International Travelogue of Club Style : L.A. Wears Heavy-Metal Uniform

Los Angeles is an industry town like any other--except that the biz here is the fast and eccentric entertainment trade. Clubs like Bordello cater to the rock ‘n’ roll hordes: youthful urbanites clad in leather, denim and fringe. Young women wear tattoos and dresses that are short, tight and leave nothing to the imagination. Some clubs, like Club With No Name and Scarlet Letter, add a twist--the former caters to the black-clad underground crowd while the latter features Harleys as fashion accessories.

While the rockers take their looks from metal-music icons such as Axl Rose, other club-goers look to fashion plates in magazines. At Club Louis, once Madonna’s Friday-night choice for dancing, pricey blouses, coats and shirts hit the floor as the crowd works up a dance sweat. For those more inclined to drink than dance, there’s Small’s, a cozy bar on the wrong end of Melrose (that’s east) where night owls wear what they will and it’s too dark to see anyway.