Best of Los Angeles 2018 – Fashion Brick and Mortar Retail

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Here are my picks for 2018’s best of the best places to shop for clothing, shoes and accessories in Los Angeles.

Best High End Designer

Dover Street Market
606-608 Imperial Street, Los Angeles, CA. 90021
(310) 427-7610

Brainchild of Comme des Garcons’ Rei Kawakubo, and her husband Adrian Joffee, this multi-brand designer retailer was originally founded in 2004 on Dover Street in London, and now has satellite locations in New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing and now in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles. With designer offerings, for both men and women, from such luxury brands as Balenciaga, Raf Simons, Maison Margiela, Noir Kei Ninomiya and of course Commes des Garcon, fused with hipster streetwear labels like Noah and Stüssy, this store is Mecca for the true fashion collector.

Store hours:  Monday to Saturday: 11am-7pm and Sunday: 12pm-6pm.

Best Vintage

Scout
8021 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA. 90046
(323) 461-1530

Joey Grana expertly curates his West Hollywood boutique with the most unbelievable luxury designer vintage I have ever seen.  Be sure and follow him on Instagram @scoutla to view, and hopefully snag, his latest arrival. As every piece is one of a kind, you snooze…you loose.

Store hours:  Monday to Saturday: 11am-7pm, Sunday: 12pm-6pm

Best Alternative Streetwear

Round2 LA
605 South Los Angeles Street #B Los Angeles CA 90014
(213) 265-7250                                                                                                                       

Dynamic duo Bella Tomasetta and Rocco Espinoza joined forces two years ago to reopen what had long been a DTLA destination for all things Rave, Burning Man, Club Kid and Drag Queen.  A favorite among fashion stylists and costume designers, this boutique features brands like Kill Star, Five and Diamond, Current Mood and Aunt Funky’s Closet. If you are on the hunt for the very latest in latex, iridescent, hologram or plastic, then this is the place for the most funky fabulous finds.  Be sure and check out their OUTRAGEOUS limited edition pins by Starrfucker Magazine, created by the publication’s collaborations with Queer artists from across the globe; they are conversation pieces to say the very least.

Store hours: Monday: by Appointment Only, Tuesday to Saturday: 2pm – 7pm, Sunday: by Appointment Only

Best Urban Streetwear

Raised in Los Angeles
548 S. Spring St. Room 109 Los Angeles, CA. 90013
(213) 265-7488

Featuring brands like Reason Clothing, Reves Paris, Hudson Outerwear and Play Cloths, Josef “J7” Lord and Ahmed Jouni hand pick each label they carry to reflect their collective vision of Los Angeles’ “diversity and inclusion, pride and success, championships and failures…” (I loved that quote and swiped it from their website)  I have personally bought myself, my husband, family members and friends several pieces from this store, and it’s by far one of my favorite retail finds of 2018.

Store hours:  Monday to Wednesday: 10am to 7pm, Thursday to Sunday: 10am to 9pm

Best Kicks

Undefeated
111 South La Brea Ave, Los Angeles CA 90036
(323) 937-6077

When you are a serious sneaker collector, you have absolutely no issue with camping out on the street, in line, to score the latest and greatest Adidas Yezzys , Vans collab or Nike Air Jordans.  The Undefeated 1,500 sq ft La Brea Ave. retail location has truly impressive collection of the most coveted kicks on the market for men, women and children. If you are on the hunt for a new pair of sneaks, then look no further than Undefeated.

Store hours:  Monday to Saturday: 11AM-7PM, Sunday: 12PM-6PM

Best Moderately Priced Womenswear

I Love Fashion
215 W. 6th St. Ste 6, Unit 116 Los Angeles, CA. 90014
(424) 354-3951

Fashion stylist and wardrobe consultant Nadeerah Faquir is the taste and talent behind this highly curated, and super chic DTLA women’s clothing and accessory boutique.  I live just a block away from the store, I consistently pop my head in to see what’s new and I have never seen a piece in ILF for over $200.  I honestly have no idea where she finds the lines that she carries, at such reasonable prices, but everything she stocks is always perfectly on trend for the season and beyond super cute.

Store hours: Monday to Saturday: 11am to 7pm, Sunday: 11am to 6pm

Best Denim

American Rag Cie
150 S. La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA. 90036
(323) 935-3154

Founded by Los Angeles fashion legend Mark Werts Sr., American Rag Cie’s World Denim Bar consistently stocks 120 different brands and 1200 different models of denim. Plus, each dressing room is equipped with an “Ass Cam” (there’s actually a sign on the wall warning those who enter about the “Ass Cam”) so that when you are trying them on, you can easily see how your jeans look from the back as well as the front.  Although the store has been an LA mainstay for some 30 odd years, it still remains the best place to find your perfect pair of jeans.

Store hours: Monday to Thursday: 11am to 7pm, Friday & Saturday: 11 am to 8pm, Sunday: 12pm to 7pm

Best Lingerie

Agent Provocateur
242 N. Rodeo Dr. Beverly Hills, CA. 90210
(310) 888-0050

Founded in 1994 by Joseph Corre and Serena Rees, British lingerie retail giant Agent Provocateur is still, in my opinion, THE best place to buy the most intricate and sexy AF skivvies, period.  If you are in the market for something naughty, and yet ultra-luxurious, you will definitely find it here. I mean, who doesn’t need a $335 black leather riding crop with crystal encrusted handle, right?

Store hours:  Monday to Saturday: 10am to 6pm, Sunday: 12pm to 5pm

Best Women’s Shoes

Barneys New York, Beverly Hills
9570 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 276-4400

The shoe department at Barneys New York, Beverly Hills is still the crème de la crème in Los Angeles, if not the country.  It is a Carrie Bradshaw sexual fantasy dripping with sandals, flats, boots and stilettos by the most prolific luxury shoe designers on the planet.  Obviously, it’s Barneys so expect to max out your credit card, but at this very moment, they are hosting an incredible after Christmas sale where you can snatch up a pair of Manolo Blahnik Zione Suede Pumps for $339, as opposed to $855, and Nicholas Kirkwood Cortney Leather Mules for $319 rather than $795. Run… Don’t walk… Seriously…Go… NOW!!!

Store hours: Monday & Tuesday: 10am to 6pm, Wednesday & Thursday: 10am to 8pm, Friday & Saturday: 10am to 7pm, Sunday: 12pm to 6pm     

Best to Dress from Head to Toe

& Other Stories
370 N Beverly Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(424) 359-3218

Owned by Swedish retail giant H&M group, & Other Stories sells everything and anything a girl could ever need from clothing and bags to shoes and accessories to jewelry and swimwear to hair and skin care to stationary and soap and so on and so on and so on … The prices are truly unbeatable for the high quality of goods, and this is where I go when I need to grab something last minute as I know that I am sure to find something perfectly on point for whatever the occasion may be.

Store hours: Monday to Saturday: 10am to 7pm, Sunday: 11am to 6pm

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