West of Fairfax: High Concept, High Dollar

Melrose Avenue has long been the barometer of hot, hip and happening--the heart of young, trendy, rainbow-hair-and-black-leather-loving Los Angeles. Some of those shoppers have moved on to west of Fairfax Avenue, where in the last year a flurry of high-fashion boutiques, many from New York or Europe, have re-energized a neighborhood once better known for antique stores, flower shops and its lone fashion retailer, Fred Segal, a resident for nearly 30 years.

Early settlers on the new Melrose included Miu Miu, which opened in January 1999, and a few months later, Liza Bruce, Betsey Johnson and Ruby Mae. Others quickly followed. More shops are coming, with the announcement this week of London’s lingerie store Agent Provocateur planning to open by September near Liza Bruce.

Some of fashion’s best craftsmanship, materials and design are represented in the boutiques, giving even the casual shopper a quick lesson in international style. With many European designers represented on the street, sizes are consequently smaller (read: itty-bitty). The largest women’s European size is typically a 48, which roughly translates to an American 10, and for men, a 52 roughly equals a 36-inch waist. Designer names also mean high prices, but dedicated shoppers can find unique items for less than $100 in many stores, including several gift shops.

The neighborhood gives off a decidedly casual vibe that extends from the low-pressure (and often badly trained) sales staff to the unhurried atmosphere in the often sparsely populated stores. A few retailers hope to give the place an identity by creating a neighborhood association that could sponsor signs, parties and perhaps name the area Melrose Heights.

The new mix of stores echoes the lineup in New York’s Soho and Nolita neighborhoods. The Melrose version has a long way to go to be considered shopper friendly, however. Even the sales help complains about the dearth of cafes and the limited parking.

The boutiques’ design, while often beautiful, seems more concerned about aesthetics than comfort. How else to explain no seats or mirrors in many of the dressing rooms? Store owners like to trumpet their innovative mix of merchandise--and brag about stylists popping in to pick up a few things for this or that movie or television show. But many of the clerks have product knowledge as thin as their thighs and are unable to explain the merits of the individual collections. Most stores display one example of a style, leaving the customer to wonder if more sizes exist elsewhere (and don’t expect a sales clerk to drop her diet soda to help you).

If the high prices, small sizes and scant shopper amenities sound discouraging, just think of your shopping adventure as cultural anthropology. This is where those who are too rich and too thin come to stay too gorgeous. And a lower-priced shopping fix is available, if you require, a few blocks away at the Beverly Center.

The Route

Start at Kilkea Drive, just west of Crescent Heights, and walk east along both sides of Melrose until you’re just short of Fairfax.

The Stores

Daryl K, 8125 Melrose Ave., (323) 651-2251. Designer Daryl Kerrigan, famous for the fit of her low-rise pants, brings her sporty slacks, skirts and jackets that until now have been the badge of honor of chic downtown Manhattanites. Current looks: the $150 Velcro-closing denim jackets or stretch-cotton slacks for $80 to $100 and up.

Emma Gold, 8115 Melrose Ave., (323) 651-3662. The new high-fashion outpost carries some hard-to-find European clothing labels, including Andrew Gn, Clements Ribeiro, Anne Demeulemeester and Matthew Williamson. Owners Mark and Emily Goldstein, who own Madison on Robertson and Brentwood Gardens, show their affinity for footwear with their wide-ranging shoe selection that includes hand-carved wooden clogs and $100 rhinestone rubber thongs that coexist with Sergio Rossi, Marc Jacobs and Sigerson Morrison shoes. Sample items: $45 snake-print tank top and a $1,140 Matthew Williamson embellished skirt.

Feathered Nest, 8113 Melrose Ave., (323) 782-0232. This place is packed from floor to ceiling, corner to corner and front to back with handmade and antique goodies. Furniture--overstuffed sofas, chairs and beds--lamps, tables, pillows and antique toys are standouts. The store also offers custom furnishings, accessories and interior design services and consultation.

JonValdi, 8111 Melrose Ave., (323) 653-3455. The Los Angeles design team of Jonathan Meizler and German Valdivia were early residents of the new Melrose. Expect to be wowed by the detail in their precisely crafted men’s and women’s clothes, and by the prices--$900 for a pieced women’s silk jacket and $1,400 for a wool suit coat. Sneak a peek at the VIP back room where the stars shop.

