Fashion Issue 2011: Does L.A. Have a Fashion Identity?

L.A. has a fashion identity that is all over the place. I love what Los Angeles has to offer in terms of fashion, but it does not have the traditional respected reputation that a Paris or New York has.

George Vreeland Hill

LUX LIKES IT LA FASHION follow up article: http://www.luxlikesit.comLove Lux*

There's certainly a backlash from all the unkempt and boho looks perpetuated by non-L.A. folk which drive more and more Los Angeles denizens to adopt tailored and manicured self-images just to counter the stupidity of wearing $500-dollar printed Hanes cotton Tees marketed as "vintage".

L.A./So Cal is the birthplace of many now-mainstream-trends. Love 'em or hate 'em, here are a few "Distinct L.A. styles":

1) Chucks - "..The Mexican kids doing the...rockabily thing..." you mention in your article above helped bring popularity to Converse's Chuck Taylors. Once only worn by "greasers", these 'played-out' shoes (in various patterns and flavors sold by shark-y Nordstrom salesfolk) seen even on midwestern homecoming queen L.A. transplants were popularized, if not born, here.

2) Graffiti prints - popularized by Stussy, a retail brand which originated in the 80's from Laguna Beach became universally popular for its graffiti-inspired shirts. This version of "cool" or "urban" - incorporating nuances from skaters/surfers - was quite distinct from the NYC's definition of "urban" (read: hip-hop). The grafffiti/"bombing" style print was exclusive to "L.A. identity" during the 90's.

3) Terry cloth loungewear (a la Juicy Couture) - as hideous as they are (terry cloth tracksuits + Ugg Boot combos) were born and raised in So Cal (read: please blame Orange County). I'm not proud of this, however, it is distinctly "L.A." (if by "L.A." you mean trends not associated with NYC or other large metropolitan cities).

Lastly, trust-fund-bohemian-types who labor to achieve the "...nonconspicuous conspicuous consumption..." I'm-not-vain-and-it's-my-job-to-judge-those-who-blindly-consume-and-obviously-take-pride-in-their-physical-appearance are the most unoriginal, self-righteous judgemental L.A. transplant-types. (Totally non-sequitir, but I needed to vent).

meg@myprettypinkponies.com,the girl who conspicuously consumes but doesn't feel the need to hide it.

Wow ..........The fashion in la is not the issue , it's the people behind it !!!!!! People who ''think'' they know what fashion is and try to make others feel bad about standing out of the crowd. I'm a cali girl and always will be ..i love the bright colors, band tee's, flip flops or jeffery campbell's look thats la ..laid back , relaxed ,having fun in the sun deal.....thats why people from all over the world come here! Leave it that way.....besides fashion week belongs to New York...they own it !

Seriousllyyyy? Proud to have been born/raised in LA (unlike most of these people quoted in this "article") I can honestly say that these people really need a grasp on fashion IN AND FROM LA. Tee shirts and jeans. LA style hands down. This MAJOR trend has bled onto Paris and NY. 15 years ago you could not find jeans in NY and Chanel had not introduced denim (to their ready-to-wear OR their bags.) Some European designers STARTED lower end divisions just so they could add denim and t-shirts.As far as UGGS, this girl has got to be kidding. We wore them before/after surfing and skiing (in high school in the '80's.) She started nothing.Putting Ed Hardy aside, LA has a HUGE and very influential sense of style and design. New and old designers....follow your dreams and don't listen to these people quoted.

LA influences fashion more than you would guess. Though the runways are in NY or Paris, the major motion picture originates in LA or a tad bit North. The Moaps not withstanding, most of what most of us see, to wear, comes from the BIG screen, not the runway. Oscar is the gold standard, not Coty. LA fashion could be said to be, nothing to buy because there's nothing open.

Angela Garcia as NeonMosfet

Although there may be other interpretations of this article, I definitely thinks it's a good start. It has some good content and makes for good reading. I will pass it along. :)

Fools like Gurnz are part of the reason Los Angeles struggles with being a fashion capital. Non-pros like him get involved and throw events under the guise of a "Los Angeles Fashion Week" that aren't taken seriously. They're poorly executed and have mediocre showings, trapped in all the cliches of amateur fashion events, only to advance his name as a third rate "fashion" photographer.

Gurnz and his crew stiffed numerous Los Angeles vendors and employees for thousands of dollars, including Vibiana downtown, one of the venues he's "rented" in the past.

From a letter from 2008, after one of Gurnz's 2007 fashion event:

This letter is regarding BoxEight’s defaulted contractual obligations exceeding $24,064.71 owed to numerous vendors and the host venue as a result of the production of their “Have Faith in LA” Fashion Week held in October 2007.This debt is the result of the disbursement of bad checks written on behalf of BoxEight, damages to equipment/rentals and the venue, and invoices for payment of goods and services fully delivered to BoxEight that have been acknowledged by Pete Gurnz and Gary Warfel as outstanding and past due.Other vendors associated with this event are also due significant amounts of money for services provided to BoxEight, but are pursuing repayment privately.A year has gone by without any efforts to satisfy these obligations and they are now considered to be walked out on.A detailed narrative of the amounts due is attached. Further information can be provided by:Vibiana Anika Warden awarden@gilmoredev.com 213-622-4949 x203October 13th, 2008

He's not a credible source and his word on fashion and LA's potential means nothing.

I just paid $22.87 for an iPad2-64GB and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $675 which only cost me $62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, GetCent.com