The Academy: Denim Perfected

My friend Abraham and I were having lunch a few weeks back, and he had told me about this super cool shop in downtown Long Beach, called “The Academy.” We started talking about the shop in further detail and he mentioned that they customize pants, shirts, and bags. The next day I decided to check out the shop; I was pleasantly surprised with how small it was, but really well merchandised.  

I felt very comfortable as I walked into the shop because I was immediately greeted by an awesome employee; he was very friendly and knowledgeable. I told him that I’m writing a blog and wanted to feature the shop in it. He was super cool about showing me around and telling me why this shop is unique and different from others. He then went on to say, him and his brother opened this shop back in 2011, and that they wanted to open a shop for people who like riding bikes.

They specialize in custom pants from denim to tailored riding pants. A great thing about The Academy is that they produce all their denim and pants in Los Angeles that are customized to your liking. Also, included in the price of The Academy denim is a lifetime repair scheme. They will repair the jeans in the same room they were first put together in. Repair includes patching holes, replacing rivets and buttons for no extra labor cost until you decide to retire them.

Along with custom denim and shirts, The Academy also offers women’s apparel, shoes, accessories, and more. I had a tough time picking out favorites pieces because there were so many to choose from, but below are some of my favorites.

All information and pictures were provided by the owner. 

Fox & Moon Clothing

Fox & Moon Clothing is an extremely petite, homey boutique located at 2746 E. Broadway Street in Long Beach, CA. The shop offers a rare mix of women's lines along with hand crafted clothing and jewelry. Some of the clothing lines carried in the shop are Gentle Fawn, BB Dakota, & a newly emerged line, Knot Sisters. The style you'll find inside Fox & Moon clothing is very feminine with a slight touch of bohemian edge. The boutique is located across from an Irish Pub and next to an art gallery, so the store itself definitely has some character!

Upon entering the store for my very first time, I saw a woman working on a sewing machine in the back of the store. As it turns out, she happened to be the owner. I set down my wallet and keys at the front counter, and we immediately got to talking. All of her sewing was due to the Patchwork Festival coming up this month. If you've never heard of the Patchwork Festival: Modern Handmade Festival, it's a place where boutiques and crafty entrepreneurs can showcase their work and sell it to the public. At the craft show, there's food trucks, live music, DIY stations, and an overall pleasant shopping experience. If you've never been, you should definitely click the link I posted above and check it out!

ANYWAY, back to the lovely boutique that is Fox & Moon. I asked the owner, Christy, what she was working on for the Patchwork Show. She was creating clothes to sell and getting accessories together for the big day. And as I soon found out, she makes some of the clothes that are sold in the store! I love that concept.

                                                               

The merchandise assortment is half clothing and half jewelry. Unique clothing brands and vintage jewelry pieces fill the store. As you can see below, I picked up a few vintage bangles for the price of $18! If you're a young woman in her 20's who loves Pinterest and gazing at Anthropologie clothes that you wish you could afford, then I welcome you to Fox & Moon. The prices range from $18-$60, making it very affordable for those living in a college town.

I asked the owner if she ever had any events at Fox & Moon, and she immediately asked for my name and email address. She then asked if I was 21! My age was a very important factor because once a month, small stores on Broadway have an event called, "Sip & Shop", where some boutiques serve adult beverages and put a special discount on products. I was hooked! Sip a cocktail while shopping? Yes please.

There is not a negative thing to say about Fox & Moon, because everything about this boutique is incredibly sweet and delicate. I cant wait to go back!

Make sure to like and follow Fox & Moon on Instagram & Facebook!

This post was written by Lauren Machernis.

All photos taken by Lauren Machernis & the owner of Fox & Moon.

Prism Boutique: It's Simply Radiant

If you were looking for an awesome new boutique in Long Beach, look no further than through the inspired lens of Prism Boutique. This adorable little shop is the perfect place to find the best new designs for clothing as well as gorgeous jewelry.

Prism Boutique just launched for business this year, and although it is small, it has huge potential to be one of the best little fashion shops in Long Beach.

The owner, Dayna Mance hand selects everything that goes into the shop, and her impeccable taste helps curate a store that is a delight to shop at. Drawing from her former experience working as a manager at Anthropologie, Mance decided to create her own successful fashion business.

Be sure to check out all the gorgeous wares Prism Boutique has to offer. There are always new fashion boutiques being created, but if people don't go out and explore, they will miss out on these budding businesses.

Located on Termino Avenue in the Belmont Heights area of Long Beach, this shop has undeniable charm. They are open Monday through Sunday from 11am to 6:30 pm. They have a website at http://www.prismboutique.com/index.html and can also be found on instagram and Facebook, where you can purchase things without even having to go into the shop.

Photo Credit: Boutique owner and Lillian Fahey

Sway: Contemporary Designer Boutique

I was walking around on 2nd street last week and noticed the most stylish boutique in Belmont Shore, called “Sway.” As I walked in, I immediately noticed the beautiful architecture and the stunning industrial interior with recessed lighting and contemporary furniture. Think modern industrial loft in New York. After about 5 minutes of browsing, I realized that Sway is a specialty boutique that offers high end brand names with superior quality for men and women.

