Santee Alley Prom Shopping Guide

Image Bridesmaid & Quinceañera, 1026 Santee St.

Prom dress? Check. Heels? Check. Accessories? Check. Tuxedo, tie, and dress shoes? Check, check, check! Santee Alley has everything you need for prom, and in this post we're going to help you find it.

For those of you who are new to the area, Santee Alley takes up two blocks of the LA Fashion District and offers special occasion apparel, accessories, and footwear for men and women at steeply discounted prices. The alley is located between Maple Avenue and Santee Street from Olympic Boulevard to 12th Street.

Prom Dresses
The majority of prom dress stores are located on Santee Street between Olympic and 12th. There is one dedicated special occasion dress store located inside Santee Alley - Top Star (pictured above) - and many women’s apparel stores will stock special occasion dresses during the prom season (March-June). There’s also a couple stores located on Maple Avenue between Olympic Boulevard and 12th Street.

Heels & Special Occasion Shoes
We have at least a dozen women’s shoe stores in the area carrying heels, sandals, wedges, and flats in all colors. Shoes typically range from $15-30. See some of the shoe store’s we’ve featured on this blog: Betty’s Shoes, Cherry-4U (pictured above), Sensual Steps, Forever Shoes, I Heart Fashion, and Instagram favorite – Lola Shoetique.

Jewelry & Accessories
The majority of jewelry and accessories stores are located on Santee Street between Olympic Boulevard and 11th Street. Inside the alley you will also find Halo Handbags, LA Purses, Fashion Fantasia (pictured above) and Accessories High Bijoux.

Cebu, 1022 Santee St.

Fashion Vogues, 1008-B Santee St.

For the Guys

We’re not just girly glitz and glamour here, we’ve got the boy’s covered too! You can actually buy a suit for the same price or under the cost of a rental. Suits are often sold in package deals that include a tie, shirt, and various accessories. Most package deals are offered for about $100. 

Suit stores can be found throughout the Santee Alley on Maple Avenue, Santee Street, and inside the alley including Bucci and BZ Studio.

Aron Imani, 1013 Maple Ave.

Want to know more abouSee our previous post on saving money for prom here. Questions? Tweet us! @shopsanteealley or message us on Facebook.

Weekly Fashion Finds: $25 Handbags, Made in USA Accessories, & Hair Extensions

New at Santee Alley this week:

There's a $25 Handbag sale happening at Ice Handbags & Accessories, located at 1150-B inside Santee Alley. ALL handbag styles are $25. We're not sure how long this sale will last, so hurry on over! You can also place orders online via the Ice Handbags Facebook page, where they post new styles every week.

Matching crop top and bottom sets are all the rage this spring and Madera Fashion (1041 inside Santee Alley) has sets available in various prints and colors. You can view their current inventory here.

A true Santee Alley hidden gem: Handmade, made in the USA, leather belts and accessories at Cristian Oliver (315-C inside Santee Alley). They're made right here in LA!

Our most favorite sight in the alley? Freshly restocked "shoe walls". New styles are available at Forever Shoes, just in time for the weekend :)

And last but not least for this week's round up of our weekly fashion finds, everything for your hair needs. We've noticed multiple vendors in the alley are now selling wigs, hair extensions, and hair tools. Ladies, we're officially you're one stop shop for all your fashion AND beauty needs.

Weekly Fashion Finds: Makeup Cases

How sweet is the makeup case pictured above? Every makeup lovers dream! Makeup cases are becoming more prevalent in the alley and come in various sizes and colors. We found Halo Handbags has one of the best makeup case selections in the LA Fashion District. They carry everything from small cases for the everyday gal to heavy-duty portable cases for the makeup pros like the one pictured below.

We're especially smitten with the animal print rolling cases. They have multi-tier pull out portable cases too!

