For Christmas, BF gifted me with some new wardrobe pieces that will be perfect for the colder climate we’ll soon be living in. Some were on the wishlist, some were items I’d never even think to buy myself, but all were perfect additions to my closet. I think I’m going to let him pick out all my clothes now. What goodness did I throw out to the world to deserve someone so thoughtful and generous as he?
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Teapots on sale at Utsuwa-No-Yakata in Little Tokyo Galleria
Little Tokyo Galleria Mall • 333 S. Alameda Street • http://www.littletokyogalleria.net
I’m placing the whole mall as one stop because it literally was a one-stop shop for affordable Christmas gifts this year. A set of sake cups from Utsuwa-No-Yakata and a bottle of sake from Woori Market (formerly Mitsuwa) set me back only $12.
Kinokuniya • 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka #205 • http://www.kinokuniya.com
The most adorable, unique, and creative gifts come from this Japanese bookstore. Washi tape, well-designed stationery, and books and magazines in both English and Japanese are what you’ll spend hours browsing through.
Tokyo Japanese Outlet • 114 Japanese Village Plaza Mall • http://www.tokyojlsusa.com
Here you’ll find anime toys, cosmetics, and useful knick knacks for around the house. I used to stock up on Red Cherry lashes when they were less than $2 each, but they have since raised prices, so not everything is dirt cheap there.
Summer's shiny, sparkly dresses at Shareen Vintage
Shareen Vintage • 350 N. Avenue 21 • http://www.shareenvintage.com
A bit of a fashionista secret, this warehouse in Lincoln Heights north of downtown stocks the best vintage frocks. I’ve always managed to fall in love with two or three dresses there, and never balked at their price point. The accessories can be a bit pricey for what they are though. Come here if you need a special dress that everyone will be asking you about and won’t break the bank.
Books at St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store • 210 N. Avenue 21 • http://www.svdpla.org
This thrift store right down the street from Shareen is HUGE. Furniture, kitchen wares, clothing, shoes, even gym equipment. I was over the moon to see the “Paperback books for $0.99″ sign even though they didn’t stock anything on my wishlist. My friend D has had some major luck with furniture deals here, like that beautiful polished black console he has.
Olde Good Things
Olde Good Things • 1800 S. Grand Avenue • http://www.ogtstore.com
Do you remember that scene from The Little Mermaid where we get to see Ariel’s grotto full of antiques? It’s kind of like that here, and I got that same wondrous feeling that I did when I was a kid watching that movie. It’s vast, and there are a lot of old things, so I wouldn’t recommend going by yourself if you scare easily. No, I’m not kidding.
Kimski Makes • 369 E. 2nd Street • http://www.kimski.com
A purveyor of both well-priced basics and on-trend pieces in Little Tokyo. I like the clothes from their house brand and Piko 1988.
Cooper Design Space • 860 S. Los Angeles Street • http://www.cooperdesignspace.com
Sample sale shopping is what I love about Los Angeles, and the Cooper Design Space leads the pack. The usual suspects include Corey Lynn Calter, Cynthia Vincent, Mike & Chris, and other local talent. I check their blog for sale announcements.
Boxes of $32 jeans at J Brand
J Brand Outlet • 1201 E. Washington Boulevard • Facebook
Their prices are cheaper-than-Gilt-Groupe outlet prices, but they have racks full of still-in-stores jeans. I bought a pair of Lovestory wide legs in a dark wash for less than $60, and BF just scored a pair of Kane’s in the $40 box. And their salesmen are helpful and rather nice to look at. Sign up for their mailing list to get updates on new stock and sales.
The Last Bookstore • 400 S. Main Street • http://www.lastbookstorela.com
This used bookstore is well stocked and the pricepoints are good. Unlike the used bookstores I’d frequent in Berkeley and Oakland as a young college gal, the salespeople here always greet me with a smile.
Raggedy Threads • 330 E. 2nd Street #B • http://www.raggedythreads.com
This vintage store and I both hail from the same ‘hood, and we both moved to downtown at around the same time. My most beloved vintage pieces, like my favorite brown belt with turtles embossed on it and my favorite white summer dress, came from this store! It’s reasonably priced and the vintage pieces are not a joke, though they lean a bit towards 70s and 80s styles.
My gift shopping outfit - animal print, leather shorts, and wine-colored tights a la 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2009.
A little late to the party with this one. (Pun!) It’s been a couple of years since I closed down my fashion-related blog, so it was cool to be included among the stylish L.A. bloggerati at last week’s Forever 21 party for the Brian Lichtenberg collection. All thanks to Fashion Intel, one of the nicest bloggers I know. Saw real-life friends, met online friends in real life, and made friends with the bartenders at the open bar in between.
It's fashion-related so I can talk about my clothes: Mayle dress with the cutouts, even after carb-o-loading in Vegas; Marc by Marc Jacobs cardigan that I snagged on eBay after seeing it on Lea Michele in Glee; Bing Bang Heart Earrings that I wanted since 2007, also from eBay; and Coach Stefanie shoes
Trina Turk Outlet in Alhambra
If you and your mother love discount shopping as much as my mom and I do, consider a trip to the Trina Turk outlet in Alhambra for some Mother’s Day shopping. Upon a recent tweet from RecessionistaLA, I was reminded of the fact that a designer outlet resides in the good ol’ SGV, and I still had yet to pay a visit. I was able to finally make a stop when in the neighborhood a couple weeks ago.
Doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's there.
I’m not too familiar with Trina Turk‘s pieces, other than that she seems to be the go-to for resort wear for Palm Springs getaways. And I loved the results of the mentoring program she did with Otis students last year, where their young designers created dresses with prints of the LA skyline. With that said, Trina Turk is still a mom-friendly choice in that her clothes are sophisticated enough for an older woman, but still fun and modern.
It was a pleasant surprise to find the outlet store well-stocked, with pieces in great shape and on trend, but with price tags that still reflect their outlet origins.
Even the bargain bin had some good stuff.
To get an idea of prices and selection, I was eyeing this Kokua tank, still retailing full price at $96 on the website, for $25 in size P and L. Cocktail rings, similar to this one, ranged from $25-50. Also on the racks was a good selection of brightly patterned swimsuits, Pour La Victoire and Pura Lopez heels for just over $100, and cute summer dresses.
Rack full of swimsuits - Palm Springs vacay anyone?
I didn’t come home with any new clothes, but I did pick up these sunglasses in the exact style and color that I’ve been looking forever for – only $20!
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Stationery booth of Rock Scissor Paper
Lots of walking for me this weekend: to and from Unique LA on Saturday, which is basically across town, and then walking the whole 13th floor of the California Mart to browse the 200+ vendors on both days.
Though Unique LA’s been around for a couple of shows now, this is my first time attending and I have to say I’m impressed. I’ve been to similar indie fairs in the Bay Area – I frequented Feria Urbana in my college days – and then found Fashion Co-Op when I moved back down to LA. Unique LA’s probably the most well-produced event I’ve gone to yet. That sounds super LA, but that’s where we are bitches!! Really proud to see what Angeleno talent has to offer.
Some of my favorite local vendors and highlights from the fair:
LA-centric prints from 33stewartavenue
Beautiful display of the jewelry at Dust
Highdy plushes and all the girls standing in the line for the free drinks
Anthropologie fans will recognize Eva Franco's dresses. I'm particularly a fan of her striped pieces, like this dress. Her Aniseed skirt was marked down about 50% from the retail price of $128. (No small sizes though!)
Killer panoramic views of the city...
...and beyond.
Friends and their beautiful jewelry at Les Morceaux
Kevin Tong's illustrations and band posters. Jimmy Eat World is one of BF's favorite bands - this was the show we attended for his birthday last year. Ain't it gorgeous?
The stripe skirt with the rope belt was calling my name. From Lavuk.
Two Rabbits posters
Jacob and Edward at Nordstrom in Seattle - you can see how I chickened out of a photo op with the two of them, giggling like an idiot schoolgirl on the left
Don’t laugh.
I watched the midnight showing of New Moon at L.A. Live‘s new Regal Theatre on Thursday alongside a bunch of college girls*. (Though to my credit they still think I’m one of them.) The Regal is three floors of HUGE, but disappointingly boring to look at.
Now really, don’t laugh. On Friday, I went back to watch it again.
I love the cinematic interpretation of the book – Edward sparkles perfectly, the passing months scene was so heartbreakingly well-executed, and the emails were a great narrative device.
To celebrate in a sartorial fashion what I’ve been waiting months for (NM was my favorite book), I wore a very Alice-esque outfit to the theater – Anthropologie’s Polaire Vest, one of my birthday presents to myself, resembles the checkered blouse she wears in her last scene in the movie, plus Zara leggings and BCBGirls booties. On Thursday I put on my cobalt blue J Crew Velvet Ecole blazer, a ruffled F21 shirt and black jeans, and Dolce Vita mary janes – guess which team I was rooting for?
Love you Alice. Be my sister toooooo (Images from I Felt Hope)
*You heard right, no Twilight moms and their strollers present at this theater! At least not after midnight…
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BF and I dressed up as Blair & Chuck for Halloween. Probably the cheapest costume ever, as most of the pieces were already in our closet – shocker, I know.
Me: AE 77kids velvet blazer; F21 headband, shirt, and belt; Issa Rocks skirt; French Toast cross tie; Target girls tights; Coach bag; Nine West mary janes (which Blair actually wore in S1).
BF: Trovata blazer; JCPenney shirt; vintage tie that we lucked out finding at Kimski Makes; Zara pants; Sperry Topsiders.
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Fall uniform:
polka dots – bows – white lace – patterned tights – booties – cardigans – knee highs – military jackets – belts – buttons to button
In anticipation for the movie “Where the Wild Things Are“, Space 15 Twenty was transformed into a woodsy wonderland.
Featured were monster costumes created by Christian Joy (yes, the maker of Karen O’s stage garb)
How cute is this Urban Renewal skirt?? I frequently knitted and crocheted in my college years, and I want any piece of clothing with panels right now, so this speaks to both my crafty past and my current sartorial tastes.
Next door in the gallery space were stills and sketches from the movie.
Check out the costumes and more WTWTA at Urban Outfitters.
Up next – more wild things at Gallery Nucleus!
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