Night Moves

In 1986, at the height of his popularity, designer Christian Lacroix came to Los Angeles to stage a lavish haute couture show and meet with his glittering, well-heeled clientele. When he went home to Paris, however, he raved to friends about something entirely different--the bohemian fashion he’d seen in the clubs and on the streets after dark. It was, he said, a wonderful kind of nouvelle hippie look.

Lacroix isn’t the first designer to notice the creative way Californians dress. He has simply discovered what others have known for a long time--that California is a mother lode of sartorial gold. From the shock of the new to the comfort and ease of the practical, California’s trend-inspiring reputation is well-deserved.

If Lacroix were to return to L.A. today, he’d no doubt remark on the Courreges-boots-and-all reincarnation of London, circa 1964, that’s one of the latest looks among the young and forward-thinking. At the Living Room, a coffeehouse, he would also notice women wearing colorful, well-tailored jackets, often with short shorts. And at clubs like Po-Na-Na Souk or the Mayan, he might even spot a quartet of young men in a jacket-plus-headdress ensemble--”Diner” meets “The Sheik.”

Here’s a look at a few of the city’s fashion originals after nightfall. Note the ubiquitous hat, the favorite being the baseball cap turned forward or backward, worn with everything from sheer blouses to well-mannered suits.