Los Angeles isn’t necessarily the first place that comes to mind when it comes to menswear. There are a few good stores, including Mohawk, Ghiaia, and Denim Doctors, but with multiple locations in London, Tokyo, New York, and throughout Europe, they probably won’t be on your top list for your destination city.
But menswear has deep roots. California is, after all, the birthplace of denim and related workwear. Western clothing has always been here and this is where it became mainstream. Sportswear is also said to have been invented in California when off-duty fashion first developed after World War II.
And then there are subcultures like surfing, skateboarding, and motorcycling, all of which developed in California and have had a huge impact on the world of menswear. In fact, outside of military and tailoring, there aren’t many influences left.
The Permanent Style team recently spent a great week in Los Angeles talking to dozens of people about these topics, including vintage dealers, costume designers, craftspeople, and menswear designers. I think it was probably the most productive trip we’ve ever had.
Early on, we identified a few key themes.
For example, vintage has always been important. This is closer to the spirit of LA’s clothing development approach than New York’s fashion-centric approach. There’s a reason the famous Rose Bowl Flea Market and high-end event Inspiration were held the week we visited.
We interviewed great people like Bob Melet and Zip Stevenson.
Then there’s Hollywood, which influences local fashion and takes the vintage scene and supplies it to local manufacturers. We spoke with Mark Bridges (Oscar winner). phantom thread) and Jenny Eagan (Knives Out and others), I’ve heard quite a bit from Anto Shirts. The movie budget matches the custom shirt.
LA is the largest apparel manufacturing hub in the United States, and many brands get their start here. We do a lot of sampling because the workshop is very accessible. In that regard, our best visit was Lady White, which has always done a great job with local production, especially the dye house.
And on the retail side, we looked specifically at personal shopping. This is a big part of how menswear works. Custom brands say up to half of their sales come from personal shoppers.
In fact, while having a personal shopper seems somewhat flexible in LA, I can’t help but feel that in most of Europe it would be a bit embarrassing. For example, don’t know how to dress?
How about LA style? One of our friends had just moved from New York to LA and was adjusting and observing the way her friends and colleagues dressed.
“The weather is the most important thing,” he said. “There is more sun all year round, the weather is milder, there are fewer extremes, and the fact that you rarely walk anywhere makes things very comfortable and easy.
“But there is also something grander than that: the city is open and has wide skies, which is a particularly stark contrast to the upright New York.
“If I had to describe it in one outfit, I’d say I’m wearing 90% jeans here. In New York, I’m 90% black jeans. Blue denim feels more natural, relaxed, and light. A t-shirt and jeans are not only easy, but appropriate.”
When we asked our store manager friend, he chose another piece of clothing: a suede overshirt. “We sell more of that type of clothing here than anywhere else,” he said. “And it makes sense. The LA man wants a little bit of luxury and a little bit of cool, but he also wants to feel very comfortable and laid-back. Suede does that rather than leather, and an overshirt is better than a jacket.”
Oh, it’s really fun to explore these things. When you travel and interview people, every conversation becomes about what the city is like. Because it is my first time seeing the city. It’s about where people live, why they live, where they hang out, and whether they want to live there. The same goes for people coming to London.
I didn’t think I would like LA at all. I am a cultural European at heart. I love old cities, old culture, and exploring on my own two feet. LA is the opposite of all that.
But the longer we stayed there and the more different parts we saw, the more the feeling grew. Raynor BarnhamThe person I’m reading calls it the first post-urban civilization. Aldous Huxley said the city was “nine suburbs in search of a great city.”
However you say it, the point is that we don’t think of it in the same way as a regular central city. If you’ve just seen Hollywood and Downtown, you’ll get a very different impression than if you’ve spent time in Pasadena or Venice Beach. The problem is that if you’re a tourist, Hollywood and downtown may actually be where you focus.
Of course, I’d love to hear about all of this from my readers in LA. Although we did talk to a lot of readers at various events and on the street while we were in LA.
And of course, it’s people who make it all happen. This is Yuki from Yuketen doing an impromptu photo shoot at Redondo Beach. step, wyatt Max from the Buck Mason design team shows us exactly 27 types of chambray shirts. Cody Wellema took us to where his hat shop used to be, and to the new (and amazing) restaurant next door, Betsy’s.
It’s about people, and then it’s about clothes. Okay, they’re almost second.
I bought a nice, beat up Lee Storm Rider at the Rose Bowl. i got some Buck Mason shorts I ordered a hand-knitted cardigan from Chamula, which is absolutely not suitable for the weather, and it sits proudly in my room as a souvenir.
There will be two or three short LA articles in PS over the next few weeks, but the main content will be saved for the fall magazine. It would be very cool.
We would like to thank everyone for their generous hospitality and patience with us. We are already talking about when we can return.
