The Best Places To Shop In LA
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THE SHOPS…
Maxfield
This WeHo concept store landed on Melrose Avenue way back in the 80s. Since then, its brutalist concrete base has been augmented by a gallery space across the road (good for high-end vintage homewares) and, right next door, a Jean Prouvé prefab that gets used as a showcase by the likes of Maison Margiela and Alaïa. Those are the kind of labels you’ll also find in the main shop, alongside local favourites like The Elder Statesman. You might see some other big names browsing the rails.
Visit MaxfieldLA.com
Pickwick Vintage Show
Rose Bowl Flea (every second Sunday of the month) is the biggest vintage show in LA, but if you can’t get out to Pasadena, this monthly market gathers sellers from across the Golden State in Downtown. Their wares span clothing, jewellery, accessories and textiles from all eras. The show’s venue can change, but for now it’s regularly at Row DTLA, a recently developed neighbourhood between the Fashion and Arts Districts – check the website below for exact dates.
Visit PickwickVintage.com
Malibu Country Mart
You might be planning to hit Malibu for its big sandy beaches and all-round A-list beauty. If you are, consider a stop-off at its Country Mart – a purpose-built complex of boutiques housing American names like Oliver Peoples, Faherty and RRL alongside international favourites such as ba&sh and American Vintage (yeah, it’s French).
Visit MalibuCountryMart.com
Olive Ateliers
An object doesn’t have to be vintage or antique to make it into Olive Ateliers, but it helps. In a sprawling Downtown warehouse, Olive showcases ‘objects with old souls’ from home furnishings to garden furniture. The whole thing started on Instagram, and there are still regular online drops of latest finds, or you can drop into the warehouse from Wednesdays to Saturdays.
Visit OliveAteliers.com
BRYAN DALE
Ahlem
Ahlem Manai Platt dreamt up her sunglasses business in Paris and its products are still made in France, but she’s based in LA and the City of Angels considers her one of its own. At her Abbot Kinney Boulevard store, you can explore the organic shapes and elegant geometries that have helped make Ahlem one of the hottest eyewear brands around.
Visit AhlemEyewear.com
Angel City Books & Records
For a hit of old-school, IRL, feel-it-in-your-fingers pleasure, check out Angel City Books & Records. Santa Monica’s last indie bookstore (there used to be many more) is an LA institution, laden with new and used wares all carefully laid out by long-time owner Rocco. Literary fiction is a strong suit, along with local history, art and photography. Records skew towards jazz and classic rock.
Visit AngelCityBooks.com
Just One Eye
Paola Russo used to be artistic director at Maxfield. Now, as a standalone tastemaker, she has her own high-fashion temple in Hollywood’s Sycamore District. Designers from Gabriela Hearst to Giorgio Armani are gathered together in hallowed surrounds where you might also find the first collection of the next name to know. On the ground floor, there’s a hair salon run by celeb stylist Jorge Serrano.
Visit JustOneEye.com
Dover Street Market
The LA outpost of DSM is right in Downtown’s Arts District. The setup will be familiar to anyone who’s spent time in the London original: cool capsule collections dotted around a raw industrial space. CDG is a big presence, of course, as is LA’s own The Row. Left someone at home? Lady White Co does a great line in monochrome menswear basics that are all made locally.
Skylight Books
Back in the 90s, this indie bookstore found its niche serving the eccentric artist community of LA’s Los Feliz neighbourhood. Today, its influence spreads much further. Knowledgeable staff are at the heart of it all, offering tight recommendations for browsers and helping to organise an events programme that draws big-name touring authors – from Patti Smith and Zadie Smith, they’ve all dropped in over the years.
Visit SkylightBooks.com
Departamento
This is a menswear place, but it’s worth a peek if you want an update from the front line of high fashion – and also because menswear is hardly just for men anymore. Curation leans towards statement runway attire, but there are also super wearable pieces from brands you might have been sleeping on, like Casey Casey, as well as bigger names like Loewe and Marni. You’ll need to know how to find the place, though – it’s through the back of the Maru Coffee in the Arts District.
