Shopping in Los Angeles is certainly a treat
by Jamee Gregory
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| Samantha and I have a hard time choosing at the city’s oldest Mexican markets on Olivera Street: Yellow sundials, tea cups, vases, guitars all invite browsers and buyers at this vibrant market. |
| Shopping in Los Angeles is certainly a treat. As a New Yorker, the idea of driving up and parking seems a luxury! Starting with a visit to Mauro’s restaurant, conveniently located in Fred Segal’s cluster of chic stores, I enjoy a yummy Italian lunch with my daughter, Samantha. Afterwards, we explore the chic home department. I leave with multi-colored flowered votive candles. Then we check out the clothes. I fall for a celadon-and-grey over-sized boy-friend cardigan, and a black leather belt, covered in silver studs. We leave, placing our bags in the trunk. Pulling up to leafy Melrose Place next, a valet parker quickly takes our car. We head straight for Oscar de la Renta, even though I take full advantage of the Madison Avenue boutique, and sure enough find a striking red evening gown with a beaded bib that was never seen in New York. It pays to shop around! Next, we hit Chloe, where a white tunic-length sweater captures my fancy. I order a military-style khaki dress for spring. All the girls in the shops are incredibly helpful and friendly, offering water, smiles and plenty of help. Each boutique has a garden courtyard and large glass windows. After dreary months in Manhattan, the sunny facades and unique merchandise make shopping a pleasure. |
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| The latest L.A. look at Fred Segal: Skinny jeans in a faded wash topped by an over-sized plaid biker shirt worn over a clingy, body-hugging tank top. Sometimes jeggings, or denim leggings replace the jeans and are tucked into Uggs. I’m not sure this translates to Manhattan, but I did leave with a men’s plaid shirt! |
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| Outside the Ron Herman branch of the complex, the brick facade covered with vines and plants. |
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| A typically inviting passage from Melrose Place to its chic boutiques. One enters each store after following the red brick path past the white picket gates. |
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| The passage leading to Chloe bathed in sunshine. |
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| Inside Chloe’s double-storied boutique. |
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| A yellow dress in Chloe’s window. |
| From Melrose we hop over to Neiman Marcus’ stellar store on Rodeo Drive. The shoe department is extraordinary, its tables filled with unique Louboutin’s. I adore the classic love flats and end up with two pairs, one black-and-red patent and one cork-and-white. The service is incredible. Women of all ages around us are seduced by the wide selection and the attentive help. No messy streets or snowy slush to get in the way of fantasy footwear. L.A. is made for shoes with heels as high as the sky since no one walks very far and all arrive by car. The store’s tall ceilings, warm lighting and beautiful displays are impossible to pass. I’m ready to continue, drawn to the hand bags, but my daughter begs to go home. |
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| Inside Neiman Marcus” glamorous first floor, where bright light, high ceilings, fanciful mobiles and amazing merchandise make one want to shop. |
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| Shoes, glorious shoes! Enough Manolo’s to make the most jaded shoe-lover stop and shop. |
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| The chicest cork shoes with love spelled out in white patent leather, |
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| The fall version, black ballerinas with “LOVE” in red patent. Perfect for a smile on a wintry day. |
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| The spoils of the morning, nestled in the trunk! |
| The following morning she has arranged a special treat. Her friend, Alexandra Malloy, is driving us to downtown L.A. where we will visit the legendary flower market, followed by a visit to historic Olivera Street and lunch at the new hotspot, Church and State. The wholesale market rivals New York’s. Growers offer orchids, ranunculus, profusions of sweet peas, baskets of roses, armfuls of branches, baskets of begonias, and every other flower imaginable. One pays to enter and can wander the stalls freely. The prices are great, the selections vast, and nearby shops offer bowls, rocks, moss and all the necessary equipment to display the buds. The temptations are endless. We leave with boxes full of plants and buckets stuffed with tulips and roses, resisting rows of topiary trees and stands of azaleas. |
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| MASSES OF BLOSSOMS, multitudes of shoppers, tons of workers. |
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| A DAZZLING ARRAY AND GREAT PRICES. |
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| More blossoms. |
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| Samantha and Alexandra with their selections. |
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| Vast blocks of stalls start to close and shut down around noon. |
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| Samantha and me stop for last minute additions, like armfuls of ranunculus. |
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| Sam and Alex pause once more, stopping for roses. |
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| It’s hard to pass Casablanca lilies and white hydrangeas, but we only have two arms each. |
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| Last stop, rows of dried flowers, topiary balls, more temptations! |
| Next we visit one of the city’s oldest Mexican markets, Olivera Street, where shops and outdoor stalls make a festive impression. Colorful embroidered peasant tops, very Frida Kahlo, tempt in every shop along with brightly painted pottery vegetables and tiles that swing from the awnings, suspended on strings, beside swirling skirts, tap shoes, blouses with big sleeves, masks and belts that all catch one’s eye. Porcelain fruits and salt and peppers along with tea pots and tureens, gaily decorated, create a cheerful array. The oldest Adobe house in the city can be visited and hundreds of shoppers stroll through the streets, admiring the wares. We add our purchases to the car and set off for lunch. I can’t wait to wear my colorful new shirt, a fraction of the price of a similar tunic from Calypso. The ethnic styles are classic. The designs and colors are full of life, and the gauzy cottons perfect for summer. |
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| Olivera Street, decorated to the nines! Welcoming signs, festive flags, open booths attract visitors. |
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| Looking down the street one cannot wait to wander past the booths and into the welcoming shops above. |
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| L. to r.: Comfortable benches make it easy for shoppers to rest ... Bright selections of colorful tops with distinctive embroideries are welcome additions to everyone’s summer wardrobe. |
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| Temptations abound, from Mexican wedding dresses, to tap shoes, to masks, to heavily embellished skirts and ornaments, the shops offer hundreds of affordable and decorative options. |
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| Shoppers from all over congregate on a sunny day to capture the market’s festive flavor. |
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| Ropes of ceramic vegetables and welcoming signs in Spanish would brighten anyone’s home. |
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| I bought one of the peasant shirts to the left, perfect for Easter in the Bahamas! |
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| Entrance to visit the oldest adobe house in Los Angeles, free admission! |
| The three of us are starving and head for the trendy new restaurant, Church&State, on Industrial Street, built on the old loading dock of the 1920’s National Biscuit Company. High ceilings, tile floors, and red-leather banquettes all add to the festive feeling. The place is packed. We share a thin-crusted pizza and delicious salads. The bistro-like atmosphere is welcoming. Restored by frothy Cappuccinos, we can’t wait to arrange and plant our purchases. Before we know it, the day has whizzed past. It’s time to head back to Santa Monica and get to work before our flowers wilt. |
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