north of Los Angeles, so bear with me as I take you through my own vintage clothing tour of LA. Going south bound on the 101 I start at the Iguana's in Sherman Oaks, then it's on to a handful of shops on Magnolia in Burbank (such as Hubba Hubba). Next up is Playclothes on Moorpark. From hear I can catch the 134 over to Aardvark's in Pasadena, or I can continue down the 101 to Iguana's in Hollywood. Of course I can also hit Melrose and go to the shops around the Aardvarks there, or even hit Remix shoes.

Where the 10 and the 101 meet I can continue down the 10 east to La Bomba in Pomona or I can take the 10 west to My Baby Jo in Culver City. If you continue down the 5 you can hit Swanky's in Norwalk; or Greenspans in South Gate; or you can take the 710 down to the aforementioned 4th street in Long Beach. If you like zoot suits you can take the 91 east to El Pachuco in Fullerton. Finally if you are really committed, there are a handful of places in the San Diego area as well such as Wear it Again Sam.

I really don't know addresses (I have the directions spatially memorized) but a some quick google searches should solve this. I hope this is a good starting point. Also if you do go downtown to the Garment district, be sure to check out B. Black and Sons, this is usually where I get most of my wool.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

There are a handful of thrift stores that I will tell nobody about!

Yes indeed. I'll tell you about my two favorite thrift stores -- but only because they've gone out of business:


1.) Cinema Glamour Shop (on S. La Brea Ave.) -- I found a '40s tuxedo made for Gregory Peck, a Savile Row suit made for Joseph Cotten, a '30s 3-----piece knicker suit from Austria, and more.


2.) Children's Hospital Thrift Store (on E. Sunset Blvd.) -- where the old-money Hancock Park residents used to donate their stuff. I found 1920s, --.---'30s and '40s suits, tuxedos and overcoats made for Oviatt's, Desmond's, Bullock's Wilshire, etc.



.

 

[Widebrim]

Snookie is absolutely right: Long Beach is a great place to start your search.


If you get to the Hollywood area, check out Iguana Vintage Clothing (on Hollywood Blvd., just west of Vine) and, if you have lots of money to spend, go to Golyester and The Way We Wore (on S. La Brea Ave.) . Jet Rag, also on La Brea, costs less. In my neighborhood, we have Squaresville (on Los Feliz Blvd.)


.

Although I'm a native Angeleno, I only yesterday checked out Iguana Vintage Clothing for the first time, and must say that I was somewhat disappointed. The high prices on most items was no surprise, but the lack of actual vintage clothing was. A few vintage ties, some old jackets, a lot of old fatigues, and many new hats are what stood out in my mind. As for the hats, the paper fiber stingy brims were $10 more that what they sell for at Hollywood Hatters, although the Bailey felt fedoras were a very affordable $40, and in many colors.