Military Vintage Never Fades Away at Lisa Angel
Studio City boutique owner Lisa Angel had a hunch that classic army fatigues could sell in vintage-crazy Los Angeles. When friends told her of the up-and-coming Tokyo fashion trend of wearing vintage American military fatigues from the 1960s and the 1970s, she contacted Los Angeles–based vintage designer Joe Bush to see if he had any fatigues to sell at her boutique, Lisa Angel Clothing & Accessories. Unfortunately for Angel, Bush told her that she was a little late.
Time and other vintage aficionados had made old fatigues hard to find, but Angel urged him to call her if he found vintage military clothes no longer stocked in Army-Navy stores. By March, he had struck gold, finding a bunch of classic fatigues. He and Angel collaborated to make a Joe Bush Jeans military line for women.
As he had done with the Joe Bush denim found in boutiques such as Belle Gray, based in Los Angeles’ Sherman Oaks neighborhood, Bush reconstructed the vintage fatigues into gaucho pants, shorts and skirts. Angel then stenciled the words “peace” and “hope” on the sides of the fatigues, newly formatted for women’s bodies.
Angel negotiated an exclusive on the military line until Summer 2005. She will sell the vintage military line at a trunk sale on April 30, which will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at her store, located at 12206 Ventura Blvd. Bush will attend. Designer Je’Lee will also sell her hippie dresses at the show.
For more information, call (818) 508-6045. —Andrew Asch
