All that Glitters...

Whether you're looking for evening shoes or just a gal who loves a good sparkle, Santee Alley has the shoes for you. Metallic shoes are currently trending in the alley. We've seen gold and silver heels, wedges, flats, and even boots! Typically reserved for night-time and special occasion, the low-heeled styles allow for day time wear and more casual looks.

All styles pictured here are available to wholesale and retail shoppers at Forever Shoes, located at 1010 inside the alley. Forever Shoes is one of many shoe stores in the area that sells to both business owners and the public. This is one of the many things that makes the alley so unique!

Forever Shoes

1010 inside Santee Alley

(213) 744-8098

*Photos courtesy of Forever Shoes.

Santee Alley Summer 2015 Shoe Trends

Summer is practically here and summer shoe styles have arrived at Santee Alley. We stopped by Cherry Footwear (1049 Maple Ave.) to check out their new arrivals and get the inside scoop on the most popular trends for Summer 2015.

Summer 2015 Shoe Trends:

• Pointed-toe Pumps
• Rhinestone Heels - Especially for formal wear!
• Slides - Last summer was all abut the Birkenstock, and this trend is an extension of that. The "criss-cross" slides pictured below are especially popular.
• Single-Sole Strappy Sandals - These have been around for a while, but they are coming out in bright colors for summer.
• 90s-inspired Platforms 

POINTED-TOE PUMPS

RHINESTONE HEELS

SLIDES

SINGLE-SOLE STRAPPY SANDALS

90s-INSPIRED PLATFORM

CHERRY FOOTWEAR

1049 MAPLE AVENUE

213-805-5551

www.cherryfootwear.com

Santee Spring Shoe Trends 2015

Spring is in the air and on the shelves of Santee Alley stores. We stopped by local favorite I Heart Fashion to get the inside scoop on this season's must-haves.

Platforms: A couple seasons ago it was all about the platform pump and now the platform sandal is taking its place. The best thing about this trend is that the stacked sole makes it that much more comfortable to walk in heels! 

Strappy: Strappy sandals of all kinds can be seen at all our shoe stores, but specifically the "gladiator" type. These were really popular back in 2009 and we're seeing a more modern version return for 2015.

P.S. The single sole strappy heel is still going strong. We're big fans of the patent versions pictured below.

Booties: It might seem counter intuitive but booties are big this spring, both the traditional bootie and the sandal version.

Mules: Here's a trend we haven't seen in a while! The mule has been making appearances on the runway and all over Instagram. This season it's being presented as a "low ankle" heel but we've seen both the traditional mule and it's Spring 2015 cousin gain popularity in the alley.

For more current trends and to see the latest styles in Santee Alley follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

I Heart Fashion

1031 Maple Ave inside Santee Alley

213-746-6336

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.

Santee Alley Favorite: Heels!

One of the best things to shop for in Santee Alley (wholesale and retail)? Heels! The alley is THE place for women's footwear in the LA Fashion District. While there is no "footwear sub-district" in the Fashion District, the alley is easily the area in the district with the highest concentration of shoe stores for men, children, and especially women. The women's shoe stores in the alley are lined top-to-bottom with the most popular shoe trends and must-haves for the season. Santee Alley shoe vendors are usually importers, manufacturers, distributors, or a combination of all three. You are buying direct from the source, which keeps prices down. The average price for heels in the alley is $25-30, while sandals are usually less than $20, and the average price for boots can go up to $35.

Not sure where to start shopping? We suggest I Heat Fashion at 1021 inside Santee Alley. It is located near the Santee Alley entrance at Olympic Boulevard, between Maple Avenue and Santee Street.

I Heart Fashion

Wholesale & Retail

1021 Maple Ave. inside Santee Alley

213-742-8919

See more of I Heart Fashion here.

Santee Alley Mother's Day Shopping Guide

 Our top picks for Mother's Day:

A SPRING SCARF  from Fashion Fantasia,1008-A Santee St.

A FABULOUS HEEL from Forever Shoes, 1010 S Santee St. inside the alley

A PRETTY SCENT from K.K. Distributors, 1115 1/2 Maple Ave. inside the alley

A NEW MAKEUP CASE or handbag or luggage set, from Halo Handbags, 1137 Santee St.

Petalos Shoes

It's officially boot season! We're loving the booties with gold detailing as well Dr. Martens inspired lace-up boots, which are available in an array of colors and prints. We've even seen them in velvet! We stopped by Petalos Shoes to check out the upcoming trends for Fall. Petalos is the sister store of Cherry 4-U. They are open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and sell wholesale and retail. For pricing and purchase inquiries please contact the store directly at 213-745-7854 or cherry-4u@live.com.

Petalos Shoes
1144 S. Santee St. inside the alley
213-745-7854

The Santee Alley Loves Lola Shoetique

If you're a true shoe lover, chances are you've already heard about Lola's. With over half a million followers on Instagram, Lola's Shoetique is the most popular shoe store in Santee Alley. They are known for their unique, trendy styles and amazing prices. Most heels range from $30-$65.

What many of you may not know, is that Lola Shoetique got it's start in 2004 as a woman's boutique. Shortly after opening, Lola (yes the store really is named after the owner!) realized her shoes were outselling everything else in the store and she decided to focus solely on bringing high-quality, one-of-a-kind shoes to the LA Fashion District. Lola Shoetique was born!

Fast forward 9 years later and there are now 7 Lola Shoetique locations in the Fashion District, with plans to expand into a franchise with stores in Miami, Las Vegas, and New York. Lola Shoetique manufactures, exports, and supplies boutiques across the United States and Southern and Central America.They work with over 55 shoe companies to develop and produce the fashion-forward heels that have made Lola's so popular.

Aside from the awesome shoes, we love Lola Shoetique for their dedication and support of Downtown LA and the LA Fashion District. As the company continues to grow, their home base is and always be in Los Angeles. The corporate office is headquarted in the Fashion District and Lola's remains a true family-run business with an incredible team.

If you're planning a trip to the alley definitely stop by one of their locations. You'll recognize the stores by their pink and purple walls and the big Lola's Shoetique signs. You can also shop Lola's online at www.lolashoetique.com.  

Lola Shoetique
Pictured in this post: 1113 1/2 S. Maple Ave. inside Santee Alley
Headquarters: 1145 South Wall Street, Unit B

(213) 744-9588

(213) 741-1311

customercare@lolashoetique.com

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