January. The inescapable doorway into the new year. Passing through, I find myself at a crossroad, ergo a cross-street. By way of 5th and Spring, Los Angeles’ Old Bank District is an ode to vintage romanticism. Similar to that of Union Station I passed through during Holiday, the architecture takes approach from the same era. A bit more reminiscent of New York City I would imagine, having only seen the landscape through images.
Other than the street-side hustle and art-deco of surrounding structures to keep entertained, I spent a bit of time rolling through oldies music, manually locating each track through the whirring and buzzing of FM frequencies. With the nearby tower helping project the signal through the speaker of my vintage dual band portable radio, today was for the art of DE. (See film by A. Sauvage.) Inspired by strict tailoring, monochrome format, and patent leather.
Moving along, the sense of nostalgia grew with each step through the district. From Hotel Barclay, to Regent Theater. Rowan to ruin. All rundown. Each of these relics laying in wait for either demolition or restoration. One can only hope for the latter with the area succumbing to suburbinization. Preservation is necessary, but hey change is always good, right? Take five and dig on this…
[Take Five (V&V 1960s Static Mix) - Jackson 5, Chubby Checker, Red Barber, Martin Luther King Jr., Dave Brubeck]
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[Location]
Old Banking District, Los Angeles
[Goods]
•Secret Wash Shirt in Slim – J. Crew
•Wool Trouser – Vintage
•Wide Brim Fedora – Bailey
•Multi-stripe Tie – Yves Saint Laurent
•Classic Cardiff – Daniel Wellington
•1641-C2B – Dr. Martens
•Portable Radio – General Electric


7 Comments
Rodolfo Ramirez
January 25, 2013Love the concept and Imagery. I always look forward to the next post.
Unyime
February 5, 2013Glad you can dig it
Tom
January 25, 2013Traversing a timeless area of America creates a recipe for the basics we strive for, when describing a lifestyle. It seems, also, the inescapable grasp of L.A. brings a remedy to any soul-searching. A fantastic interlude, and an agreeable notion, UJ; I see the introduction to something grand. Good show indeed, gents.
Unyime
February 5, 2013Appreciate it Tom
Mateusz
January 26, 2013Great. Welcome back!
Greetings from Poland
SQUIRRELWOMAN
January 29, 2013wow! These pictures are so perfect! especially the one with the radio:)
Ingrid
February 1, 2013Your pictures are amazing, and your site so inspiring! THANK YOU for sharing!