New Summer Styles!

Summer fashion is here! The Santee alley is overflowing with summer dresses, maxis, and all sorts of bright colors for summer. We're loving all the bold prints, especially this chevron print (pictured above). And that bow back dress you've been seeing all over Pinterest? It's here! Scroll down to see all the new styles.

For product or purchase inquiries please contact Vickie's Fashion at 213-745-4336. Visit them at 1136 Santee St. Unit B or email them at vickiesfashion@aol.com.

New LA Fashion District Parking App!

Image via LA Fashion District blog

 

Great news for Santee Alley shoppers! The LA Fashion District recently launched a new parking app that allows users to search for nearby parking lots, saves their parking location, and locates businesses within a 100-block radius. Additional features include:

• Downloadable walking tour
• Driving directions
• Guide to navigating the district
• Link directly to website and general info 

According to the LA Fashion District blog, the app is currently available for iPhone and is expected to launch for Android soon.

If you're planning your first visit to Santee Alley this is a great resource to help you navigate through the district. If you're a Santee Alley regular, this is great for exploring the rest of the district! Feel free to let us know if you download it and what you think in the comments below.

Casual Cool at T & J Fashion Mart

Maxi skirts. Maxi dresses. Tank tops. Summer dresses. Leggings. Jean jackets. Skinny jeans. Flirty tops.

Located right by the 12th Street entrance of the alley, T & J is our go-to place for laid back style and closet staples, like the perfect maxi. This little corner store has great variety and a super friendly staff. John, the owner, usually rings up shoppers himself. He keeps inventory fresh and simple. Very "Cali-Cool" if you ask us.

T & J is open to both retail and wholesale shoppers. They are located at 311 E. 12th St. For purchase or pricing inquiries please contact the store directly at 213-746-9131 or email John at johnwa63@yahoo.com. Scroll down to see current styles...

Mother's Day Gift Guide: Officially Last Minute

Necklaces from High Bijoux

Let's face it. If you haven't bought a gift for Mom by now it's officially last minute, way, way last minute. If your mom is a fashion loving, bargain hunting momma like ours, treat her to a special day of shopping, lunching, and bonding in the Fashion District. We've even put together this little guide to make your life easier:

• Enter on Olympic Boulevard between Santee Street and Maple Avenue. Parking tips here. If you need your morning coffee/shopping energy, there's a Coffee Bean on the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Los Angeles and a Starbucks on 9th and Santee St. You can download a map here. 

• There are three things you absolutely have to shop for in the alley, because you'll get the best deals and you won't find what we have here anywhere else: handbags, shoes, and fashion jewelry. We recommend High Bijoux for jewelry and accessories, Betty's Shoes and Sensual Shoes for cute pumps and sandals, and Halo Handbags and House of Bags.

• Skip the hot dogs and treat Mom to a rooftop lunch at Picante Latin Fusion. It's good. Really good. You can read their Yelp reviews if you don't believe us.

• Enjoy the experience. We're not your average shopping spot ;)

Weekly Fashion Finds: Maxis and Bold Prints

We've been long overdo for a Weekly Fashion Finds! This week you'll find summer-ready maxi dresses and skirts in fun, bright colors. The high/low (aka mullet) dress is still going strong, for those of you who can't fully commit to the maxi ;)

We're  also seeing lots of lace and bold patterns. What do you ladies think? Scroll down to see all the styles.

Shop these and more at Vickie's Fashion located at 1136-B S. Santee St.

High Bijoux Fashion Jewelry & Accessories

The alley is known for its great deals on fashion jewelry ($1 rings anyone?) but High Bijoux takes accessories to a whole different level. At High Bijoux you'll find the latest trends in accessories: fashion jewelery, scarves, wallets, clutches, handbags, hats, belts. The prices are fantastic! Sure, the rings are more than a $1 but the quality is well above a dollar and in our experience the items we were interested in purchasing, mostly rings, bracelets and necklaces, were all under $15. Plus, if you purchase 6 items you'll get 20% off your entire purchase!

High Bijoux also offers weekly specials. This week all scarves are 2 for $15! You can stay up to date on their current inventory - it changes every 3 days or so - by following them on Instagram. Shop at one of their two locations 1103-A and 1138-C inside Santee Alley.

High Bijoux is retail and wholesale. For pricing and purchase inquiries please contact them directly at 323-494-1459 or info@highbijoux.com.

FAQ: I'm visiting Santee Alley. Where do I find parking?

We get a lot of questions from first-time visitors regarding where to park, how much it costs to park, how far away are the parking lots from the actual alley, etc. If you are planning to visit Santee Alley and have parking concerns, read on! This post is for you!

There's two options for parking in the Fashion District: Street Meters or Private Lot Parking

Street parking near the alley can be difficult to find, especially on weekends when it is the most crowded here. However street parking can be good and is usually more affordable if you only have a quick errand to run. If you plan to shop for a good part of the day (as most people who visit the alley end up doing!) we recommend you park in a lot. Why?

• You don't have to worry about your meter running out and racing back to add more time. Or worst, forgetting about adding time to the meter and getting a parking ticket.
• Some meters have restrictions regarding how long you can be parked at any give space. If you do opt for street parking, always read ALL the signs!
• Depending on the time of day and location, private lots can actually be more affordable than street parking, and they are definitely more affordable for all-day shopping trips.

There were recent changes made to the meter rates and hours for Fashion District parking meters. You can read about those updates here.

Pricing for parking will vary depending on location, day of the week, and time of day. Private lot parking rates are usually lower in the evenings. In our experience, we've also found that parking rates tend to be lower on weekdays as opposed to weekends. The parking lot's proximity to the alley will also affect pricing. You can find a list of the nearby private parking lots here, and a general list of parking lots in the Fashion District here.

Most importantly, bring cash! Most of the parking lots will be cash only!