Best $10 Bootylicious Dresses

Comments (0) By Courtney Fitzgerald Wednesday, Oct 4 2006

(Illustration by Ronald Kurniawan)

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Best $10 Bootylicious Dresses

“You like my booty, don’t you?” That’s what I say when people ask where I found my special bum-enhancing denim ’70s minidress, the one that could make anyone look bootylicious. My one-of-a-kind purple top with the subtle metallic weave that sparkles like gold when the light hits it just right gets a similar reaction.

I got that groovy top for a buck, plumbing an actual bargain treasure chest in L.A.’s bohemian Topanga Canyon. Hidden Treasures, with a hula lady, mineshaft and steering wheel at its exterior’s helm, looks more like a docked ship than a thrift store. Fairly priced vintage clothing (ranging from $1 to $19) and well-preserved antique fabrics spanning the late 19th century to the 1980s aren’t the only gems this old Victorian building offers.

Just getting to the bountiful wreckage in Topanga is half the fun. Winding, windows down, through hilly parklands leading straight to the beach is the kind of escape from the smog and clog that Angelenos need. Anchored in a hippie haven that was once home to amazing folk artists and activists like Woody Guthrie, the shop is steeped in the kind of fat, juicy, well-traveled sense of history and community we crave within these cruel city limits.

Darrell Hazen, owner of Hidden Treasures for 35 years, says, “The old stagecoach used to stop here.” With homemade signs along the road inviting passersby to theater projects, art exhibits and fairs, this little SoCal sanctuary’s true loot is a concern for quality that is so not L.A. Hazen’s eclectic nautical-tropical-knickknack décor is something that might easily belong in a quirky movie, and several fat cats have already “discovered” Topanga’s charm, endangering its vibe of “real” affordability. But Hazen is keepin’ the faith against the triple threat of Hollywood bigwigs, valet parking and oversize sunglasses: “Topanga will stay the same and keep its hippie charm. We are still locked in time.”

Hidden Treasures 154 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, (310) 455-2998