California Apparel News

The latest edition of our biannual tribute to inspired stores and rad restaurants.

Los AngelesMaacute;s Malo515 W. Seventh St. Los Angeles, CA 90014(213) 985-4332www.malorestaurant.comA perennial favorite amongst Silver Lake hipsters, Malo is known for its beef and pickle tacos (trust us, they’re good) and skinny pants–wearing, mustache-wearing, may-be-famous-or-just-look-like-it clientele. Now, owners Mitchell Frank and Jeff Ellermeyer have opened a new outpost, Maacute;s Malo, in downtown Los Angeles. Like any good sequel, Maacute;s Malo keeps its star cast—the tasty Eastside takes on Mexican classics—and adds a sexy, new twist. Set in a historic former jewelry store, Maacute;s Malo feels like a set for a 1920s noir film. The domed ceilings are elaborately carved, and there are marble floors and leather chairs. The vault that used to protect jewels is now home to a private tequila-tasting room, and downstairs there is a rad cantina with hanging wicker chairs and comfy couches.

Chef Robert Luna cooked up some new menu items for Maacute;s Malo, such as Ensenada bacon-wrapped shrimp, the Boyle Heights picnic (roast chicken in moleacute; poblano with a Mexican potato salad) and the Super Chingon Vegan Burrito, a brunch item that is sure to win over meat eaters.Vivienne Westwood 8320 Melrose Ave.#8232;Los Angeles, CA 90069-5404#8232;(323) 951-0021www.viviennewestwood.co.ukThere are two things that make the new Vivienne Westwood store on Melrose so momentous: First, it’s the iconic punk fashion designer’s only stateside store; and, second, it’s in Los Angeles. Not New York. Which makes the Los Angeles fashion industry feel like Sally Field winning an Oscar—“You like me, you really like me!”Turns out, Dame Vivienne does like us. “[Los Angeles has] red-carpet events,” Westwood told Apparel News during the opening gala. “It’s what we do. We have once-in-a-lifetime dresses.” And Hollywood loves her back, apparently. The store’s opening fecirc;te was a who’s who of celebrities, including Christina Hendricks, Marilyn Manson, Dita Von Teese and Malin Akerman.

Fashion lovers, too, adore Vivienne and are delighted with her new three-story store with its huge neon pink sign out front and airy interior packed with the designer’s take on fashion. New YorkDavid Burke Kitchen 23 Grand St.New York, NY 10013(212) 201-9119www.davidburkekitchen.comIt was bound to happen. Hipsters have been sporting plaid, beards and manly-man boots alongside citified skinny jeans and schoolboy blazers for seasons, and now, Chef David Burke has created a new restaurant with that same farmer-meets-hipster vibe. David Burke Kitchen, which just opened at The James Hotel in SoHo, is part industrial loft, part rustic barn. Think banquettes upholstered in denim, a reclaimed barn roof and a blackened steel bar top. At the bar, tree trunks act as footrests. See? Hipster farmer.

The bi-level space has been divided into a restaurant and bar downstairs and a Treehouse Bar upstairs—essentially a glass-enclosed bar with a view where they serve handcrafted cocktails and a bar menu that includes sweet and savory pop tarts, crostini accompanied by jars of delicious spreads, and beef jerky.

The menu is Burke’s refined take on stick-to-your-ribs fare—whole roasted fish, pressed prawns, lamb, veal and pork chops, monkey bread, cheddar waffles, and fried chicken and fennel hay roast chicken. The kind of stuff you need if you’re going to be milking cows or riding your fixie down Mott.Life:Curated 186 Grand St. Brooklyn, NY 11211(347) 689-9143www.life-curated.comSome people have the energy to shop all day, sifting through versions of the same thing, to find that one unexpected gem. Others don’t. For those in the latter group, there’s Life:Curated. Run by Sarah Meyer and Ryan Thomann, Life:Curated sells a carefully culled range of clothes and accessories for women and dudes, as well as housewares and furniture.

