Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
255
A Mecca For High-End Vintage
If your style is more Hepburn than Hilton, you won't want to miss the treasure-
trove of high-end vintage shopping L.A. has to offer. Doris Raymond's the
Way
We Wore,
334 S. La Brea Ave. (
&
323/937-0878;
www.thewaywewore.com), is
a favorite among c elebs and st ylists for vintage Chanel , Balenciaga, and F or-
tuny. Cameron Silver's
Decades,
8214
1
/
2
Melrose Ave. (
&
323/655-0223;
www.
decadesinc.com), is an L.A. institution, wher e you'll find fr ocks from Halston,
Gucci, Lilly P ulitzer, and M issoni.
Lily et Cie ,
9044 Bur ton Way (
&
310/724-
5757
), supplies many of the glamour gowns you see on the red carpet. Owner
and vintage ma ven Rita Watnick has an impec cable collection of piec es from
important designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and Trigere.
fancy dress wear. Known for years as a women's enclave, Loehmann's also has a men's depart-
ment offering the same great deals. Serious shoppers should check out the Back Room, where
heavyweight designers like Donna Karan and Calvin Klein ar e represented alongside beaded
and formal evening gowns.
333 S. La Cienega Blvd. (south of 3rd St.), Los Angeles.
&
310/659-0674.
www.loehmanns.com.
Los Angeles Fashion District
Reminiscent of the New York garment district, but
not quite as frenetic, L.A.'s 90-block Fashion District, bordered by 7th, Spring, and San
Pedro streets and the S anta Monica Freeway, has dozens of small shops selling designer
and name-brand apparel at heavily discounted prices. A concentration of r etail women's
wear bargains—many by name-brand designers—can be found at the Cooper B uilding,
860 S. Los Angeles S t. (at 9th St.). Men should have some luck along the upper blocks
of Los Angeles S treet, where mostly business attir e is displayed, with deep discounts on
Hugo Boss, Armani, and other current suits (mainly Italian), plus similar savings on sport
coats and shir ts. Ties and v ests are usually less stylish..
Los Angeles Street btw. 7th Street
and Washington Boulevard. www.fashiondistrict.org.
9
Vintage
L.A.'s Westside & Beverly Hills
Golyester
Before she opened this ladies' boutique, the owner's friends would take one
look at her collection of vintage fabrics and clothes and gasp, “Golly, Esther!” Hence the
whimsical name. You pay a little extra for the pristine condition of hard-to-find garments
like unusual embroidered sweaters from the 1940s and 1950s, Joan Crawford-style suits
from the 1940s, and vintage lingerie, but it 's worth every penny.
136 S. La Brea Ave., Los
Angeles.
&
323/931-1339.
Hollywood
Wasteland
An enormous steel-sculpted facade fr onts this L.A. branch of the B erke-
ley/Haight-Ashbury hipster hangout, which sells vintage and contemporar y clothes for
men and women. You'll find leathers and denim as well as some classic vintage but mostly
funky 1970s garb . This trendy store is packed with color ful polyester halters and bell-
bottoms from the decade I'd rather forget.
7248 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles.
&
323/653-3028.
www.thewasteland.com.