Fred Segal Melrose, 8100 Melrose Ave., (323) 651-1800. Chic mommies pushing strollers rub pampered elbows with stars in limos at Fred Segal, the ivy-covered destination for fun, funky and high-fashion men’s, women’s and kid’s clothes and accessories. Look for the $500 rhinestone vintage rock-concert T-shirts, hot pink suede floor pillows, $2,200 Chloe coats and $36 T-shirts. The established international designers--Helmut Lang, Marni, Martin Margiela and Lucien Pellat-Finet--coexist alongside up-and-coming Los Angeles collections from St. Vincent, Sold and William B. With the area’s only quick-service cafe, the store is more than a destination for the latest fashion: It’s also one of the few places to park your thirsty body.

Burke’s Country Collection, 8080 Melrose Ave., (323) 655-1114. Cabinets, dressers, desks, tables, mirrors, bed frames--and much more can be found at this antique furniture shop. A hand-carved teak bookcase goes for $1,200, an Irish early 19th century cradle for $495 and a funky Art Deco vanity for $350. Or how about a king-sized wrought-iron bed frame that looks like an ornate bird cage for $2,600?

Xin, 8064 Melrose Ave., (323) 653-2188. Orange County native Neely Shearer designs the Issho collection ($120 to $350) and some of its prints with business partner Gordon Morikawa. Xin (pronounced “sheen”) has a small but well-edited collection of Southern California clothing and accessory designers, including bags by Santiago, Lulu M, Temma Dahan, and coats by Lily Hotchkiss. Prices range from $30 to $400.

Betsey Johnson, 8052 Melrose Ave., (323) 852-1534. The bubble-gum pink decor says it all: This is a collection of fun, sometimes frilly and irrepressibly girlish clothes. Johnson’s trademark wild prints and charming embroideries get great display in the spacious boutique. In store now: an $80 cotton T-shirt with mirror embroidery or a $230 fringed handbag.

Miu Miu, 8025 Melrose Ave., (323) 651-0072. As one of the largest Miu Miu stores in the world and the only one in the U.S. to sell the menswear, the Melrose boutique offers a broad view of the trend-setting collection designed by Italy’s Miuccia Prada. The highly original clothes (which lately recall rhinestone baseball and basketball uniforms) are arranged in groups (shirt-skirt-accessories) that tempt shoppers to own the matching bags, shoes and even lingerie. After shelling out $550 for a ruffled skirt and $270 for a halter top, purses add $300 to $500 or more.

Selima Optique, 8019 Melrose Ave., (323) 653-4400. Antique display cases mix with high-intensity colors and upholstery in this combination optical shop and accessory store. Look for frames by owner and designer Selima Salaun, Chanel, Bevel, Blinde and Helmut Lang, and imaginative selections of glasses cases ($30 to $195) and lanyards ($35 and up). Vintage handbags sell alongside collections of innovative jewelry, hats, shawls and T-shirts.

Plug, 8017 Melrose Ave., (323) 653-5635. Stroll into this shop for . . . well . . . an enlightening experience--and ideas on how to redesign the light in your home or office. From sconces to table lamps to funky futuristic chandeliers, the light fixtures here are innovative and certainly throw new light on the subject. Prices range from $250 for a sconce to $6,000 for elaborate and artistic fixtures. The store’s owners provide lighting consultation for your whole home.

Fantasies Come True, 8012 Melrose Ave., (323) 655-2636, has been at this location for more than 20 years selling Walt Disney collectibles--thousands of them. From 50-cent baseball cards with Disney characters on them to a $3,000 porcelain figurine from “101 Dalmatians,” there’s something for everyone and every price. But our faves were the $3 pin-on buttons of Goofy, Mickey, Donald and the gang, a $10 Hercules piggy bank and $20 Winnie-the-Pooh salt and pepper shakers.

Resurrection, 8006 Melrose Ave., (323) 651-5516. Another New York transplant, the designer vintage store opened last week with a stock of Stephen Sprouse denims, Emilio Pucci print shirts, Ossie Clark ensembles and one-of-a-kind Giorgio Sant’Angelo rhinestone dresses. Prices run from $30 for vintage rock concert T-shirts to $8,000 for the Sant’Angelo dresses, with most at $200 to $300.

