Where Luv Aj's Amanda Thomas Shops For Vintage Downtown

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Los Angeles has more stores than anyone could physically tackle, but somehow we always keep returning to the usual suspects. To break out of the rut, we've asked some local shopping and fashion gurus to provide their hidden retail gems—those unique stores around LA that we might not all know about. Cue the Beatles: We're about to get a little help from our friends.

Image via Fidoo Stream

Luv Aj designer Amanda Thomas parlayed her after-school obsession into an accessories line in 2005. And just like that, her collections of heavy-metal spikes and layered chains have grabbed the attention of fashionable ladies like Nicole Richie, Vanessa Hudgens, Whitney Port and Kim Kardashian. When dashing to and from her manufacturers in DTLA, Thomas likes to frequent the shop Virgo Downtown.

"Virgo Downtown is the most hidden gem in Downtown LA in my humble opinion. Just a stone's throw from Santee Alley and the across from the Cooper Building, it's not the most obvious location for a store as cool as Virgo. But it's my favorite shopping destination when I'm running around Downtown. The two best friends that own the store, Alejandra and Rana, are super-talented stylists and all-around rad chicks. They carry tons of re-appropriated vintage that they design and produce themselves, like crazy studded leather jackets and denim vests with Pendleton fabric sleeves. I love their accessories selection too, full of bejeweled iPhone cases and one-of-a-kind crystal rings."

· Luv AJ [Official Site]
· Virgo Downtown [Twitter]
· All Shopping Confidential Posts [Racked LA]

Virgo Downtown

216 E 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015