Haute 5 Places to Shop in Los Angeles: The Most Dangerous Streets in LA

Leaving the house can always present a challenge.  In LA, there’s always the off chance that you’ll be “discovered” anywhere you go – the grocery store, the salon, an audition – and the pressure is doubled once you have been “discovered” to look your best every time you walk out the door.  Making sure you’re headed to the right part of town to satisfy your most carnal need, shopping, we’ve rounded up the 5 most haute areas in which you can do the most damage to your checking account.  Just watch out for those paparazzi.

Rodeo Drive

This famed shopping drive in the center of Beverly Hills may be filled with tourists (they especially swarm Louis Vuitton), but when have tourists ever kept you away from shops like Chanel, Prada, and Yves Saint Laurent?  At this late stage in the holiday shopping game, heading to Rodeo Drive is a one stop shopping mecca – head to Hermes for a silk printed scarf or a gorgeous perfume set, or perhaps a tie of unparalleled beauty from Stefano Ricci would do the trick.  All in all, nobody turns down a set of lazy underpinnings from La Perla.

The shops on Rodeo Drive are located between Santa Monica Blvd and Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills.

Robertson Boulevard

Once considered Rodeo Drive’s slightly funkier cousin, Robertson Boulevard has struck quite a balance between trendy, tourist filled shops like Kitson and high-end boutiques like Chanel.  Somewhere in between, you’ll love everything you see in Les Habitudes – known for their gorgeous gowns, shoes, and jewelry that all looks like it’s from another era.  On the corner of Robertson and Third St., Diavolina offers a selection of chic, of-the-moment clothes and accessories (specifically their 3.1 Philip Lim collection), which you can accessorize with scarves and chunky jewels from Alice and Olivia.

The shops on Robertson Blvd are located between Melrose Ave and West 3rd Street in West Hollywood.

South Coast Plaza

Every so often you feel like getting out of dodge, but you’d rather not compromise your shopping options, thank you very much.  If that’s the case, South Coast Plaza has answered your call – filled to the brim with everything you’ll find on Rodeo and more.  This oasis in Costa Mesa offers you all the usual suspects alongside holiday shopping gems like Calypso – home accents are always perfect hostess gifts, Wolford Boutique – for their soft, incredibly well made stockings, and Jacadi – a tweed pea coat works for the impeccably chic child in your life.

South Coast Plaza is located at 650 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. (714) 436-0236

Malibu Country Mart

There are certain beach communities that have kept their chic, where others have preferred that whole surf, sand, and sun thing.  Malibu is the former.  Their Country Mart can feed you well (thanks, Nobu) and can dress you to the nines (Ralph Lauren, Planet Blue).  Malibu locals do appreciate comfort, meaning anything you buy them from James Perse, from their sinfully comfortable T-shirts to their sweet, summery dresses, will be well appreciated.  Double RL & Co has everything you need to outfit your haute cowboy, while you had across the way to Madison to snag some impossibly fashionable shoes.  Take in the smell of the ocean while you’re walking from shop to shop, too.

The Malibu Country Mart is located at 3835 Cross Creek Road in Malibu.  (310) 317-8487

Abbot Kinney

Not for the faint of heart, Abbot Kinney has transformed in recent years from intimidating haven for derelicts and artists only to a shopping and dining destination filled with instances that make you say… “only in LA.” For that person in your life who reads, Equator Books will set you up with out-of-print, vintage, and rare books sure to impress.  SALT carries fantastic minimalist clothing (for your girlfriend who’s built like Kate Moss) by lines like Inhabit, while Isabel Marrant, Malene Birger, and Rozae Nichols are all on sale at Heist – you’ll want to buy yourself a Christmas present, too.

The shops on Abbot Kinney Blvd are located between Brooks Ave and Venice Blvd in Venice.