Costume National, 8001 Melrose Ave., (323) 655-8160. The bright, airy, white space is as contemporary as the sleek men’s and women’s sportswear by Italian designer Ennio Capasa. The 6-week-old store carries shoes ($250 to $400), bags, lingerie, suits ($1,000 to $1,400) and leather coats and pants, too. The store features only a sampling of the large collection but carries most of the looks presented at the Paris runway shows.

Liza Bruce, 7977 Melrose Ave., (323) 655-5012. The playfully painted “paint strip” walls inside the boutique accent the swimwear collection’s rainbow of colors and styles. Bruce, an American with a London-based business, built her reputation on the superior fit of her crinkle crepe fabrics, but it’s the sexy styles that make these suits worth the $180 to $265 price tags. The year-old boutique also sells her sportswear collection (some pieces match the swimwear).

Ruby Mae, 7975 1/2 Melrose Ave., (323) 651-4086. Designer and Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising graduate Lisa Allred’s charming and sexy collection recalls the romance of ‘40s screen sirens. The exotically decorated store features stretch-silk ruffled skirts ($80 to $195), halter and boat-neck tops ($110), printed T-shirts ($58) and dresses that have attracted the likes of Cher, Jennifer Lopez, Lisa Marie Presley and Penelope Cruz.

Malia Mills, 7972 Melrose Ave., (323) 655-4709. The swimwear store touts its private, after-hours swimwear parties: Bring 10 friends for a personal try-on party and the store provides the wine and cheese. The lingerie-like fit of the mix-and-match separates (available in any style, size or fabric) gives picky shoppers lots of choices.

Mood Swings, 7970 Melrose Ave. (323) 653-9570. This eclectic shop, which specializes in candles and soaps, also features unique gift items ranging from sculpted wrought-iron scrolled sconces ($120 for a pair) to candleholders from $20 and up. But it’s the candles in various sizes and aromatherapeutic scents that draw the shopper in.

Earthen Art Works, 7960 Melrose Ave. (323) 653-3835. This studio and gallery sells unique pottery, clay figurines, water fountains, art and much more. A six-week ceramics course is also offered. Students learn about wheel throwing, hand building and sculpture, glazing and other decorative techniques.

Decades, 8214 1/2 Melrose Ave., (323) 655-0223. It’s a few blocks from the above stores, but this vintage designer clothing store is attracting shoppers seeking its supply of 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s pieces from Gucci, Sprouse, Pucci and even Nudie’s, the Hollywood rodeo tailor.

hed: West of Fairfax: High Concept, High Dollar

deck: The area is now more boutique than antique. It’s got the styles to be a big hit--but needs to be customer-friendly.

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The Scoop

Where: The area known as west Melrose runs along Melrose Avenue between Fairfax Avenue and Kilkea Drive in Los Angeles.

Hours: Most stores are open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; others open at 11 a.m.; only a few are open Sunday.

Parking: Two-hour street parking is available on Melrose Avenue and on many intersecting streets. Bring plenty of quarters, because the meter keepers mean business. Only a few shops, including Costume National, JonValdi and Miu Miu, offer limited parking. Fred Segal has a free parking lot behind the store.

Stores: See accompanying story.

ATM: Bank of America at the intersection of Fairfax and Melrose avenues.

Where to Grab a Bite: Along this strip there are three restaurants. Carlitos Gardel, 7963 Melrose ([323] 655-0891), specializes in Argentine cuisine. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The restaurant reopens for dinner at 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the restaurant serves only dinner. Popular dishes include the empanada appetizer ($2.50), a pasta entree ($8.50) and the Milanesa beef entree ($11.50).

Mauro’s Cafe Ristorante is inside Fred Segal Melrose at 8112 Melrose Ave. ([323] 653-2874), and offers diners everything from a bruschetta salad ($4.75) to seven different sandwiches ($7.95 each) to linguine with shrimp and roasted tomato ($14.75). Lunch is served in the restaurant Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to closing, at 3:30 p.m. On Sunday, the cafe section of the restaurant is open and offers a smaller menu.

Moustache Cafe at 8155 Melrose ([323] 651-2111), is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week and provides valet parking. Selections include an array of warm and cold appetizers ($5.50 to $9.50), salads ($7.50 to $13.50) and entrees from $10 for a vegetable plate to $27 for a 24-ounce porterhouse steak.