THE SHOPHOUND ON THE ROAD: Final L.A. Report with Church, Union & Nudie (Almost)

Since it is going to be a particularly gloomy couple of days in New York, we are taking a final look back at our recent visit to sunny Los Angeles in hopes that pictures of blue skies will distract us from the gray outside the window here at Shophound HQ. Here's a few more things we noted on our West Coast  jaunt:

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: Proving that destinations trump neighborhoods when it comes to shopping in Los Angeles, there's an innocuous vine-covered corner on a nondescript block of Santa Monica Boulevard across the street from a particularly unimpressive Trader Joe's that holds the much more interesting men's and women's boutique CHURCH (7277 Santa Monica Blvd. at Greenacre Avenue, pictured above)  Started by a couple of refugees from the famous West Hollywood luxury emporium Maxfield, it is not in a place where anyone would expect to find dramatic, avant-garde boutiques. We hate to use the term "goth" because the style here is more sophisticated than image of grubby teens with shoe-polish dyed hair it suggests, but you will find the kind of rough edged, romantic, rock & roll tinged fashion. If preppy classicists and Hollywood babes walk, or more likely drive, right by the well camouflaged storefront, it will probably be just as well for them, but edgier customers will appreciate it.

NEW YORK EXPORT THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE BACK: People who have been in New York for a while might remember UNION (110 S.La Brea, pictured at right), the small but influential SoHo sportswear store that opened a West Coast branch some years ago and then moved there full-time. Well, it's thriving in Los Angeles, even cooler than we remembered, lined up in a row with Stüssy and the superior sneaker store Undefeated. Full of coveted labels like Visvim, Sacai and Mark McNairy along with some others more famous and some less, Union curates everything with an expert eye for casual style. We don't know what sent them across the country permanently, but we don't hold a grudge. Come back anytime.

A NOT SO FOND FAREWELL: The last time we were in L.A., the popularity of Ed Hardy (pictured at left) was at an unfortunate peak, including two large stores along Melrose Avenue. Those stores are still there, for now, but they were running such heavy storewide discounts that we can't imagine that they will be for too much longer. Here in New York, Ed Hardy is down to one shop from a peak of two, or three if you include its owner Christian Audigier's eponymous, shuttered boutique. We don't like to actively wish for any brand's demise, but that one feels more like a bad cold that fashion couldn't shake. If it goes away, we can just pretend it never happened, right?

MOST FRUSTRATING HOURS: L.A. is full of denim stores, but The Shophound was looking forward to having a look at THE NUDIE JEANS HOUSE (710 N. Edinburgh Ave just off Melrose Avenue, pictured at right), a store dedicated to the innovative Swedish company that convinced us to never again buy a pair of prewashed jeans. And there it was right at Melrose and Edinburgh. The charming little bungalow looked promising, until we discovered that it was only open four days a week, from Wednesdays through Sunday. We can't imagine why they don't think they could make a go of it full-time. Maybe it's a Swedish thing. We'll have to schedule it better next time.

BEST FREE ENTERTAINMENT for FASHION FOLK: There is more than Shopping, of course, in L.A., and it's worth flying across the country if you haven't seen the incredible campus at the GETTY CENTER (1200 Getty Center Drive). Admission is free, though you'll have to pay for parking, and there is an excellent café whose prices are subsidised by the museum. If the masterpieces inside aren't enough of an attraction, there is a stunning HERB RITTS exhibition that runs through August 26th. We recommend springing for the audio tour if only to hear models Cindy Crawford and Tony Ward tell you exactly what it was like to be on a Ritts shoot. On a slightly more convenient and smaller scale, the MUSEUM of CONTEMPORARY ART (MoCA) (8687 Melrose Avenue at San Vicente) has a small but free outpost in the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood that is currently home to THE TOTAL LOOK: THE CREATIVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN RUDI GERNREICH, PEGGY MOFFITT, AND WILLIAM CLAXTON (pictured below). Sadly, it only runs through Sunday, but it is a remarkable collection of clothes that belonged to Gernreich's cheif model and muse, Moffitt, who just happened to be married to his chief photographer, Claxton. Along with the late Vidal Sassoon (who is featured in some of the exhibition's video) they helped create the look of the 1960s. If we're lucky, the show will make its way to New York. Perhaps FIT or maybe even the Met can find some space for it? Just a suggestion.