Loving the L.A. Look

Philadelphia Inquirer, The, July, 2006 by Elizabeth Wellington

High atop stiletto heels, boutique owners clicked in and clacked out of Diane Levin's showroom at the California Market Center, searching for the latest "it" fashion.

The Philadelphia native guided them through the fitted jackets, cuffed walking shorts, and dotted chiffon dresses swishing on hangers. Elsewhere in the loftlike space, songstress-turned-designer Macy Gray introduced the sharply dressed buyers, some from as far away as Japan, to her edgy collection of pin-striped pants and silk blouses.

When Levin moved here from Philadelphia 12 years ago, only store owners from California and surrounding states visited her wholesale space. Now, on this first day of Los Angeles Fashion Market Week, Levin's bustling business is at the epicenter of all things trendy.

"Even five years ago, it wasn't like this," Levin, 37, said. "But in the last three years, it's been gangbusters. Every store, everywhere, looks to L.A." ...