LA Weekly - Best of LA 2003

Best Design Boutique – AERO & Co.

Four boutiques in particular stand out for followers of L.A. design. Each features smartly edited collections and knowledgeable staff.
AERO carries mostly L.A. designers – Brian Lichtenberg‘s pop chic is the latest find – mixing in, say, the whimsical deconstruction of Japan’s Ballroom.

LA Weekly Style Issue 2003

Iconoclasts Rule
 

Style editor Kateri Butler interviews Alisa Loftin about what defines LA style.

There's no question that L.A. has style to spare, from red-carpet razzle-dazzle to stoner surf chic and everything in between. More than any place else, the iconoclast rules. We've never been bound to East Coast dictums of what makes for proper dress, nor do we tend to follow the trends idolized by the international fashion pack. In fact, there are nearly as many definitions of what L.A. style is as there are people who live here. With enough confidence and the right attitude, just about anything goes. We asked six fashionistas — two boutique owners, two event producers, a costume designer and a stylist — to share their interpretations of L.A. style. The sole rule: They could only use local designers. Each of our participants offered up a quintessential vision of what it means to live and dress in L.A. — and together they create a complex portrait of the many faces of style in Los Angeles. –Kateri Butler

Alisa Loftin

Proprietor, AERO & Co.

“L.A. style is comfortable, functional, whimsical and fun. It isn't intellectual or uptight. Most of all, it's about looking like you're not trying too hard, but looking as fabulous as you can. And it's never wearing a designer head-to-toe. It's knowing how to mix and match designers, as well as new and vintage. The most important factors that influence L.A. style are the SoCal lifestyle, Hollywood (old and new), the huge California sportswear industry, denim, and our year-round climate. It all adds up to casual funky glamour. Unbeknownst to the greater fashion world, L.A. has some amazing young talent emerging. While most of these young labels have very raw products, their creativity and bold desire to express themselves are refreshing. Aero & Co. is committed to supporting the L.A. design scene. L.A. style is our answer to not being taken seriously by the international fashion world. If they don't care about us, why should we care about their rules? We're more casual and carefree. It's not about who's who, it's about who cares.”

Lucky December 2002

AERO & Co. Daring and edgy clothing, including bondage-inspired T-shirts and deconstructed dresses, makes this a hot spot for adventurous types.

Lucky September 2002

AERO & Co.  This always-adventurous West Hollywood boutique fills its serene space with unusual and rare items. You’ll find one-of-a-kind tees by local label Rock’n Sissy ($92) and Pent Mfg. Cuffs made from guitar tuning knobs ($44).

Angeleno September/October 2002

AERO & Co., known for stocking edgy fashion by local up-and-coming designers, has closed its doors in Los Feliz and moved to a more centralized location west of Crescent Heights Boulevard.  Visit the new boutique for Jasmin Shokrian’s gauze overlay designs and (tasteful) black tube tops by Rami Kashou, plus a healthy selection of books ad contemporary furniture.

Spruce Spring/Summer 2002

Where We Shopped….Los Angeles

Aero & Co.  If your knowledge of local designers can be counted on two hands, head to Aero & Co., where Alisa Loftin has gathered a virtual who’s who of up and coming labels.  Pick up a pair of Grey Ant’s Santa Monica print trousers and top it off with an expertly draped Rami Kashou blouse.  The only foreigner in the mix is Resurrection’s 02, but there’s always room for one more exotic temptress in this town.

Los Angeles Times November 2, 2001

Little Shops With Big Impact by Booth Moore

Los Angeles’ indie boutiques favor local talent over big names, popularizing an eclectic West Coast look.

There wasn’t a drop of bubbly for the tattooed crowd, no live models, either – just vodka cranberry cocktails served in plastic cups and a strange film running on a loop with image after image of people knocking on doors.  There were freebies – copies of Vogue magazine – until they were commandeered by a mousy guerilla artist, who defaced each and every Britney Spears cover with stickers that read, “Envy Me Loser,” ”Fantasy With Purchase” and “Style Beyond Your Reach.”

This wasn’t your typical in-store fashion event, but Los Feliz’s Aero & Co. isn’t your typical store.  Neither are Show Pony, LaborFruit, Blest or Beige.  They are part of a new generation of indie boutiques helping to nurture local design talent and popularize the one-of-a-kind, neo-Bohemian looks that have come to define West Coast hip at this moment.

The cranberry-soaked carouse was actually a Trunk Show for designers Katy Rodriguez , 32, and Mark Haddaway, 33.  The owners of the popular Resurrection vintage stores on Melrose Avenue and in New York’s East Village debuted their own line at well-established Henri Bendel in Manhattan last year.  But when it was time to introduce it here, they approached Aero.  They thought the well-edited shop was just the place for their quirky felt coats and handbags emblazoned with and abstract tartan created by artist friend Raymond Pettibon.

“[Aero] has a fresh approach.  You don’t have to have been in this magazine or that one to be here, unlike stores in New York,” says Rodriguez, dressed in one of her own designs, a gray cowl-neck dress trimmed in Pettibon plaid.  “It’s not all about the brand.

Cynthia Vincent, 34, a designer herself, and Alisa Loftin, 33, opened the shop two years ago to feature talent they felt wasn’t getting its due….”The idea was to help designers who didn’t have a voice.  There were people doing amazing things here and selling them to their friends,” said Vincent.  Just off Vermont Avenue in an airy space that could just as well be an art gallery, the store was among the first to feature the lines of newcomers such as Magda Berliner, Ina Celaya and Grant Krajecki.  A few are now selling their lines to stores such as Barney’s New York….