Wow, LA really isn't
THAT bad...actually, it's not bad at all. And it's true, it really depends on the area one spends most of their time in. Beverly Hills, The Valley, Echo Park, Koreatown, Hollywood, Venice, Malibu...each area differs so much from one another. As for fake boobs - yes, there's a lot, but more so if you go into Beverly Hills, the West Side, West L.A., Hollywood...not so much if you go into Echo Park Silverlake Area. And don't even bring Orange County into this discussion cuz that's a whole nother WORLD.
And mind you, most people from LA are NOT from LA. They're from all over the country...all over the world. So you can't generalize and say this and that is LA style. Cuz it isn't. It's style people bring from all walks of life.
Plus the other factors:
1. We drive everywhere which means we can be a bit more lavish w/our clothes & shoes. We don't have to worry about comfort too much. We can wear our highest heels and not have to worry about running to catch the train home.
2. We have 1.5 seasons - Summer and a bit of winter. We show more skin throughout the year which makes us seem like we're always half naked (trust me, we're not).
3. Shows like Baywatch, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, etc made people all over the world assume that's how people in LA lived, dressed, ate, screwed...we're not like that (at least the majority isn't)
4. Celebretards (ie: Britney, Lindsay, Paris...) give LA a bad name. People assume that's how all the girls in LA are. Yeah, right...us normal people work and don't spend afternoons cavorting on Robertson (actually, true Angelenos will shudder at the thought of going to Robertson) and spending our hard earned money on Frappuccinos.
5. Hollywood is here. We can't help it if we draw fake, plastic-y, shallow people to our town. We never asked for them so don't blame us.
6. Again with the area thing - LA is very cliquish and people travel in groups. These groups are usually formed in the areas they live in or work in or where the majority of their friends live in. This group also dictates a person's taste in style...or I should say, influences it.
There are so many other points I can touch on. I really don't think it's fair to lump us people from LA into one big group. It's like saying all white people are the same - I don't think French, Brits, Germans, Scandinavians, etc can all be called the same.
And New Yorkers tend to group people, too - bridge and tunnel crowd, uptown, mid-town, upper east side, upper west side...God knows what else. And these groups have their own discernible qualities. LA is the same but for some reason we all get lumped in together.
Anyway, sorry for the LONG post. It's just that I'm sick of people ragging on LA's style. Me being from LA, I take it personally.
Oh, and to the person who started this thread:
I went to Otis, too. And I know what you mean by the school lacking style. But you have to understand that many students there aren't fashion students and could give a rat's a** about clothes. And it's an art school. Despite what people think of art schools, it is TOUGH. I remember being on campus for 40+ hrs a week then going home and working on projects til 4am, trying to squeeze in a few hrs of sleep, and rushing to my 8am class. The last thing on my mind then was my style.
Personally, I do dress depending on the area I'll be in. If I'm having dinner in West Hollywood or Beverly Hills, I will dress nicely in clothes w/cleaner lines and some killer heels. If I'm hanging out in Echo Park, I'll wear my lovely vintage pieces. And if I'm spending the afternoon in Malibu during the summer, you can bet I'll be wearing my favorite flip flops. My closet will make no sense to most, it will seem like my style has no direction and is all over the place, but those from LA will understand it. Down to a perfect American Apparel tee.
Edit: Btw, we do put to use all our fabulous winter coats, scarves, and sweaters. The temp can drop to 30F in the evenings. Yes, we do consider this pretty chilly. And yes, we love wearing our winter clothes.
sometimes you can get away with layering a turtle neck long sleeve under a sundress and wear stockings and a light coat. 
