Shop your heart out
Reformation is a perfect fit for a pre-Valentine’s Day splurge
By Erin Loomis , Karol Ann Bergman 02/05/2009
Ah, Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love, or cry because you have lost or neglected to find it. Perhaps a day to evaluate your partner’s forgetfulness, buy a bunch of candy hearts for your pals at the office, or attempt to quell the mediocrity of a current relationship by eating a very expensive dinner. In our opinion, Valentine’s Day is simply an excellent excuse to go out, grab a sweet new ensemble and turn some heads.
Ordinarily, the holiday finds us prepared weeks in advance with emergency pedicures, fresh lip gloss and brand new drop-dead outfits designed specifically to make our boyfriends drool, our exes cry and our co-workers turn green with accessory envy. Hey, it’s a tradition.
This year, Cupid snuck up on us and we found ourselves scrambling for outfits and in serious need of some chili dogs. We hopped in the car and battled traffic all the way over to Pink’s on La Brea, unaware that along with lunch we were going to find a little spot that would blow our Pasadena fashionista minds.
We went looking for hot dogs and found Reformation.
Reformation is an awesome new boutique located at 142 N. La Brea Ave. Owners Yael Aflalo and Chi Bui expect you to take the name literally because they track down vintage pieces, take them apart and re-construct them into new and exciting designs. They have begun to peddle their wares and reform the fashion industry, eliminating the pesky problem of overhead and reducing the wait period that comes along with sample making. At the same time, they stylishly bring their new creations to local fashionistas for a fraction of the cost of their competitors.
Pretty soon chain stores will begin shivering in their Manolo Blahnik’s and praying that Reformation doesn’t become a new trend. We, on the other hand, hope it catches on. With sticker prices in two to low three digits, you don’t have to shudder at the thought of buying an excellent re-formed silk racer tank and the adorable matching skirt hanging next to it. In an economy where the word recession is no longer hypothetical and depression is looming over us like a cloud (minus the silver lining), it’s comforting to know one can still find an über-chic dress to wear to a charity event while remaining faithful to both your pocketbook and the cause.
Yael is no stranger to the concept of clothing reconstruction. In fact, she started her company, Ya-Ya, re-working vintage denim a number of years ago. It caught on like wildfire and has been pumping out solid and beautiful women’s clothing ever since. Working nearly around the clock, Chi holds down the Los Angeles location and hunts for vintage goods at our local Rose Bowl Flea Market, as well as La-La land’s many estate sales and other top-secret vintage clothing treasure chests.
Meanwhile, Yael is busy with Ya-Ya and is focused intently on opening the second Reformation store back east, which will be blessing lucky New Yorkers with fashion goodness by early March.
These women seem to have found pure bliss with Reformation. Not only do they get to go shopping for vintage pieces, but they imagine gorgeous designs, cut patterns and watch their amazing seamstress bring it all to life. These women have realized their dreams and we are reaping the fruits of that lovely labor.
We know it is sometimes hard to leave the sweet streets of Pasadena but, if you are woman enough to brave the traffic, we recommend checking out Reformation, and maybe stopping off for a tasty dog on the way back home.Who knows? Maybe you will fall in love with more than a sweater along the way. So go out, spread your wings, get your hair done, send a few Valentines and shop your heart out. We say that whatever you do this Valentine’s Day, there is nothing better than doing a little smart shopping to brighten your day.
As always, feel free to email us at writeloomis@gmail.com.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT