Store Spotlight: Lola Shoetique

Lola Shoetique is a boutique shoe store with four locations in the Fashion District. They carry an insane selection of women’s shoes, from flats and sandals to wedges and sky-high stilettos in every color and print imaginable.

Lola’s has the latest trends and boasts unique styles, as well as local mall favorites at discounted prices. How much can you save at Lola’s? We did some research and compared prices. You can see the results here.

Photo's courtesy of Lola's Shoetique Facebook

Along with an amazing shoe selection and great prices, Lola’s also offers incredible customer service. As one happy Yelper pointed out, “Their employees are on top of it, asking if you've been helped, getting your size, multiple sizes in different styles, and even good eye contact. They really are listening and accommodating. They aren't just trying to make a sale, but they want you to walk out happy.”

If you can’t make it down to the Fashion District, you can order shoes from Lola’s by sending them an email. They update their Facebook with new styles on a regular basis.

Lola Shoetique Locations:

1113 ½ Santee Alley 

1154 Santee Alley 

1155 Santee St.

1140 Maple Ave. 

Hours:

M-F 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. 

Sat 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sun 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Cinco de Mayo Outfit Inspiration

We walked around Santee Alley looking for our Cinco de Mayo outfit and found the cutest bows in red, white and green to accessorize a fun costume. Plus, how cute are these heels?

How to save money on prom at Santee Alley

According to a recent report published by USA Today, the average family will spend $1,078 on prom this year. That’s almost $300 more than the average in 2011. The report states the average girl will spend $231 on her dress and $45 on her shoes. The average boy will spend $127 on his tux and another $100 on accessories including shoes and a tie. The average cost for a corsage is $20 and $10 for a boutonniere.

That’s over $500 on just outfits! Not to mention dinner, limo rides and the actual prom. We headed down the alley and found that you can save up to 50% by buying your prom outfit at the Fashion District. You can even go to the Flower District and make your own corsage and boutonniere!

Dress: Average Cost $100-150

Conny's Dress
1149 Santee St.
213-999-3788

Conny's Dress
1149 Santee St.
213-999-3788

Conny's Dress
1149 Santee St.
213-999-3788

Tux: Average cost $89.00, starting as low as $49.99, includes tie and shirt

Available in Fashion and Slim Fits.
Gold Man
Quality Men's Wear
1132 S. Santee St. #H
213-746-4860

Available in Fashion and Slim Fits.
Gold Man
Quality Men's Wear
1132 S. Santee St. #H
213-746-4860

Find love at Thread Addiction

A living art gallery is how Sepehr Dardashti describes Thread Addiction, the men and women’s apparel boutique he runs with his father.

“Everything we design is based on eshgh,” he says. Eshgh means “love” in Farsi and it is the concept behind the Thread Addiction clothing line.

Sepehr and his dad, Bahman Dardashti, hope to inform and educate about Persian culture through poetry. The Thread Addiction designs feature quotes from Persian poets and focuses on calligraphy about love and spirituality. Sepehr joined his dad in the family business 8 years ago. Together they’ve been designing and manufacturing Thread Addiction in the Fashion District for the past 3 years.

“The inspiration for the line came from wanting to spread the message of love through our own culture,” said Sepehr. “We work with world renown artists and calligraphers. Other designs are more basic, for example repeating the same letter in different patterns.”

Thread Addiction uses calligraphy as an art form. Every garment is a unique design. Patterns are never repeated. Inventory is always changing so the store evolves from season to season, much like an art gallery would. Thread Addiction is hand made in Los Angeles and is available for wholesale and retail. Stop by the store or visit them online at www.threadaddictionclothing.com

Thread Addiction
1317 Santee St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
213-749-9400

LA Fashion District Fire Update: Stores remain open in Santee Alley

The LA Fashion District is open and will remain open as the Los Angeles Fire Department continues to investigate a fire that broke out near Maple Avenue and Olympic Boulevard early Sunday morning. Only the stores directly affected by the fire are closed off from the public. The stores in the surrounding area will remain open, including Santee Alley.


There were four stores inside the alley affected by the fire. Those stores are closed to the public, but the neighboring stores in the alley are open and business is expected to continue as usual, throughout the course of the investigation. The LA Fashion District Safe Team is in the area assisting LAFD and LAPD.

A fire was reported at around 2 a.m. on Sunday near Maple Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. About 150 firefighters responded to the scene. It is believed the fire may have started in the mezzanine area of one of the units, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Bridal Fashion Week Fall 2012

Vera Wang Fall 2012

Roll out the wedding aisle runners, it’s Bridal Fashion Week! The Fall 2012 bridal season has been a mix of new and interesting trends, as well as a continuation of past seasons’ favorites. Among the most noticeable new trends for 2013 was color. While color has been previously seen on the runway, think pastel shades; sea foam greens; shades of taupe; and pinks, Fall 2012 is showing preference for rich red shades. Perhaps a nod to the Chinese influence on fashion. Chinese brides traditionally wear red wedding gowns, as red is a symbol of good luck and happiness in Chinese culture.

For the more daring brides, we spotted color wedding dresses, red included, at Tiffany’s Bridal Salon located at 1104 Santee St. and LA Queen’s Boutique located at 912 S. Santee St.

Victor Harper Fall 2012

Also prominent on the runway were bold embellishments. From over-the-top tiered skirts to oversized bows, the Fall 2012 brides are making a statement. We loved the unique looks and detailing on these dresses. Find unique bridal looks of your own at Noell. Though they are not a bridal salon, Noell specializes in evening dresses and carries the best selection of name brands. Many of the designs they carry are exclusive to the store; you won’t find their dresses anywhere else!

Making a return from previous seasons were cap sleeve dresses and classic lace, while the one shoulder trend continues to gain momentum. For a wide selection of bridal dresses visit Joy bridal boutique at 940-D Santee Street. They carry all dress sizes up to 5X.



 

*Photos courtesy of theknot.com