It's easy to take jabs at that vague cliché about LA consumerism, but this is the deal: the reason people shop a lot is because there is an overwhelming amount of cool stuff to buy.
Melrose Ave (Between Fairfax & La Brea)
You're not Julia Roberts. You're never going to have that Pretty Womanshopping spree on Rodeo Drive. That stuff is overpriced and better suited on trophy wives and visiting emissaries anyway. Cooler, independent shops, with just as much high-fashion sensibility sit just a couple miles away on this strip. Streetwear and sneakerheads will cream their jeans at all the shops up Fairfax. And then Tyler the Creator will presumably pop out from behind a corner to make fun of them for it.
See the complete VICE Guide to Los Angeles.
[Cover photo via Flickr: Joey Rozier]
