What’s cooler — New York or Los Angeles? It’s always fun to debate the merits of these cultural capitals. To further arguments in favor of their city, Los Angeles fans can now tout the arrival of these new shops and labels, and New Yorkers, chagrined or not, can add them to their must-see list the next time they hop coasts.
DSM Takes Los Angeles
Dover Street Market has opened in Los Angeles, and when the protean Rei Kawakubo gives her official stamp of approval to a city, you know it has reached a certain zenith of cool.
From the outside, the new space, which opened this month in the Arts District, may look like a neglected storage unit. Inside, however, 15,000 square feet of architectural and sartorial delights await the informed shopper, including the West Coast’s very first NikeLab, Palace and Noah spaces, and the first-ever Marine Serre and Melitta Baumeister shops-in-shop.
Along with all that, there are the stellar labels you’d expect at DSM, like Comme des Garçons, Gucci and Off-White. The building’s design, featuring hutlike structures made from corrugated scrap metal and inventive one-of-a-kind sculptural installations, is itself worth a visit.
DSM Los Angeles, 606-608 Imperial Street; losangeles.doverstreetmarket.com
Wine for the Insta-Set
Fashion people like to drink. Fashion people like pretty things. Fashion people like pedigreed names. Ergo, fashion people will like Gia Coppola Wine, the latest endeavor of the “It” girl-film director Gia Coppola.
Each bottle is well dressed (the label features a photo by Ms. Coppola) and comes with its own hashtag. There is #overit rosé, #thirsty (a red blend) and #selfish (a white). In other words, it’s tailor-made (or, shall we say, perfectly blended) to get the Insta-set’s attention.
Gia Coppola wines, $18 at francisfordcoppolawinery.com.
New Label on the Block
The West Coast answer to New York cool-kid labels like Lorod and Eckhaus Latta is Westley Austin, an up-and-comer designed and produced in downtown Los Angeles. Its unisex styles have a ’70s bent and 21st-century appeal, striking all the right notes. (Think: hippie linen flares styled with a rave-worthy smiley-face halter.) Calfskin suede jackets adorned with flames are particularly hot.
Westley Austin wool blend satin jacket, $1,495 and trousers, $650; suede jacket with flame appliqué, $2,150; and silk satin top with an open back, $495; at westleyaustin.com.
Intimates for All
In the last five years we have witnessed a revolution in undergarments. Savvy labels have pushed the industry to more inclusive sizing, and in a more comfortable direction. Advancing the cause is Figs, a line from the actress Scarlett Rose Patterson. Its high-leg undies, easy bralettes and silky slips and robes have made the rounds of Los Angeles’s hippest boutiques and inspired many a #belfie on Instagram.
Figs high-leg panties, $40; and bras, $60; at figsunderwear.com.