For guys, they have the biggest denim collection in long beach as they carry a wide variety of G-Star and Diesel denim. And guys please don’t worry about fit because they carry boot, relaxed, slim and skinny. Not only do they have great denim, but they can also find you a dressier outfit as the carry dress shirt, shoes, and well fitted blazers. I was really pleased with their men’s collection and ended up buying a dress shirt that was on sale and a pair of shoes.

After looking through guy’s apparel, I went over to the women’s section and noticed they had shoes, apparel, accessories, and the biggest collection of TOMS shoes. As I browsed the section, I noticed that everything thing was very unique and one of a kind. And what girl doesn’t want uniqueness, right? Everyone should shop here because they have an assortment of brands for men and women from Diesel, G.Star, Hugo Boss, TankFarm, Por La Victoire, Jeffrey Campbell, and Frye. When shopping please keep in mind that the prices are extremely high. 

Moss & Rock

Long Beach has it's fair share of style genres. We've got the hipsters, the Greek sorority/fraternity students, the pin-up look, amongst many others. But what are we missing?

The Rockers.

I just recently moved into the cutest little apartment on Broadway, and I also happen to be very close to small shops and bars. There was one boutique that stood out to me the most, called "Moss & Rock".

As I stepped inside, I was greeted by the sweetest, most happy 20-something year old woman. I would soon find out that she was the owner of "Moss & Rock", and that it also happened to be her birthday. Her name was Cat. Could she get any cooler? We got to talking as she helped me pick out a few items for myself. I purchased a black felt hat and some 60's inspired sunglasses. Think Penny Lane in Almost Famous.

As for the store itself, it was beautiful. Imagine stepping into an underground rock concert but instead of people, the venue is filled with trendy clothes. The color scheme was mostly all black, white, and brown. Art filled the walls, each piece sending some sort of funny or inspirational message to the viewer. In simpler terms, one needs to have a bold personality and style to shop here. "Moss & Rock" exudes confidence and a pinch of sexiness, while also offering a fun style for both men and women. I will definitely be buying clothes for my boyfriend here!

A few adjectives to describe "Moss & Rock":

Rugged

Tough

Fearless

Epic

Crop tops, long skirts, felt hats, belts, cross necklaces, chunky bracelets, sunglasses, and candles are just a handful of items that fill the shelves and racks of "Moss & Rock". Prices range $5-$100, so there's something for almost everyone. You won't find any bright or pastel colored clothing items here, for black remains to be the most prominent color. You might ask, what kind of person would shop here? Russel Brand definitely would. Every time I leave "Moss & Rock", I have the urge to stay up all night and dance on a rooftop. Shoppers beware: This boutique attempts to bring out your bad self.

Moss & Rock is located at 2752 East Broadway in Long Beach, CA. Cat opens the store at "11-ish" and closes at 7pm Monday-Sunday. Later this October, she plans on hosting a sale event that will include a rock band. I know I'll be there! Wanna know the meaning behind "Moss & Rock"? Cat's lifelong love of rock n' roll combined with her style inspiration, Kate Moss.

Happy Shopping!

This post was created by Lauren Machernis.

All photos taken by Lauren Machernis.

The Best Vintage Store on Long Beach's Retro Row

Long Beach has been become known for its quality vintage shopping, largely in part to 4th Street's charming Retro Row. Retro Row is composed of multiple vintage clothing, furniture and thrift stores, as well as restaurants and hair salons mixed in. While almost all of these stores are great, in my opinion, none of the stores compare to the size and quality of inretrospect. 

Located right in the heart of 4th Street's Retro row, this charming, yet well stocked vintage store can satisfy almost all of your vintage needs and desires. While some of the other stores on Retro Row focus on only one area, such as clothing or furniture, inretrospect delivers the whole vintage package.

Here you can find almost every vintage item you might ever need. They carry a large selection of vintage clothing for both men and women, that ranges across the eras. They also specialize in vintage decor, carrying quality furniture, house accessories, vintage electronics, glass and table ware, and miscellaneous knick knacks. If that wasn't enough, they also are in the music business, selling a number of records, as well as record players and speakers to play tunes on.

Head over to inretrospect and you'll be sure to walk away with something awesome and truly vintage!

inretrospect is located at 2122 East 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90814. Their store hours are Monday-Thursday, Noon to 6pm, Friday-Saturday, 11am to 8pm, and on Sundays from 11am to 6pm. Their website is http://www.inretrospect.co/ .

Photo Credit: Lillian Fahey and inretrospect's website

ANNEISE: The Coolest Shop In Long Beach.

A few weeks back I was walking around downtown Long Beach with my friend Katie looking to buy a present for my sister. As we walked along 1st street, between Elm and Linden, we noticed the coolest shop in Long Beach, called ANNEISE. We walked in and were surprised by how small the shop appeared, but impressed with the product. The clothing, accessories, and jewelry were artistic, unique, and very budget friendly. After seeing all of the clothing and accessories it was really hard narrowing down my favorite items.

 

Monochromatic Tide Dress

This was my favorite look because it's monochromatic and very simple. Gorgeous, ombre chiffon dress goes from cream to grey and features a double, asymmetrical flounce with raw edge detail.

 

 

Accessories

Oversized Frames with gradient lens really stood out along with the black leather clutch. It might be a bit hard to see from the picture but the necklaces are very artistic.

 

 

Overall, I was very impressed with the merchandise and the layout of ANNEISE. My only con was that they didn't offer men's apparel.

 

 

All pictures were provided by the owner.