The pair, who basically stock the shop with goods for themselves and their friends, have a great eye for cool, quirky items from brands that aren’t over-saturated. Shop the store for selections from Mike Gonzalez, Society for Rational Dress, WoodWood, Copy, Collina Strada, Idol Radec, Won Hundred and Ever. If you’re looking to outfit your home, you’ll find candles, place mats, leather camping chairs, pillows, picture frames and objets d’art. MiamiCafeina 297 NW 23rd St.Miami, FL 33127#8232;(305) 438-0792www.cafeinamiami.comCafeina, a “resto-lounge” that blends the urbane feel of New York with unmistakable Miami flair, is the perfect place to grab a drink and a tasty tapas dinner. Nestled in the Wynwood Art District, Cafeina (which means “caffeine” in Spanish) serves drinks such as the cafeacute; con leche martini, made with coffee-infused vodka, and cocktails laced with jalapentilde;o. Nibbles range from crab cakes and Kobe-beef sliders to tuna tacos served with pomegranate mayo.

There’s an art gallery next door, where you can see rotating exhibitions from a variety of artists. But the real draw is the 5,000-square-foot garden, with hammocks and trees draped in twinkle lights, letting you enjoy a nice evening breeze. But, please, don’t act like tourists. This is a locals’ spot. Play it cool, order the pomegranate mojito and stay a while.Zingara Aventura Mall19501 Biscayne Blvd.Suite 2001Aventura, FL 33180(305) 405-1212Ladies, you’re in Miami. Quick, what swimsuit did you bring? Because not just any suit will do here. Look around. You can’t sit around people-watching and sip on a mojito in that simple black number you stashed in your carry-on. Where else can you wear a leopard-print, lingerie-inspired bikini and no one bats an eye? These occasions are rare—we must make the most of them.

Zingara, the 30-year-old swimwear label based in Uruguay, knows how to do Miami right. Its store at the Aventura Mall is full of playful, sexy swimsuits and coverups made from fancy Italian fabrics that are the antithesis of the little black bikini. Think animal prints, Mexican zarape-inspired stripes, bright paisleys, saturated jewel tones and boldly clashing patterns on everything from bikinis to maillots, tankinis, caftans, maxi dresses and tunics. And fear not. If your accessories are, shall we say, lacking in a certain tropical flair, Zingara stocks an array of matching hats, high-heel sandals, handbags, totes, beach towels and more.

Las VegasChina Poblano The Cosmopolitan of Las VegasLevel P23708 Las Vegas Blvd.Las Vegas, NV 89109(702) 698-7900www.chinapoblano.comWhat does street food in China and Mexico have in common? A lot, according to Chef Jose Andres. China Poblano, a casual spot at The Cosmopolitan hotel, is Andres’ homage to both cuisines, serving a range of traditional Mexican and Chinese dishes and some new dishes inspired by a combination of the two.

The menu includes dim sum, ten kinds of tacos, “shark fin” soup, pozole rojo, noodle dishes, chilaquiles, queso fundido, twenty-vegetable fried rice and deep-fried wontons. The drinks are equally as inspired by China and Mexico, with options that include a Mai Taiwan, a Chinese-style take on the fruity cocktail; Singapore Sling; and Cold Tea, a concoction of green tea, tequila and beer served in a pot. For the traditionalists, there is a range of tequilas, mescals, and Chinese beer and margaritas. A word of warning: Don’t let the super-fun menu and, ahem, drinks distract you from dessert. There’s the Tres Lychees, a take on the classic Tres Leches cake; flan; mango sticky rice; and a dish called Chocolate Terra Cotta Warriors, which involves caramelized bananas and sesame seeds. CRSVR The Cosmopolitan of Las VegasLevel P23708 Las Vegas Blvd.#8232;Las Vegas, NV 89109(702) 698-7605Sneaker freaks, rejoice! Santa Barbara, Calif.–based CRSVR (pronounced “crossover”) has debuted a new sneaker boutique at The Cosmopolitan. The store, which specializes in the sort of limited-edition sneakers that turn normally too-cool-for-school dudes into sidewalk-sleeping, wait-in-line-for-days like “Lord of the Rings” nerds, also sells casual streetwear for men and women. But the sneakers are the real stars of this show. CRSVR sells kicks from Nike’s Tier Zero label, Supra, Native Footwear and Krew. Duds from The Hundreds, Five Four Clothing, And Still La Brea, Brixton and SLVDR round out CRSVR’s offerings.

