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October 29, 2008
Moskatel’s Craft Supplies and Holiday Decor
Filed under: House + Garden, Shop — StyleGuide @ 7:28 pm
Los Angeles has a place for most kinds of people. Like watching women beat each other while roller skating? Derby Dolls. Want to eat brown bread ice cream? Scoops. Want to go so over-the-top with Christmas decorations that you’ll be sneezing tinsel till March? Moskatel’s.
Curious? Then head to the gigantic craft and floral supply warehouse hidden in a gritty part of downtown. Walking in is like that scene when Dorothy lands in Oz and the movie goes from sepia-tone to a psychedelic riot of color. Only instead of the Kansas countryside, there are homeless people, and instead of Munchkins, find party stuff, wedding supplies, frames, craft materials, art supplies, silk flowers, decor items, vases and ribbons. They even have all the stuff decorators use on TV and in magazines, like a six-foot tall Santa and eight reindeer made entirely of twigs. You’ll find what you need for cheap, cheap, cheap (and even cheaper if you have a wholesaler’s license).
I’ve yet to understand Moskatel’s relationship to its owner, craft giant Michael’s, which is why I took so long to blog about its glorious riches. I’ve decided that it is some kind of ugly stepchild – not even good enough to be featured on the Michael’s website. That just makes it all the more fitting for Los Angeles. Moskatel’s may have a place for you, and Los Angeles has a place for Moskatel’s.
Park: Validated parking adjacent to the store.
When: Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: 733 S. San Julian St., Los Angeles, Ca
Call: 213.689.4830
Related links | more downtown
Shop at Michael Levine’s Fabric
Eat at Frances Pastry or Eastside Market, Phillippe’s and Spring Street Smoke House
October 26, 2008
Ask the Stylist: Halloween Costumes
Filed under: Expert Opinions, Shop, Play — StyleGuide @ 6:49 pm
Expert Opinions are tips from L.A.’s ultimate insiders. In honor of the upcoming holiday, today I’m re-posting contributor and fashion stylist Alexandra Haines’ Halloween post!
Halloween is the one time of year where you can wear whatever you want — forget appropriateness and decency! For a fashionista, it is THE national holiday. I start early — real early — and cast a wide net.
Hidden Treasures
A destination in and of itself, this hideaway earns regular mentions in the pages of Vogue and stocks an amazing collection of vintage clothes. But come Halloween, they load up extras like masks and tutus in a rainbow of colors. In Topanga Canyon right off the main drag, this is a great stop for retro costumes for men and women.
Robinson Beautilities
Whether I’m pulling together a costume for a man or woman, this is my mecca for costume extras. Yes, it is a fully functioning costume shop that has not (blessedly) be remodeled since the 60’s. But it also offers a huge supply of wigs and Venetian masks, a wall of fake eyelashes, all types of glitter spray, and my new wardrobe standard — Vegas-style feather headdresses (really, once you buy one you’ll find there are all sorts of occasions to wear it).
Squaresville
I’d say Squaresville is a hipper, cleaner version of Aardvarks, where the buyers really care about what they’re stocking. Some of my greatest regrets come from not buying beautiful pieces I found there, like a sequined butterfly top, trashy white fur coat or an original prairie dress. These wouldn’t have made it into my everyday wardrobe, but could make fantastic retro costumes. Find costumes for men and women.
Hollywood Blvd.
Got no time and are just going to dress in a skimpy outfit with some sort of animal ears? Try walking Hollywood Boulevard for their cheap costume/lingerie shops and amazing wig shops.
About Alexandra:
I am a stylist who has been designing clothes and accessories and styling photo shoots. That wouldn’t mean anything if I wasn’t intrinsically interested in how individuals can express themselves uniquely in their dress. Expect no cookie cutter advice here.
Call: 310-908-7605 (Alexandra)
October 7, 2008
Palm Desert’s Golf Cart Parade and Keedy’s Fountain and Grill
Filed under: On the Road — StyleGuide @ 7:31 pm
A great way to appreciate the golden years if you aren’t already there is wiling away a late October weekend in Palm Desert.
The temperature languors in the 90s, the vibe is easy and slow, and the golf carts ditch the green and head down El Paseo in the Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade.
It seems half the town pimps out their rides with all manner of decor, a Rose Parade with pint-sized floats. The elements combine for a strange alchemy of small-town gathering and golf carts freshly victimized by hard-core glue gun-wielding crafters after a half-price sale at Michael’s.
That’s how the elderly roll in Palm Desert.
This year the parade falls on October 26, so there’s time to book a room (maybe something old school like The Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs). Fuel up before the parade with breakfast at a place Gramps would love — and probably even visited as a teen — Keedy’s Fountain and Grill in Palm Desert. A time capsule of a diner, nothing much has changed since 1957 — and the place is the stronger for it. Join the clientele of all ages (including regulars who have logged decades of daily meals at the original yellow Formica counter) for a malt in a frosty silver cup and a $5 “Keedy’s Fix” burger.
What better way to indulge the senior citizen who lives inside of you, longing to complain about joint pain and aspiring for a 6 p.m. bedtime ?
Related Links | more desert fun