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….

Sportswear International Winter 2001/02

Located in LA’s trendy east side Los Feliz neighborhood, Aero & Co. is a men’s and women’s store built around the idea of change and motion. Owners Cynthia Vincent and Alisa Loftin wanted a retail space that gave them the freedom to be more than just a boutique, and the pair carried that idea through to the interior design. One entire wall of the store is covered with a photographic mural of a forest. The fixtures are suspended from the ceiling, and are moveable and interchangeable, as are the jewelry cases on wheels, so that at any given moment the store can be transformed into an art gallery, or fashion show or event space.

Aero & Co. highlights LA designers such as Michelle Mason and Grey Ant, but the selection is not exclusively West Coast-based. Prices for the lifestyle products and forward fashions range from $5 to $2000. The store is popular with women, but its selection of stylish yet wearable menswear is a stellar attraction. Since opening in November 1999, the store’s sophisticated brand mix and ingenious décor has made it a favorite of stylists, local hipsters, and celebrities such as Gwen Stefani, Gillian Anderson, Kelly Lynch and Geena Davis. – C. Houston Sams

Bazaar September 2001

The 10 boutiques that make L.A. the left coast’s fashion capital.

Aero & Co. A tiny shop teeming with the best from local designers, such as Magda Berliner’s antique lace dresses.