A few days in Los Angeles
Come with me to visit some of my favorite shops, discover new brands, cop some clothing, and more!
I love LA. The food and the vibes are great, I love driving around while I hit my favorite spots, and of course, we can’t forget about the weather that instantly brings your mood up. Montreal has already been hit with that grim cold that nobody is stoked about, so it was nice to escape it, even if it was only for a short while.
My job is to follow a lot of brands, and while the clothes are what gets me going, what gets me even more excited is the physical shopping experience that these brands have to offer. I love going to stores and seeing the stuff in person, interacting with the people who work there, and just enjoying the atmosphere these shops create for the shopper. Most of the time, you end up appreciating and better understanding the products and the brands behind them.
One of my first visits was to Lady White Co.’s location in Silver Lake. Now, there are a lot of retailers that carry this brand, but having the chance to sort of step into their world and see everything they have to offer all under one roof is a completely different experience.
Honestly, I think Lady White is underrated. While they do focus on a more simple design approach, they excel through attention to the fabrics, fits, and the little details that you’ll understand better once you see the stuff in person — shopping online is difficult, especially when you’re shopping for more elevated products. So having that personal experience is a huge plus.
The people who work here are all insanely chill, and I think that’s a major part of why I enjoy the brand even more — good clothes are great, but if the people behind them are even better, then that’s a whole different story.
The one thing Lady White nails well is the color palette. You can expect more earth-tone stuff, but they do put out items with a splash of color, which are all incredible in hand. I ended up grabbing the Mini Hoodie in this mint color that I honestly haven’t stopped wearing.
Comes in a cropped fit, but has a lot of room in the shoulders. So if you’re tall, I would recommend sizing up on this like I did. Insanely comfortable thanks to its brushed fleece that I would say has a solid mid-level weight to it. The pigment-dyed mint color is a lot of fun to wear as your main color piece in an outfit. Bringing it back to the fun details that make me enjoy this brand — it’s called the mini hoodie, so it comes with shrunken eyelets and no string on the hood itself. A cool little detail that I enjoy.
Also picked up this nice mid-weight Barrington Jacket. Very straightforward jacket that also comes in a more cropped cut — perfectly fitting at the waistline but still has plenty of room at the shoulders for that oversized feel. Quilted lining is also a nice touch that provides that extra layer of warmth for the colder season.
I was told to check out the new Departamento store — which was sort of confusing to locate at first. They have two locations that are both sort of tucked away inside of a coffee shop. The one I went to is located at Concierge Coffee, where you can enter the store through a mirrored hallway. From there, you’ll enter a multi-brand retailer with a very unique vibe that sort of feels like a private shopping experience.
The store isn’t insanely big, but I liked it better that way. Good selection of brands like Casey Casey, GR10K, MAN-TLE, Taiga Takahashi, Our Legacy, and much more. The buying is great, and they also have an excellent selection of accessories — we’re talking belts, jewelry, glasses and some stuff in between.
Definitely worth a visit. Get a nice little coffee and then take that to the back to do a little bit of shopping. It’s also conveniently located near stores like Dover Street Market, and Lady White’s second location just to name a few.
Going to the Beams Plus pop-up is an absolute must if you’re planning to be in the city before Christmas. Walking through the curtained entrance that reveals a large courtyard and the building that their newest collection was being displayed at was definitely a vibe I haven’t experienced before in a shopping context.
The temporary store is currently open until December 24th. I honestly don’t even want to show a lot of pictures because I’d want you to kind of go in blindly. It’s just going to be way more fun that way. I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I first heard about it, and I kind of glad I did it that way.
Employees are all sweet too. From what I gathered, Beams is hopefully looking into creating a permanent store on the west coast and I hope that happens soon. They are one of the best and being able to see that in person is something everyone should do at least once. Plus, I think it’s amazing to have the option to buy a huge variety of their products without having to go through a Japan proxy.
The Visvim store is also crazy. It’s not everyday you get to see this stuff in person, so if there is a store around you then you have to go check it out. You’ll get to see crazy displays like the life sized Visvim FBT shoe, or the small camping setup that’s overflowing with gear. A store that felt more like a gallery that creates another unique shopping experience.
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I’m addicted to buying books when travelling but because I use a carry on suitcase, I can’t even bring back that much stuff with me. Not sure why I do that to myself to be honest, I need to upgrade immediately — if there is anyone reading this and you work at one of these luggage brands please hit my line I need a hookup badly. I’m actually not sure what brands make good luggages right now, so I’d love to know what you’re rocking with.
Anyway, I ended up grabbing this Polo book which gives a brief history of the iconic polo shirt, has plenty of archival chapters, and more. I love collecting this type of stuff. Sure we have the internet, but opening up a book to discover something new is way more enjoyable. Anyway, I grabbed this over at Arcana Books at 8675 Washington Blvd, Culver City. One of my favorite bookstores I’ve visited in a minute. So many different genre of books that you’ll easily be able to spend a few hours exploring their library.
I’ve never heard of Good Art until a friend introduced me to someone who works there. They are an LA based luxury jewelry company that creates everything by hand in LA using fine sterling silver and gold. When I heard more about them and saw a few of the items in person I knew I had to pay their showroom a visit.
There’s a reason why things cost what they cost, and Good Art is definitely expensive but there is a reason for that. I find that it’s sometimes hard to translate the cost behind something, especially if you’re shopping for that product online. I got a chance to see the back of their shop where they manufacture everything, and after a 10 minute tour it made so much sense why their products cost what they cost.
I’m hopping to be able to tell you their full story at a later time because it’s very interesting, but until then though, you can schedule an appointment for the showroom here — located at 1014 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles. Even if you’re not planning on buying anything go and check out the showroom and ask to see the stuff in person.
3sixteen just recently moved to a new location in the Fashion District, so you know I had to check that out. Comes with easy parking, which is very important for LA! You have to drive everywhere, and with everything being so spread out it’s much easier and cheaper to drive over ubering in my opinion.
I’m very familiar with this brand at this point, so I was there mostly for the vibes which were amazing thanks to the massive windows that ended up making me feel as though I was shopping outside. Some spaces are too dark and being able to see the stuff in natural lighting is just more enjoyable.
A friend of mine brought me to Denim Doctors, a vintage clothing and denim alterations shop. It’s sort of tucked away, with the building being pretty inconspicuous, so you wouldn’t ever just stumble upon it. If you’re looking for some silver tabs Levi’s this will definitely be the spot though. Huge variety of just your classic american vintage. Definitely recommend stopping at this spot.
And that’s pretty much it! LA is massive, so it’s hard to do it all in just a few days, but that’s all the more reason to come back more. Thank you to all the homies that made this trip amazing! I’ll be back soon.