Shopping: L.A.'s Fashion District

On the Tuesday after Christmas we went exploring in downtown Los Angeles -- the Fashion District, to be precise. Here is a rear view of my husband J (on the right) and his brother A (with my shadow at the lower right). The photo was taken in Santee Alley, a crowded and bustling scene that reminded me of open-air markets in the developing world. On this sunny afternoon the place was packed with a diversity of people; we had to work hard not to lose each other in the melee.

This literally is an alley, a narrow lane running between two rows of buildings that front onto downtown streets. Shop after shop offers everything from knockoff perfume to cheap suits to costume jewelry to racy lingerie. There are R-rated t-shirts in children's sizes and Hello Kitty fleece footie pajamas for grownups. Above all wafts the scent of bacon-wrapped hot dogs available from street vendors. Which we resisted!

We tend to indulge ourselves in shopping excursions when we're visiting our family in Southern California. J's brother, who is an architect, has great taste and it's always fun to have him around when J is looking at clothes. We shop the post-holiday sales in Pasadena's Old Town, at places like Banana Republic and J. Crew. While we have access to these stores closer to home, it's often easier for J to find smaller sizes in California; on this trip, he scored a nice dress shirt and a pair of flannel-lined chinos.

Our purchases in Santee Alley were limited to a couple of knit hats, bought for cash with no receipt (and no questions asked!). Mine still smells slightly of sandalwood, an exotic reminder of the day's adventure.