A Guide to the Best of Southern California : FASHION : Piercing Looks
At many Hollywood hot spots, a discreet little nose ring or row of dangling earrings doesn’t quite cut it any more. It takes more to make a statement--a thread-thin eyebrow hoop or a bold, gold navel ring.
For about $60, the price of the custom jewelry and the piercing, you can get the latest head-turning look or a secret jewel no one will see.
“I’ve had women from Rodeo Drive. I’ve had people call from their car phones asking if they can come in a half an hour. And I’ve seen them come back again and again,” says Crystal Cross, who operates a closet-sized piercing shop called Red Devil.
Most of her customers are older teens and young adults, but Cross says she’s pierced grown-ups of all ages, from all walks of life. And once they indulge in one piercing, many want another.
“It’s erotic, and I like it aesthetically,” said musician Ben Hoffman, 24, after he and his girlfriend, Sandra Vacey, 40, got matching navel hoops at Red Devil. “It’s like my tattoos. It’s not like, should I get this? It’s more like, how am I going to get the money. I have to get this right now.”
Red Devil, 1149 N. La Brea Ave. (behind tattoo shop with same name); (213) 851-0445.
