Lina LecaroRemember when thrift store hunting was fun? When vintage finds could actually be unearthed at any local Salvation Army or Goodwill? Well those days are long gone, and really, who has the time to pilfer through piles of crap or drive out to the boonies or burbs?
Micky Curtis does it for you at her Echo Park store called the Lemon Frog Shop. The well-edited collection of '60's, '70’s and '80’s dresses, tops and accessories may not be cheap, but everything is a rare find. The place is a treasure trove of sweet li’l empire-waisted baby doll dresses, maxis and mid-length retro mama styles in adorable prints like polka dots, gingham and funky florals. Basically what every new cutesy dress in the mall right now aspires to be.
Curtis got her start as one of the original buyers for Wasteland (you know, when it was cool) and she says working there for seven years was like “vintage boot camp.” She went on to design for Joe’s Jeans for a while and then started her own company, Rocket Baby, known for its groovy sleeves and shrugs worn by actors and musicians like Fiona Apple, Eryka Badu and Julianne Moore. She garnered oodles of press in mags such as Cosmo and Vogue.
Wanting to re-connect with people and the retail life, she decided to open Lemon Frog Shop (the name is inspired by a 70’s Sears Catalog section) aftering moving to Echo Park last year. A prime location opened up walking distance from her house (right next to The Downbeat Café on Alvarado). When she joined forces with Kirsten McKune of local makeup line Seraph Cosmetics, the store/beauty boutique became the ultimate girlie emporium, showcasing the entire line of adorably packaged products alongside Frog’s fanciful frocks.
LA-based Seraph offers custom-designed products consisting of organic ingredients for the face and body, and McKune even gives a percentage of profits to world-wide communities in need. As their mission statement proclaims, “Seraph Cosmetics’ plan is to heighten cultural awareness and highlight important issues within this world through the vanity medium. “ How cool is that?
Style Council scoop for ya: Starting this July and running through August, the girls will be offering Mimosa Makeovers every Saturday between 11 am and 5pm. McKune (whose made-up tons of celebs) will do your face and Curtis (who was a hot stylist in her own right) will put together a foxy look just for you. It’s the perfect prelude for a hot Saturday night date, and there’s free booze too! What more could a gal want?
Lemon Frog Shop & Seraph Beauty Boutique, 1202 N. Alvarado St., Los Angeles, CA 90026 (213) 413-2143.
Mimosa Makeovers, every Saturday in July and August. Also, every Tuesday between 12-1 McKune offers free beauty lessons, and personal beauty advice after that between 1-3 pm). Check www.seraphcosmetics.com for the lesson of the week and email info@seraphcosmetics.com to book your time.
See the gals’ MySpace pages for more info. and store hours.
https://www.myspace.com/lemonfrogshop
https://www.myspace.com/seraphcosmetics
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