The 1,800-square-foot store puts the merchandise center-stage, with a minimalist aesthetic and sleek presentation. Concrete floors complement dark lacquer walls and acrylic back-lit wall panels. In-house DJs play for customers. It’s not all cold and cool, though—there’s a meet-cute story behind CRSVR. The founders, DJ Vice and Nick Sakai, first met on a flight to Vegas—while they were both wearing the same pair of rare Nike Airs. Awwww.DallasThe Commissary 1722 Routh St., Suite 102Dallas, TX75201 (214) 643-6557www.thecommissarydallas.comIt’s Texas, so you’d better go big or go home. The Commissary, the new eatery from Chef John Tesar is big. And tasty. The restaurant, which is ensconced in Dallas’ Arts District, serves small and large plates as well as grass-fed beef burgers from its Burger Bar. What is a Burger Bar, you ask? It’s a magical place that churns out some of the tastiest burgers you can imagine. There are burgers topped with fried duck eggs, burgers made of ground lamb and spiked with tandoori spices, a fried chicken burger topped with gravy, and even a black-bean burger for those non–meat eaters.If an entreacute;e is more your speed, The Commissary has you covered. There’s hand-rolled penne pasta with truffle essence, sous vide hanger steak frite and seared diver scallops with sun chokes, ramps and black trumpet mushrooms with chive emulsion.

As if that weren’t fancy enough, Tesar has upped the ante with the addition of The Table, a “separate but attached” 12-seat chef’s tasting restaurant that offers a six-course, fixed-price meal on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. “It’s deconstructed fine dining hellip; it’s communal, fun, unpretentious,” Tesar said. The Gypsy Wagon 2928 N. Henderson Ave.Dallas, TX 75206(214) 370-8010 www.the-gypsy-wagon.comThe Gypsy Wagon is what you want Texas to feel like: old-school, classic, a little bit raw. There are scads of amazing cowboy boots for stomping around, pearl-snap button-up shirts, pretty summer dresses, leather belts and accessories with turquoise, Navajo beading and maybe something silver with a longhorn on it. There are even soapstone rocks to put in your whiskey instead of ice and pieces of outsider art to give your home that certain “deep in the heart of Texas” vibe.

The Gypsy Wagon, as its name entails, has a touch of the wanderer to it, too. The store carries bedding made by a family in India and handbags made by a co-op in South Africa, and there’s 19th-century antique furniture from Hungary. Many of the items on the shelves are made from recycled or sustainable materials.San FranciscoPiccino 1001 Minnesota St. San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 824-4224www.piccinocafe.comModern Appealing Clothing 1003 Minnesota St. San Francisco, CA 94107(415) 863-3011modernappealingclothing.comHave you ever had a friend who had the most amazing closet, and her mom was the most amazing chef, and she had her own coffee bar with the tastiest coffee, and to top it off, there was a wine bar where you could hang out and you never wanted to go home? Us neither, but now we all can.In May, the Yellow Building opened in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood and reinvented a 170-year-old horse stable into a house of wonders. Inside its yellow walls there is Chez M.A.C., a second outpost of Modern Appealing Clothing, the iconic specialty retailer that sells Maison Martin Margiela, Jil Sander, Comme Des Garccedil;ons, Creative Growth for Everyone and Dries Van Noten; Piccino, a classic Italian restaurant specializing in simple and beautiful dishes; Dig, a lovely little wine bar; and Piccino’s Blue Bottle Coffee cafeacute;.

In a single visit, shoppers can dine on Piccino’s seasonal fare, grab a glass (or bottle!) of wine, sip a cup of joe and then boldly march into the 2,200-square-foot Chez M.A.C. and snag some cutting-edge fashions—all without having to scour the streets for parking spots between shops.

Those feeling extra fancy can opt for “proletariat bespoke”—cotton jackets and casual clothes made from scratch by a tailor at Chez M.A.C. Priced the same as off-the-rack clothes, the tailoring service is part of the store’s approach to fashion. “We feel strongly that we honor the hand and the labor behind it,” owner Ben Ospital said.

Piccino, which moved from its previous location to the Yellow Building, continues to change its menu frequently as the season’s offerings inspire Chef Sher Rogat. Current menu items include pork and beef polpette with crushed tomatoes and parmesan; roasted fruit bruschetta; and roasted beets, farro, and braised greens served warm and topped with cregrave;me fraicirc;che and fresh horseradish. On second thought hellip; maybe hit Chez M.A.C. before dinner.