For pricing and purchase inquiries please contact Halo Handbags directly. They have two locating in the alley:

1016 Santee Alley #7

(213) 747-1080

1227 1/2 S. Maple Ave. #B

(213) 746-2440

And two other locations in the Fashion District:

1137 Santee St.
(213) 748-1332

311 E. 11th St.
(213) 745-4028

Outfit of the Week: Print Maxi Dress

Zig-Zag Print Maxi Dress: Vickie's Fashion
Rhinestone Studded Handbag: Halo Handbags
Wedge Heels: Lola's Shoetique

Graphic prints are everywhere this summer, and we're particularly loving this bold zig-zag print. It reminds us of Beyonce's Carven zig-zag ensemble from a few weeks ago (see it here). We like the bright-color on black combination; it's a refreshing take on the neon-on-neon combos we've seen all spring. How great are the color options on those wedges by the way? Bring on summer! We're ready!!

Interested in purchasing something from this post? Click on the links above for contact information to each store.

Current Obsession: Citrus Breeze

We're currently obsessing over Santee Alley's new arrivals, and we couldn't help but notice a pattern of citrus hues and softer blue and peach colors that remind us of a perfect tropical breeze. We love the idea of adding a pop of orange or yellow to our summer outfits.

1. Clothing: Vickie's Fashion - 1136 S. Santee St., Unit B - 213.745.4336

2. Chain strap handbag: Halo Handbags - Multiple Locations

3. Yellow wedge heel - Bliss Shoe Boutique 1132 S. Santee, Unit A

4. Orange color-block wedge sandal - Forever Fashion - 131 Maple Alley - 213-746-6336

Get exclusive handbag designs at Halo Handbags

The bubblegum pink interior of Halo Handbags can be recognized throughout the Fashion District. The walls are lined with purses and wallets in every shape, size and color, flaunting department store names, the likes of Nicole Lee and Hananel. Style choices range from the very conservative to the very outgoing: fleur de lis, flowers, animal prints, rhinestones, studs, and designer inspired.

“What you find here, you won’t find anywhere else,” says Deivy Avila, president and founder of Halo Handbags. “We have a better selection, in terms of styles and prices.”

Halo has exclusive partnerships with handbag lines. This means even if other stores in the district carry the same brands, they won’t have the same designs. In fact, Avila is currently working on partnership with Nicole Lee, which will be available in stores by the end of May.

Halo Handbags for bebe

Halo also manufactures many of its own styles, as well as styles for national chains. Most notably, Halo partnered with bebe to manufacture the style shown at left. They have manufacturing and distributing contracts with various chain stores and handbag lines.

Avila, who grew up helping his parents sell men’s apparel in the Fashion District, knows a thing or two about handbags. His family has been doing business in the district for over 20 years, and he actually grew his business from a single handbag wall in his parent’s store. He now boasts 4 locations in the Fashion District and a new location in Montebello.

Perhaps most impressive, is that the 3-year-old handbag wholesaler, retailer, importer, and distributor, was founded in 2009, amid a national recession. Nonetheless, Halo has continued to grow. Davila reports sales have continuously gone up, so much so, he is currently looking to hire another sales associate.

The key to his success, he says, is excellent customer service and friendly, knowledgeable staff. He guarantees a good deal with a “best price” policy. Halo handbags retail from $15 to over $100 and wholesale ranges from $10 to $50. As an added benefit, wholesalers can chose from a variety of styles to meet their minimum, ideal for boutiques and smaller stores.

Insider Tip: Halo Handbags gets new inventory on a weekly basis, so merchandise is always changing.
For inquiries please contact Halo Handbags:
sales@halohandbags.com
bojeehandbags.com
Facebook.com/halohandbags

Visit Halo Handbags:

Sunday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
M-Th 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Halo Handbags #1
1227 ½ Maple Alley #B (in the alley)
Los Angeles, CA
213-747-1080

Halo Handbags #2
1016 Santee Alley
Los Angeles, CA
213-747-1080

Halo Handbags #3
311 E. 11th St.
Los Angeles, CA
213-745-4028

Halo Handbags #4
1137 Santee St.
213-748-1332

Halo Handbags @Shops of Montebello
1724 Montebello Town Center
Montebello, CA
323-725-7875

As seen on the LA Fashion District blog.