Melrose Avenue

Melrose Avenue (btwn. San Vicente and La Brea Aves.) is really two shopping districts. High-end fashion and design showrooms dominate the western end, near La Cienega Boulevard; head east past Fairfax Avenue for tattoo parlors and used clothing.

If you miss 1960s mod, 1970s grooviness, 1980s power-dressing, or even last year’s haute couture, drop by Decades (82141/2 Melrose Ave., 323/655-0223, www.decadesinc.com [1], Mon.–Sat. 11:30 a.m.–6 p.m.) and browse among the prime, vintage Courrèges, Hermès, and Pucci castoffs.

If you adore the clothes from Sex and the City and Friends, stop in at Fred Segal (81118 Melrose Ave., 323/651-1935, Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun. 12–6 p.m.), a deluxe department store, which has everything from the ridiculously trendy to the severely tasteful.

Futuristic specs from l.a.Eyeworks (7407 Melrose Ave., 323/653-8255, www.laeyeworks.com [2], Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m.) have appeared in films like The Matrix and Blade Runner, and celebs like Jennifer Aniston and Wesley Snipes are fans of the store’s lightweight, trend-defining frames.

The buyers at Wasteland (7428 Melrose Ave., 323/653-3028, www.thewasteland.com [3]) carefully pick out merchandise for their club-hopping clientele, so everything at this secondhand store has style. The selection covers a wide range, from Gucci to Gap.