The Shophound In Los Angeles: West Coast Wrap-Up

So we're back in a chilly, damp New York today, but our jet lagged mind is still in California so we're just going to finish up our little travelogue before we get back to our usual local posting. We might have written more along the way, but, hey, we were on vacation.<
As much as we appreciate the shiny glitz on Melrose, we found our favorite shops in Silverlake, where the national chains have yet to invade.
At the top of our list is the year-old boutique CONFEDERACY (pictured above). Being co-owned by "That 70's Show" star Danny Masterson would typically not be such a good sign for a fashion snob like The Shophound, but this is no TV star's side project. It's a serious store that offers at least one thing you won't find so easily in New York: space. The shop sprawls through several expansive rooms with women's in front featuring Proenza Schouler, Vena Cava and other young minded designers and Men's in the back where we were treated to the launch of an exclusive suit collection designed by Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes. If you can fit your slender frame into these immaculately tailored clothes, then it's worth a trip to LA just to pick one up for yourself. Extra fashion cred is provided by Masterson's business partner, stylist Ilaria Urbinati, and if the labels in the store might seem familiar, it's the distinctive mix that makes Confederacy a must on anyone's LA shopping tour. • 4661 Hollywood Boulevard, Silverlake
Our other favorite find was REFORM SCHOOL, featuring handcrafted and independently produced items of all sorts from clothes to jewelry to toys TO artwork. Prices range from occasionally extravagant to extremely affordable, and he place would be our number one go-to gift shop if we lived on the other coast. • 3902 W. Sunset Boulevard, Silverlake
A few doors down Sunset, we stumbled upon DEAN, which takes your typical downtown leathergoods shop and injects a healthy dose of color and design to lift it out of its hippie haze. We found great bags and accessories in those familiar sturdy hides including an exceptional collection of belts and watches with handcrafted bands. • 3918 W. Sunset Boulevard, Silverlake
We still managed to hit a few famous LA stores that we had never seen in person. We had always thought that AMERICAN RAG C^ie was just a big jeans and vintage store, but we weren't quite prepared for its breadth. One table might be piled with G-Star sportswear while the rack is hung with the latest Balmain and Rick Owens leathers. It's the sort of random mixing that had become familiar to us in LA, but American Rag also houses the mother of all denim shops, the World Denim Bar, whose exhaustive stock puts some of New York's so-called denim specialists (ahem, Atrium) to shame. On the other side, there's Maison-Midi, the company's new home division. • 150 S. LaBrea Avenue, West Hollywood
Is UNDEFEATED the LA's best sneaker store? You'd have to ask a real Angeleno for the definitive answer, but we were pretty impressed when we found them in Santa Monica. They have a carefully curated selection of kicks including some covetable, exclusive Adidas. Of their six locations, two are in Japan, which should give you some idea of their expertise. • 2654-B Main Street, Santa Monica and other locations
We were mostly uninterested in visiting any store we could find at home (and there are lots of them now) with a few exceptions like Paul Smith and the new OPENING CEREMONY we have heard so much about. It has the same elements as the original, but in a new mix with a few extras. In a building that once housed Charlie Chaplin's dance studio, there's more room, of course, divided into a series of interlocking rooms. Sadly, they were sold out of "Where The Wild Things Are" Max costumes, but we actually found the LA set-up to be easier to shop than the SoHo store which can sometimes seem a little claustrophobic. Upstairs, things are divided into designer shops not unlike the old 57^th Street Bendel's including a special room devoted to Alexander Wang. Our LA friends were enthralled by the place, and so were we. • 451 North La Cienega Boulevard, West Hollywood