Curve: June 2009

Here is my photo diary of my 8 hours in LA from April, 2009. It was a whirlwind tour of some of the premier clothing stores in LA. Enjoy the ride!

10:00am start

First stop Malibu. Lifestyles of the rich and famous. Pretty sure Brody Jenner is floating around out there on his surfboard.

I set aside 30 minutes to take a scenic drive up the Pacific Coastal Highway and ran into this beauty of a Ferrari. Don't photograph and drive people! Not safe.

First shop was Fred Segal in Santa Monica. What an incredible store. No wonder you see young Hollywood's finest strolling out of here with the signature Segal bags hanging from their arms. The place is like a maze and you could spend hours sifting through the finest hip and trendy clothes that LA has to offer.

Next, I took a straight shot up Santa Monica BLVD towards Beverly Hills. Didn't have time to stop so I snapped this from the cockpit. I did make the prerequisite stop at Barney's New York in Beverly Hills because this is my all time favorite one-stop shop. The volume of up and coming designers they carry is something I really look forward to every time I step foot in the doors.

Second shop, Maison Martin Margiela. Now this is a mystical place. You hear about Margiela quite a bit on the blogosphere and see many photos identical to this one, but I have the inside scoop - literally. Lately, I've become very intrigued by the aesthetic Maison Martin Margiela is bringing to the fashion industry and wanted to see it for myself while I was in LA.

Inside, the space is almost theatrical. Very space conscious for sure. Two racks of men's clothes and a shelf of accessories could easily take you half an hour to go through as the fine detailing, craftmanship and materials were just out of this world. It's always great to see this kind of quality. Plus the sales people were wearing white lab coats. Fresh.

Another view of the men's store and yes that is a tower of champagne glasses displaying Margiela's footwear.

It was time to go a little more mainstream, so I shifted gears and strolled up to Melrose Ave, which included my next big hit list of shops. Here you are looking at the Kitson's men's section, which offers a fine selection of everything you need to dress from head to toe. Definitely a diverse section of brands that you will never see in Canada.

Ah ha! I must not forget a stop at my favorite French friends at A.P.C. This is actually the second A.P.C. store that I've been to (the other being NY). I much prefer this one's intimate space and friendly staff that weren't afraid to give their own opinions on their own products. Ended up getting a nice madras shirt here.

I had to go back upscale for a little bit at my next stop. This is the Alexander McQueen flagship on Melrose. Famous for all the parties and events that have occured here over the years. The store in pretty incredible. Almost cavernous if I can describe it. The curved walls and tight layout created a very tranquil environment compared to the busy streets of LA. It was amazing seeing these clothes in person and I now realize how the high price is justified. This is fashion at its premier level. The shoes especially were off the chart.

Inside Alexander McQueen.

Another shot of the McQueen store.

Just a few steps away is Marc Jacob's LA empire. I poked my head in the men's shop and I must say I was truly impressed. A small shop nonetheless, but there is plenty of Marc products to sift through.

As I ventured eastward, Opening Ceremony was on my radar. Over the past couple of years, OC has blown up, and deservedly so. With celebs lake Lady Gaga in queue, they're obviously doing something right. This store is incredible and everyone must make a visit at least once in their life. Just imagine a house where everyone room is full of the finest fashions you can set your sets on. Everything from Steven Alan, Nom de Guerre, Acne, Opening Ceremony, Band of Outsiders, Comme Des Garcons and more! You could easily get lost in this place.

These three shops side by side are basically the front line, the mecca of the most progressive streetwear hitting the world today. You've got Union, Stussy LA and Undefeated all nice and cozy beside one another. This area was basically ground zero for the Air Yeezy launch and is the place to be if you're looking for KAWS pieces, Original Fake, WTAPS, Play Cloths and of course the most insane sneakers on the planet.

Here's a shot inside Union.

Down the block is American Rag Cie. A very overwhelming store with tons to see! They do carry RRL jeans, which I was very impressed by. Here you can find pretty much any label you set your heart's desire on. A nice collection of footwear and vintage clothing to boot. Although it make you an hour to sift through all the clothes, you may just find that perfect piece.

After hitting all these shops, I was pretty exhausted and running short of time. I made the decision to head over to the infamous Grove, celebrity hangout central. It is a pretty amazing outdoor shopping setup, and the crowds seem to feel the same. The highlight here was the Aspen Optical and Barney's CO-OP stores. All in all, a great place to chill on heaty LA day.

6:00pm finish. I had just enough time to catch a nice light/fountain show at the Grove before a hefty drive back to Palm Springs.

I'm not sure I could have fit much more into 8 hours in LA. It was almost surreal stopping at all these places and I'm glad I documented my trip. Who knows if it will inspire people to spend more time in LA or not, but if you're into clothes, then these shops might just be for you.