If You Love H&M, You'll Also Love This New L.A. Store
For years, casual daywear in LA meant skinny jeans and Uggs —accessorized with a Venti Starbucks cup. But recently a slew of stylish brands like APC, Rag and Bone, and The Row have set up shop to help up the city's style game. This week the cult Swedish label Cos— known for its minimalist basics— opened its first US store in Los Angeles (take that New York!). We invited five Angelenos to test drive some of our favorite pieces from the different labels.
Photography Darcy Hemley
Styling Sarah Schussheim
Hair and Makeup Rebecca DuMoulin
Rachel Craven
How long have you lived in LA? 13 years— I can’t believe its been that long!
How did you end up here? I was working on a commercial as a stylist and I met my now husband of 10 years.
Occupation? Textile designer, decorator, and co-curator and owner of The Echo Park Craft Fair.
How do you describe your personal style? Casual California chic.
What are your favorite stores in Los Angeles? DOSA 818, Beatrice Valenzuela, Mohawk General Store, Dream Collective, Clare Vivier
What are your favorite things about living in LA? The light and space in LA is beautiful, my garden, the Farmers Markets and the Pacific Ocean.
What do you like about the clothes you are wearing? I love a white crisp shirt...I wear a lot of white. White feels clean and comfortable.
What are your favorite pieces of clothing? The linen caftan I designed, Dosa, APC jeans, my Birkenstocks or Beatrice Valenzuela booties.
How has LA affected the way you dress? I'm way more relaxed...all around more relaxed.
Elizabeth Antonia
How long have you lived in LA? I just celebrated my 7th anniversary.
Occupation: I am a freelance Art & Creative Director (Ergobaby, J Brand Jeans, Apple, Coach) and am also working on a family journal called Early Riser Companion.
How do you describe your personal style? I am Pretty laid back. I love feminine, classic pieces.
What are your favorite stores in Los Angeles? Whenever I want a new dress I make sure to try Shareen Vintage first. I love En Soie in Silverlake, beautiful housewares, jewelry, and a stunning clothing line. Actually that whole block is pretty great with Dream Collective and Claire Vivier.
What are your favorite things about living in LA? It is so much easier to get out of bed in the morning when it is 70 degrees and sunny.
What are your favorite restaurants and haunts in LA? I am a creature of habit and always want to go to Cafe Stella in Sunset Junction, Speranza in Silverlake, Son of a Gun on W. 3rd, or Axe in Venice. I also like mornings where I end up in Venice really early. I always make a stop at Another Kind of Sunrise for the buttery coffee (coffee with coconut oil and ghee) and paleo granola. So LA.
Elena Doukas
Occupation: Eyewear Designer
How long have you lived in LA? I’m coming up on 10 years in LA.
How did you end up here? I moved to Los Angeles for school. I stayed afterwards and have lived all over the city!
How did you get to designing glasses? Garrett Leight hired me to train me as an optician in his store on Abbot Kinney, but when he realized that my background was in design he allowed me to help with his first eponymous collection.
Are designing clothes similar to designing glasses? There are elements of design that will always come into play with any project I do, and I always take each project on like one giant puzzle. But glasses are particularly detailed puzzle, with tiny measurements and mechanics that never come into play with clothing.
How do you describe your personal style? I think that currently my style is pretty androgynous. I look for interesting silhouettes, intelligent design, and beautiful materials.
What are your favorite things about living in LA? The freedom to have any lifestyle or landscape you desire.
What are your favorite restaurants and haunts in LA? My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. Sycamore Kitchen on La Brea has an unbeatable Pork Belly Hash, but if I’m on the west side I’ll gladly go to Tasting Kitchens brunch on the weekends. I also love stopping by Go Get Em Tiger after a Sunday morning hip hop class.
What are your favorite pieces of clothing? I love pieces of clothing that have longevity both in style and quality. My mom has passed down some of the pieces she sewed and they are what I keep wearing every season.
How has LA affected the way you dress? LA truly embraces and celebrates personal style, but has also taught me to dress with a level of casualness. I’ve learned to not overdo it or take yourself too seriously.
Deepika Chopra
Occupation: I recently took on a position as the Director of Business Development and Clinical Innovation for Tech Health Startup. We are in the Telehealth space and supply virtual "skype" physicians to ERs and large hospital systems.
How long have you lived in LA and where did you come from? I have lived here my whole life. I know... rare, an LA native. I actually grew up in the most beautiful little suburb of the city called Palos Verdes Estates - kind of a dreamland. I went to undergrad at UCLA.
How do you describe your personal style? I'm pretty classic, minimal, utilitarian even... with a dash of edge and a sprinkle of something bohemian-ish. I own a lot of black clothing.
What are your favorite things about living in LA? My most favorite thing about living in LA is that this is where my family is and most of my extended family. I love the space and nature and that you can literally drive two hours or less in any direction and go to the mountains to ski, the beach or even the desert.
What are your favorite restaurants and haunts in LA? I am biased to my little neighborhood. I am a "local" at Joans on third, the Little Door and El Carmen.... but I do also venture out. I love Osteria la Bucca, Capo, Escuela Taqueria, Cafe Stella. Shintaro in Erewhon market, Liquid juice bar and Naturewell are my almost daily visits.
What are your favorite pieces of clothing? I love things that are comfortable yet "smart". My favorite pieces right now: my Acne black sweater with zip details, it's a "sweatshirt" but it's so chic! I wear it all the time! My black vintage Levis and any one of the dozen striped shirts i have.
Anh Do
Occupation: I'm a partner at IAMSOUND, a creative agency and record label.
How long have you lived in LA? 20 years, I moved to LA to attend UCLA. I've lived in other cities but have always come back to LA.
How do you describe your personal style? Biblical
What are your favorite stores in Los Angeles? Noodle Stories / NS Temp, Tortoise General Store, Creatures of Comfort and The Pump Station
What are your favorite things about living in LA? I like how weird it is. I've lived here for ages now and it's still totally bizarre to me. It's a city of contrasts: incredibly beautiful and totally banal. On the one hand, there's the sunshine, surf and wild nature, and on the other hand, you have the spirit of film noir and David Lynch - you just know there are dark strange things happening all around you. It's exciting.
What are your favorite restaurants and haunts in LA? Cookbook in Echo Park, Beverly Hills Juice Club, SQRL, Hollywood Farmer's Market, KaGaYa in Little Tokyo, Cafe Gratitude and the gardens of Self-Realization Fellowship in Mt. Washington.
What are your favorite pieces of clothing? I'm obsessed with the label Flax by Jeanne Engelhart; I have around 50+ pieces. I'm also a big fan of Issey Miyake. And I love Martiniano Shoes- so well made, comfortable and incredibly chic!
How has LA affected the way you dress? The bar is set pretty low here. It's a pretty casual town.
How has having a baby affected the way you dress? Because I'm still nursing and pumping at the office, I need to wear separates.