Visit DPTO.la
Tortoise General Store
Taku and Keiko Shinomoto were inspired to open Tortoise by the old-time general stores they enjoyed in Hawaii but that had all but disappeared from LA. They called it Tortoise because it embodied their ‘go slow’ approach to life, but also because it brings Japanese goods to America – apparently there are some rare sea tortoises that also move between the two countries. Head in to discover Taku’s beautiful Hasami Porcelain, playful tenugui cloths, cute jewellery and a lot more.
The Way We Wore
Doris Raymond relocated her famous vintage boutique from San Francisco to LA in the noughties, and she continues to move with the times. As we write, she’s in the process of cutting its opening hours and going more digital, so she can focus on appointment shopping. Rest assured, she has many luxe pieces worth booking ahead for – from 70s Gucci and Halston through 80s Saint Laurent and De La Renta to 90s Chanel and 00s Dior.
Visit TheWayWeWore.com
Jenni Kayne
Californian designer Jenni Kayne started out in fashion and has expanded into homeware. At her stores in WeHo and Brentwood, you can see for yourself how her appreciation for the classics helps her create simple, luxe pieces that will stand the test of time.
Visit JenniKayne.com
Bode
Emily Adams Bode Aujla started out making menswear from antique textiles. In 2023 she began applying her talent for quilting, mending and appliqué to womenswear. Through those tailoring techniques – and an eye for a beautiful fabric – she creates clothes with a story to tell. Emily’s based in New York, but you can see what she can do at Bode’s Hollywood store.
Visit Bode.com
Mohawk General Store
For more than 15 years now, Mohawk has been doing god’s work for well-dressed Angelenos. From Ganni to Girls of Dust, your favourite Euro brands are all here, but it’s worth diving a little deeper into Mohawk to find the made-in-the-USA gems that also lie within. The similarly cool menswear store is next door.
Visit MohawkGeneralStore.com
Palisades Village
In Pacific Palisades, between Malibu and Santa Monica, this newly developed ‘village’ helpfully clusters together some of our favourite labels. Anine Bing, Bottega Veneta, Cult Gaia, Isabel Marant, Reformation, Toteme and Zimmermann all have standalone stores dotted around its manicured streets. When you’re done shopping, there’s a cinema and an array of modern dining options.
Visit PalisadesVillageCA.com
THE STREETS…
Rodeo Drive
This two-mile-long street is one of the world’s most expensive. It’s also one of the world’s most mispronounced – the Spanish ro-DAY-oh is the only way to say it. Within those two miles, there’s a three-block run between Wilshire Boulevard and Little Santa Monica Boulevard where you can’t miss a gleaming cluster of top-end boutiques. Gucci and Tiffany have been here since the 60s; today, they vie for attention with the flagships of Ralph Lauren, Prada and Louis Vuitton. Architecture admirers will appreciate Anderton Court – a small mall built by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 50s.
Visit RodeoDrive-BH.com
Melrose Place
If the maximalist bling of Rodeo Drive ever gets too much, retreat north to Melrose Place, a short, understated street off winding Melrose Avenue. Tucked behind its trees and palms, you’ll find labels that like a quieter luxe – The Row, Reformation, Violet Grey, Rachel Comey, Isabel Marant, A.P.C., Glossier, The RealReal, Restoration Hardware and Zimmermann all have Melrose Place addresses.
Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Over the last couple of decades, Abbot Kinney Boulevard has risen up as Venice Beach’s hip alternative to ritzier shopping streets. There are longstanding outlets with deep LA roots (Aviator Nation, Bazar, The Stronghold) and others that have come from far away for a piece of the action (Mejuri from Canada, Farm Rio from Brazil). We’d start our trawl at Jacques Marie Mage, a local purveyor of magnificent sunglasses. Go on a First Friday of the month and the street will be lined with food trucks.
Visit AbbotKinneyBlvd.com
Row DTLA
Row DTLA is a new neighbourhood manufactured out of old manufacturing plants on the edge of the Arts District. A+R, an expansive furniture house that acts as a talent scout for brands across the world, relocated here from Abbot Kinney. It sits happily alongside an open-air produce market, the Scent Bar, Coast By Coast with its contemporary swimwear, Hightide with its classic stationery, vintage stores and new names worth knowing. Your food options are good too – try Pikunico (it’s in our Eat section) for Japanese fried chicken.
Visit RowDTLA.com
ROW DTLA
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