West Third Street | Shopping & Dining in LA
The span of West Third Street, from approximately La Cienega to La Brea, is one of LA's many shopping and brunch destinations - with an array of vintage, indie designers, and high-end boutiques sprinkled with a healthy dose of bakeries, frozen yogurt outposts, and a few dozen hair/nail salons. It's one of the areas I absolutely have to go to every time I visit Los Angeles, (which, I keep finding this shocks people, is my hometown). Lots of LA visitors know to go to Robertson and Melrose, but for the most part, it seems like West Third Street is kept to the locals. In other words: go there.
SATINE
Satine is one of my favorite stores in Los Angeles, and ever since they moved into their new, giant location further west on the street, my love has only grown stronger. It's one of only a handful of small boutiques that carries labels like Balenciaga, Thakoon, Tsumori Chisato (swoon) and Dries van Noten. Satine also boasts an impressive collection of shoes, jewelry, and sunglasses - with vintage and new pairs to choose from. Seriously, this store is just so damn cool.
Satine / 8134 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048 / 323.655.2142
MILK
I've been shopping at Milk since I was in high school. This is a spot that always has a fun, eclectic selection, and there are usually bargains to be found in their sale section (many years ago I bought a McQ by Alexander McQueen sweater for something like $30). Milk is touted as being a "one-stop-shop," with a wide selection ranging from clothing, shoes, and accessories for the entire gender spectrum, but also including lifestyle products, beauty, lingerie, and more. They carry, literally, dozens of brands and designers, among my favorites of which are Sonia Rykiel, Alexandre Herchcovitch, and Vena Cava.
Milk / 8209 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048 / 323.951.0330
THE REFORMATION
Though they have a location on the Lower East Side in NYC, The Reformation was a new find in this neighborhood for me. I fell in love instantly when I peered into the window and saw navy blue velvet and raw wood paneling throughout the store. The Reformation is definitely New York in personality, but this west coast outpost offers a bit of a native Los Angeles flair with locally inspired recycled and vintage pieces. They also bring some of the best of the east coast over, with pieces from Chris Habana's jewelry line. The concept of their own in-house line is to reinvent and recycle vintage pieces, and give them a new life.
The Reformation / 8117 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048 / 323.203.1102
OK
West Hollywood is home to tons of great stores with novelties, books, and home decor, but OK is among my favorites, for its laid-back atmosphere and playful personality. OK has a great selection of art and design books (actually, I noticed in many stores that LA has a particular fondness for coffee table books... hmm), as well as wonderful cookbooks. Their home accents are also wonderful; I'm still crushing on their wooden block alarm clock.
OK / 8303 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048 / 323.653.3501
JOAN'S ON THIRD
I'm pretty sure everyone in West LA has been to, and is in love with, Joans on Third. It's kind of a Californian version of Dean & Deluca, with counters for baked goods, coffee, homemade pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and more. My personal favorites are their salads and the pretzel croissant (it gives the pretzel croissant at City Bakery in NYC a serious run for its money), and they also carry a nice selection of imported candies, like violet and raspberry marshmallows from France. Go, sit outside, and enjoy the people watching and nice weather.
Joans on Third / 8350 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048 / 323.655.2285