NY Vs. LA style

[seanutbutter]

^ Hoodie's from Abercrombie or that brand Paris always wears w/ the anchors and some sort of Ugg x Miniskirt combo.

Are you speaking from personal experience? Your location seems to disagree, if that's the case.

 

[chel4mdavali]

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.

AMEN!

 

[Casualuxury]

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 couldn't care less 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.

Yeah Otis is pretty tough, bit it's the same stuff over and over I mean how many resort projects including 3 bathing suits can we do, and god forbid you go against the grain with fashion because "that's not what they do at that school". I'm not talking about the main campus, those people really have no style for the most part except for a select few. However at the fashion campus it's sad. Anyways. I think I got the NY v/s LA thing down

NY, more structured, plus a better ability to dress well, i think because the populus there is more suseptable to fashion is the reason their style is a bit more reverd than LA. There is a lot more influence there and a totally different approach to fashion. Structure is key.

LA, is full of chameleons who dress to impress which friends they are hanging out with. there is no real style, just social constructs of how to dress, act, and think around certain people to work your way through connections rather than real talent. Not to rag on it, but I'm from the east coast origionally and all I have gained from being out in LA is a hatred for California, a few fake friends, and an appreciation for the fact that LA has a metro and it doesn't run into the worst areas (Bev Hills and WeHo)

I pray that I get an acceptance letter from FIT. Because one more year out there i might just lose my integrity and personality.

 

[the-smiths]

Are you speaking from personal experience? Your location seems to disagree, if that's the case.

Ugh.

Anyway, Ive been to LA once...IT WAS TRAUMATIC. I was dressed in all black, all the time. Maxfield is fake-me-out Jeffrey. I was there for just a few days, but that was enough. I will say, LA is very very clean...

 

[Eli1234]

Well I'm from NY, but I have been to LA many times, and I have to say I like both. I think LA is just more laid back, more colors, and lighter fabrics. In NYC you have to dress for the weather, so it's not always just about fashion. Sometimes you end up wearing a lot of black and caring more about what will keep you warm. There are also a lot more business oriented, refined looking professional types in NY. I see LA people as being more free spirited and relaxed with what they wear.

 

[Yin&Yang]

Personally I believe that stylish people exist on any big city nowadays. However, what we percieved as an outsider is the image projected by the majority.

 

[SnejanaIsMyMuse]

I'm excited, I might be going to L.A. this summer with my sister as she is going to be looking for a place out there.I will be sure to report on the style there if I do go.

Chicago is also a possible vacation option next summer too so yay!I love cities.

 

[MulletProof]

Well I'm from NY, but I have been to LA many times, and I have to say I like both. I think LA is just more laid back, more colors, and lighter fabrics. In NYC you have to dress for the weather, so it's not always just about fashion. Sometimes you end up wearing a lot of black and caring more about what will keep you warm. There are also a lot more business oriented, refined looking professional types in NY. I see LA people as being more free spirited and relaxed with what they wear.

yeah.. I mean, I've never been to NY, but that would be my impression of LA too and how I conceive NY style as well.. they're just very different environments and it's reflected on the way people dress.. of course, looking 'professional' and a collaborative weather will always do you a favor when it comes to conventional understandings of what's stylish, elegant, etc and what isn't but I for one, have seen amazingly well-dressed people in Los Angeles (despite the weather- my favorite complain), I love the relaxed atmosphere and how the inevitable snobbism isn't so clothing-oriented as in most cities.. you feel so free to wear anything you want... although I would agree that certain areas seem like really taken out of a very stereotyped movie.. but I guess a city has a reputation for a reason afterall, it shouldn't define it but you can certainly see where the fame comes from.

 

[pinkpolo]

For NY, what would be a chic coat to wear that would be warm enough for the winters? And with all the walking and being winter, would it be better to wear flats or rather boots?

 

[ChloeFrancoise]

Good luck with FIT. I was thinking of maybe going there and might go soon when my cousin goes to visit since she's trying to go there too. I would be there for Graphic Design though. My cousin is more interested in costume design. I read that an internship is required which I might like actually since I think it would be good for me to have to do it to get more experience that isn't just in the classroom, especially since I've been in school for awhile (including a year studying nutrition) and I hope to be able to finish the BFA as soon as possible and start my career soon. I've been so frustrated I even considered just forgetting about it and seeing if I could become a stylist or something, but I think I'll just aim to go for the BFA.
I can't give an opinion on L.A. style because I've never been there, but I'm sure there are well dressed people along with not so well dressed people just like in any other city. Being a New Yorker though, I have to say I love being in the city and looking at all the well dressed people. Not all of the people I would call stylish though are the ones who look like they have more spending money for clothing. Some of the richer looking people I've seen in the city are really bland. It's not even simple dressing that looks chic, just boring.

 

[greeen]

hate to say it but my style comes from my mom..true new yorker and living in LA all my life hasn't really done much, even past school mates have asked if I was from the east because I dressed different (I guess)...
But you have the good, the bad and the ugly on both sides of the US

I think weather plays a big role.. you have to start peeling off clothes in LA when initially it was freezing earlier in the morning. NY.. you know what the weather is gonna be pretty much ..always!

 

[the-smiths]

^ Not true, NYC can be so schizo, freezing in the morning into the 60s-70s during the day. Those days are a quick way to catch pneumonia.

 

[ShoeGal4Eva]

many interesting opinions...who do you think is a good representation of a well-dressed la girl?

 

[cinechrome]

I agree, thank you ns242.

You have to remember that the culture between LA and NY are hugely different. LA is slow and laid back while NY is fast-paced, more foot-traffic, and has seasons! I feel like people regard coats, suits, etc. more refined which lends to the feeling that NY is more stylish and sophisticated. But, of course you see more of that there bc it is cold and there's alot more business types. LA is hot all the time and so everyone is wearing jeans and sandals. And while there are alot of terrible trends (working on Melrose with Ed Hardy et al) I've seen a good share of well dressed folk. Also, remember there are zillions of badly dressed tourists, so let's not lump them into bad LA style!

I love the sartorialist, but come on he takes photos of models and people that work at vogue. That's really not a complete model for what everyone in NY dresses like.

 

[marcj]

I think the huge Persian community has definitely influenced the perception of LA style.... I always hear Farsi when I am on the elevator at Barneys

 

[chel4mdavali]

i think bottom line you can't compare the two cities because they are so DIFFERENT! they truly do have different cultures and different vibes. and it all has to do with weather. if it were winter in NYC you would be wearing a coat and scarf. but just because you are wearing a coat and scarf doesn't make you chic automatically.
if it were spring in LA you would wear something light, like a sundress and sandals. but just because you are wearing a vintage sundress with sandals and sunglass doesn't automatically make you hip.


bottom line the cities are just too different to compare to one another. LA isn't better than New York and New York isn't better than LA. its just your personal preference of whether you like cold or hot weather. and i think its ridiculous to bash on a city you have no idea about. i've been to both cities and i can say that there are somethings about NY that i like and somethings about LA that i like. having been to both cities i've concluded they are just too different to compare to one another.