You never know until you walk in, what you might find in DTLA’s new retail stores which are popping up everywhere these days . At Parker & Barrow, which  just opened at 814 S. Broadway on the same block as Urban Outfitters, I discovered that this store offers women’s and men’s PB brand jeans  off the rack or the option of getting a pair made to order with a custom fit and color choice.

Parker & Barrow is the vision realized of Thelma Siguenza who describes herself as a “fit architect.”  She’s been responsible for the fit that has made Joe’s Jeans such a phenomena and she also lends her expertise to a myriad of other jeans and pants companies.   By today’s  price standards for jeans, PBs are reasonable–around $125–plus a nominal add-on if you go with custom made options that can include a little longer leg, waist adjustment or maybe narrower or wider at the bottom.  Once you have your first custom order, your specs stay on file making it easy to order in another color or fabrication.

Men can also get custom shirts made in fabric combinations selected from bolts on display.  These aren’t your father’s custom shirts — the Xeres (pronounced “series”) label, designed by Tarek Akaweih, takes the shirt to a whole new dimension with the finished product making a significant statement of individuality.

I tried on one of the PB jeans and couldn’t resist  the  soft brushed cotton with a slimming stretch to the fabric.  There were about eight colors to choose from and I decided on a faded military green.  The fit was perfect but I opted for an extra inch at the bottom and Thelma suggested tapering the leg a little bit more.   Stay tuned for next week and I’ll show you how they turned out.

I have a hard time finding scented candles that I really love but I think my search may be over now that I’ve discovered The Fenix Candles which are also found at Parker & Barrow.

 

 

 

 

 

The Candles come in scents curated for women and men and just smelling each of them can become addictive.  I settled on Greek Currant but it wasn’t easy to narrow it down.  Fortunately the store is just across the street from where I live should a whiff of California Redwood beckon!  There are 182 scents to choose from on the Fenix website.  Thank goodness there are only about 20 choices at Parker & Barrow.

Every shopping trip deserves a break and  the perfect new place to take it is at Verve.  If you’re walking (and you should be) the shortcut from Parker & Barrow on Broadway to Verve at 833 Spring Street is through the parking lot next to Two Boots Pizza then to your right on Spring.

Even though they weren’t officially open, Verve managers  Malvina and Katie invited us in for a look around.  They offered to test out their new high-tech coffee machinery on us but we could tell they were still unpacking boxes so we promised we’d be back.  Verve is based in Santa Cruz, CA where they have four locations and this is their first one outside of Santa Cruz.  With the proximity to The Fashion Mart, I can see Verve fast becoming the fashion industry hangout packed with designers and buyers collaborating on the next trend within this creative and spacious environment.

In addition to the coffee choices,  Verve shares its space with Juice Served Here, a LA company.  Lots of fresh raw juice choices and cleanse options for those getting ready for fashion week!

The other intriguing feature of Verve is the back room which is the headquarters for the company that designed the space: MAI Studio. Verve  is completely aligned with MAI Studio’s description on their website that states, “Our material  expertise allows us to push the boundaries of design, creating products, interiors and alternative methods of construction which provide innovative solutions to the built environment. Our team draws on a wide range of backgrounds integrating fine art, branding, interior, graphic and industrial design. Our International portfolio includes boutique hotels and restaurants as well as residential and condominium projects.”

While Verve has been in the build-out, I’ve seen the spectacular wall garden in the making.  Week after week plants were being carefully mounted onto the facing walls on each side of the patio.  The seating area is a conservatory of exotic plants where you can breathe in this  welcome oxygenation in the middle of the city while getting even healthier with a bottle of Clean Greens Juice made of Coconut Water, Cucumber, Kale, Spinach, Parsley and Romaine. On the other hand, there are those of us who need of a surge of caffeine through our veins, so the cupping ritual of a Verve coffee, carefully  brewed from beans sourced in remote global villages, might be just what the doctor ordered!

A walk around the block these days has become an adventure and, while everything new is exciting,  I also want to be sure to support places like il caffé  which is connected to Acne Studios, the Swedish clothing retailer located in the Eastern Columbia Building .  When I walk into il caffé they know my name and I inevitably run into one of my neighbors which reinforces the sense of community that continues to make DTLA feel like home.