STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

dot · Marc Jacobs

LA help! totally last minute!

tara t · Marc Jacobs

in beverly hills. and stop by zegna and ask that nice man for a conservative tie.

i had a fun shopping day in BH. so i say there. but i've only been to LA once.

rocky · Coach

Hey dot!

I am not from LA, but I have been several times. In fact I am going on Saturday. I think if you check out the "Out and About" section on stylediary.net, she often reviews lots of shopping areas in LA. I remember there being a lot of boutiques on Robertson..etc.

bumblebee · Coach

what kinds of things do you want? will you have a car? where are you staying?

i agree with the robertson rec. i also think you would like the shops on west third street (west hollywood, not santa monica), and la brea. PM me if you want!

Lilykind · Hermes

I love the boutiques on 3rd street, and also on Robertson. I think Sunset Plaza is nice too, but more high-end.

If you want mall shopping, then I'd choose the Beverly Center...it's really close to Robertson and 3rd St. and has a lot of stores that are hard to find elsewhere (Karen Millen, Max &Co...etc..)

-- Edited by Lilykind at 21:14, 2005-11-15

-- Edited by Lilykind at 21:33, 2005-11-15

cc · Marc Jacobs

Hey dot - I found the blurb in Lucky I was telling you about. It doesn't say if they are open yet but the two foreign chains opening stores in LA are Mango (1254 Third St. Promenade, Santa Monica) and Zadig&Voltaire (8640 Sunset, West Hollywood).

Christine · Coach

tara t wrote:

in beverly hills. and stop by zegna and ask that nice man for a conservative tie.

tara t, you crack me up!

bumblebee · Coach

8640 sunset is probably in the sunset plaza area--that would be a good place to shop, too. you can hit all the boutiques, maybe have lunch at clafoutis or one of the other little scene-y outdoor cafes, and then hit up the living room at the chateau marmont for a drink when you are all done. i heard that bar marmont (which is next to but not affiliated with the chateau) closed its doors quietly about a week ago, or i would have sent you there. it was one of my favorite LA bars--i can't imagine it wasn't doing well.

esquiress · Marc Jacobs

go to robertson for sure, north of wilshire between 3rd and beverly.

and eat at the ivy, so cozy.

dot · Marc Jacobs

thanks everyone for the recs! i got home from class a little while ago and only started packing :(

i will have a car but i may go snowboarding for a couple days too. i know it's ridiculous to come from the northeast and then go to southern ca for snowboarding.

i'm very interested about west 3rd.. what is that? is that where satine boutique is? i want to go there.

is fred segal worth a trip? i have never been there (i've been to la a few times but haven't been in about 3 years).

Lilykind · Hermes

Satine is at 8117 W. Third St...between La Jolla and Crescent Heights. It would be fun to eat at Joan's on Third or Toast (my bosses go there a lot) for lunch. Most of the businesses on Third are concentrated between La Cienega and Fairfax. I also like Aero & Co., Hillary Rush, Polkadots & Moonbeams, and Scout.

Fred Segal is alright IMO, but I'm not particularly crazy about the place. The SAs are generally very snotty at the Melrose location. The Santa Monica location is the better of the two (nicer layout...more space)...but it's not cheaper than any other boutique or department store. The layout can be really frustrating if you're just trying to find a few things. I've lived in LA for two years and I still consider FS to be a generally annoying experience. I think it's fun to go once if you've never been, but I wouldn't make a huge thing around trying to get there.

lynnie · Chanel

i've heard good things about Des Kohan, a boutique somewhere in LA...

cc · Marc Jacobs

I'm with Lilykind - I didn't really think Fred Segal (the one on Melrose) was that great. I didn't have any encounters with snotty SA's but I was just not impressed. The layout is bad, I remember two of the boutique areas seemed nice but a bunch of them were cramped and just kind of blah and unattractive, I don't remember seeing anything that I wouldn't be able to find in NYC. I don't know, it just kind of gave me the creeps and left me unimpressed. If you're in the area stop by but don't feel like you should make a special trip just to go there.

dot · Marc Jacobs

thanks again guys! i don't think have been to the third street area.. i will definitely check that out.

bumblebee - i am not looking to buy anything really. i am more interested in looking at different smaller speciality shops in the area. i want to open my own boutique in a few years, so i like looking at other places and seeing how they operate. any others to recommend other than satine?

Lilykind · Hermes

lynnie wrote:

i've heard good things about Des Kohan, a boutique somewhere in LA...

This one is in the Miracle Mile...it's seriously one of the only boutiques in the area. I've never been because the location is so random. It's a short drive to some of the boutiques on La Brea, though.

Des Kohan, 671 Cloverdale Avenue, between Wilshire Boulevard and Sixth Street, Miracle Mile (323-857-0200).

dot · Marc Jacobs

sorry if this is a stupid question, but is blaec a real-life store too?

Lilykind · Hermes

dot wrote:

sorry if this is a stupid question, but is blaec a real-life store too?

It is, but in Santa Barbara....I think it's 2 - 3 hrs. away from LA.

126 W. De La Guerra St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

dot · Marc Jacobs

thanks lilykind for the info!

bumblebee · Coach

i think you will really like west third.

definitely eat at joan's on third--i go there a lot, and took my mom and her friend there last weekend and they were in heaven. it's a goumet/catering shop with a restaurant attached, and has the best cupcakes in LA (although everything they make is fantastic). i wouldn't bother with toast on a weekend unless you have an hour or two to stand around on the curb waiting for a table. it is inexplicably packed all day long. it's good, but not good enough to wait that long, imho.

there are three boutiques right next to joan's on that stretch of street--meg, which is a cute clothing shop that the owner designs all the stuff, raena (gifts and jewelry), and seaver (clothing and antique gift items). there is also a vintage shop that has some higher-end stuff mixed in, as well as na'pali (another clothing/jewelry boutique--featured in lucky all the time). at the end of the little retail stretch there is a consignment shop that has a lot of vintage designer stuff--can't remember the name.

polka dots and moonbeams (one of the ones lilykind mentioned) is across the street from there. when you go to that side of the street, make sure to keep going all the way down towards la cienega (almost to sushi roku) so you hit my fave shop, which is new stone age. they have amazing jewelry and home/gift stuff. it's also a cool concept for a store so you'd probably like it for that aspect as well. also on that side of the street are two bookstores--one that sells only travel books, and one that sells only cookbooks.

Kincali · Dooney & Bourke

bumblebee wrote:

la cienega (almost to sushi roku)

I loved Sushi Roku happy hour. I agree with the above recs, I wouldn't strain yourself fighting traffic scouring LA to find boutiques. I promise, 90% carry the exact same stock (True Religion, Michael Kors shoes, C&C, 12th street, etc). I would pick one section and wonder along there. Fred Segal never impressed me, most of the stock was always sold out in sizes, and a bit of a headache to wade through.

When people would visit me, I would take them through Abbot Kinney/Main street in Venice, up 3rd Street promenade and end on Montana Ave in Santa Monica. You not only hit several unique boutiques, but the beach, Zara, Mango, vintage stores, London Sole and some great places to eat. This can all be done in a day. Also Coryn Madley(www.madley.com) has her studio in Venice and she rocks. There are several boutiques right around the corner from her place.

-- Edited by fairlight at 14:28, 2005-11-16

-- Edited by fairlight at 14:28, 2005-11-16