Where the Clothes Talk a Lot

The much-visited boutique in Los Angeles, prides itself on its hipness. Suzanne Mapes for The New York TimesKitson

By ALEX KUCZYNSKI
NY Times
Published: August 11, 2005

IF you read People, Star or Us Weekly, you know about Kitson, the West Hollywood boutique made famous by celebrities like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. These are young ladies who live dreamlike crystal-covered lives and own dreamy things like crystal-covered hairbrushes (Paris's cost $295 at Kitson) and crystal-covered cellphones (Lindsay's was $395 at Kitson). The actresses Mischa Barton, Tori Spelling and Debra Messing have been photographed with groaning Kitson bags on their arms, their faces slack with the satiety that follows a successful shopping binge.

Kitson, if you believe the publicity, is Hollywood's hottest shopping spot. I approached with tingly anticipation. But strip away the phony tinsel of Hollywood, as Oscar Levant said, and you'll find the real tinsel underneath. Such is the case with Kitson, which is less a chic boutique than a tourist trap, its popularity generated by warring weekly tabloids and not by the exquisite, or even interesting, clothing it offers for sale.



Suzanne Mapes for The New York Times

I think the Giordano and Padini outlets in KL are comparable and prices are much lower too. Anyway, here's the full story: Where the Clothes Talk a Lot