California Apparel News

The 1996 film “Swingers” was shot at Los Feliz bars such as The Dresden Room, and the neighborhood still buzzes with the lively energy of people going out for a drink or chowing down at sidewalk restaurant Figaro Cafe. However the film’s cocktail styles have long disappeared from the street.

Tough-looking streetwear is all the rage at X-Large, located at 1768 N. Vermont Ave., a couple blocks north of the Dresden. The streetwear store opened in 1991.

Recently, denim pants from Irvine, Calif.–based streetwear label Ambiguous have been bestsellers at X-Large, according to the store’s brand manager, Ivan Correa. The popular “Chloe” style retails for $80. The store’s branded T-shirts are also big sellers. They retail for $22.

Correa gambled on adding a new chapter to the store. On Sept. 1, he opened a 1,200-square-foot sister store called Xe, adjacent to X-Large is at 1766 N. Vermont Ave. The shop carries Correa’s Xe clothing line, which he described as high fashion–meets-street. The label’s suspender shorts have been selling well. They retail for $109.

While Xe is a new face on the street, the street’s businesses seem to stick around for a long time. Atmosphere, a boutique located at 1728 N. Vermont Ave. has been in business since 2001, according to boutique manager Erin Senne. Another contemporary boutique, Oouml;u, has been selling fashion at 1764 N. Vermont Ave. since 2000.

Senne said that 50 percent of her clients are people from the neighborhood. The other half is people from around Los Angeles and tourists. Atmosphere hopes to offer something for everybody by selling fashions for men and women.

Atmosphere’s male customers have been buying T-shirts from Santa Ana, Calif.–based Obey Clothing. T-shirts retail from $35 to $48. They also buy woven shirts from Brownsound, which retail for $78.

To layer over the shirts, men have been buying the “Ginsburg” coat, from Los Angeles–based Orthodox. It costs $195 retail. Women have been buying leather hooded coats from Los Angeles–based label Mike & Chris, which retail for $925. They’ve also been buying high-waist flared jeans from Los Angeles–based Lips Denim. It retails for $188.

The pant selling the best at Oouml;u is the wide-leg jean made by J Brand. It retails for $189. Dresses produced by Los Angeles–based Plastic Island are also highly popular. A Plastic Island dress bearing a geometric print retails for $198 at the boutique, according to the store’s creative director, Jeffrey Allen.

Another top-selling brand at Oouml;u is Los Angeles–based Taint. Its jacket with bell sleeves retails for $198, and its mod shift dress costs $149.

North Vermont Avenue’s commitment to fashion might be growing. High-fashion designer Octavio Carlin opened his self-named atelier at 1720 N. Vermont Ave. in December 2006.

Prices for commercial space remain reasonable for Los Angeles. They range from $2.50 to $4, according to Michael Townsend, president of Los Angeles–based real estate consultants Townsend and Associates.

But the Los Feliz stretch of Vermont may be more of a street for bars and restaurants than fashion. “There are not enough boutiques here,” said Correa of Xe. “There are a lot of restaurants. But this area is in transition. It could be a Melrose Avenue sort of spot someday.”