<p>We are going to be in LA for a week before son joins USC. Flying in from Asia, will rent a car.</p>
<p>Wondering how best to do his college shopping (mainly clothes). He basically lives in cargo shorts that we bought last time, i think they are Columbia bought from Marshalls.</p>
<p>He hates to shop so would love to go just to a couple of stores where we can get his shorts/t-shirts for daily wear.</p>
<p>We will be in Santa Monica in a hotel. I would rather go to one place where I am sure to find some good basic comfy cotton clothes so he can find everything he needs under one roof.</p>
<p>Besides Macy’s anyone has any suggestions? Would love to hear about some ideas.</p>
<p>Also, I am looking to get a nice handbag. Coach price range but not Coach! ;)</p>
<p>I think you should shop at home before coming to LA. You can easily find the size that fits your boy at home. Everything is made in Asia in American stores. Besides, the price is marked up. Why shop here? You will be disappointed. Your boy can get his clothes on USC stores too.</p>
<p>In Santa Monica there is 3rd Street Promenade with an Old Navy, Gap and some SoCal surf type stores which will have clothes he should like. They are also reopening the old mall but that is going to have mainly high end stores like Bloomingdales and Nordstrom.</p>
<p>There is also Target which is about 15 to 20 minutes away and is also popular for clothing. As a bonus, you can buy a ton of other stuff there he may need like school and dorm room supplies.</p>
<p>There are no Walmarts or Kohls convenient to Santa Monica, but there is a mall with a JC Penney.</p>
<p>He does not like the stuff here, plus the U.S quality (even if made in Asia) is way better since it is made for exports. The size and fit here is really different and even though son is a waist size 32 in the U.S. the cut here is just not the same even when we buy a 33 or a 34.</p>
<p>We will be driving around LA so not a problem going to places other than Santa Monica.</p>
You will probably have to shop outlets to get a good deal on a purse. If you are renting a car and do not mind driving a little (about 90 miles from LA towards Palm Springs), these outlets will have very nice purses:</p>
<p>My son likes American Eagle for jeans, khaki shorts and t-shirts and Dick’s Sporting Goods for his athletic/lounging wear needs. Target and Kohl’s are always good too.</p>
<p>Dick’s also had the biggest selection of backpacks that we’ve seen.</p>
<p>One more suggestion for Kohls and JC Penney - especially for a kid who doesn’t like to shop. You can get just about everything in their young men’s dept …including jeans and a pair of khakis or two, if needed for somewhat more “dressed up” occasions. Kohls is very easy to shop in…clean stores with everything you would need within visual distance (a key feature of Kohls that usually makes it easier to shop in than a Dept store like Macy’s.) Won’t be the “higher fashion” of American Eagle or Hollister or Abercrombie or one of those types of stores — but you won’t have dark lights or blaring music, either. And…with online coupons and deals that come with their charge cards, the prices are very good at Kohls & JP Penney.</p>
<p>I have one who attended school in northern CA and wore cargo shorts and tees for most of the time at school. Wore a knit collar shirt…still with cargos…when he needed to get “dressed up”! Was willing to go to Kohls or JCP once a year to try on pants/shorts. I couldn’t have even bribed him to go into Macy’s or one of the teen/young adult stores!</p>
<p>My son has been in one store in the last year–Kohl’s, to buy blue jeans.</p>
<p>I often order online from LL Bean and Lands’ End; both have excellent customer service. If I have a question, I usually ask customer service for the actual garment size of the item in question.</p>
<p>The Grove is a huge outdoor shopping mall in L.A. with a huge selection of stores from lower end to upscale. South Coast Plaza is also a huge mall and caters more to upscale designers but I would still go there. I live in Palm Springs right by the Cabazon outlets and they are fabulous. The clothes there are soooooo much cheaper. You’re able to find nice suits/work/interview clothes from great designers for very litte.</p>
<p>JC Penney has been my go-to place to shop for son for years (Kohl’s is pretty good, also). They seem to have a wide variety of reasonably priced, basic men’s clothes and almost everything is on sale all the time (plus they usually have a good coupon).</p>
<p>My boys, except the youngest cannot wear a lot of European/Asian cut clothers. They are just too big around the thigh, shoulders, upper arms. When H&M opened their stores here, they found out that they could wear their stuff.</p>
<p>No suggestions on where to shop in LA as I don’t know the city. However, when you do shop, look for clothes that do not need ironing. Worth the extra. I’m talking any of the button down shirts, pants. I’m slowly replacing our huge store of clothes with those. Also, unless your son is fashion aware and pays attention, try to get things that he can mix and match. I know it’s not that important but it rankles me when I see S in a striped shirt and madras shorts. </p>
<p>I think Urban Outfitters and American Eagle are two stores that the young folks like. Dept stores are fine too. Have fun.</p>
<p>You know your son best. My son and his friends (Ca) would not wear anything from american eagle or Hollister. You should be able to find everything he needs near Santa Monica.You have the 3rd street Promenade and Ross and Marshalls are nearby. There is also another mall on the Westside on Pico in West LA. Also if he likes outdoor items there is a REI in Manhattan Beach which is not far.Last week we found great prices on basketball shorts at Ross. T shirts from K Mart and Costco. My son likes his shirts plain or with alternative graphics. He won’t wear Billabong or Quicksilver. But if your son does Ross also usually has a good selection. Old Navy, Gap or Sears or Penneys will work for jeans if you son is into basics. Macy’s selection varies from store to store.</p>
<p>Better yet shop at home on-line and have all the stuff shipped to his address at USC. That way you won’t have to lug it all with you on the plane nor spend all your time in LA driving around to malls. (There are a lot better things to do in LA).</p>
<p>Most schools provide an address and storage for belongings shipped ahead of arrival. There are plenty of excellent on-line catalog stores such as Lands End and most conventional department and clothing stores have an on-line store too.</p>
<p>Yup, have shopped at Kohl’s in Dallas when we visited there and I had loved the simplicity of the layout of that store. How do I get the coupons??</p>
<p>Have not been to JCP in ages. Hate Macy’s because its so big.</p>
<p>Need to find the correct size and fit of the stuff once and then he can order online.</p>
<p>Will do the Outlet Mall one day for sure :)</p>
<p>pixel, I also hadn’t been to a JCP in years, but ds found himself in there one day w/dh about a year ago looking for a hiking short for Scouts, and now it’s his go-to place. I agree w/MomLive about just a great range of non-fussy clothes. Ds likes things simple so when he started his summer job and needed some slacks for work, we went to JCP and got a pair of the cheaper St. John’s Bay house brand and then spent more for the Docker’s slim fit khakis. We went back later and bought three pair of shorts, again, in a range of prices.</p>
<p>ETA: I was surprised to see so many JCP shoppers on here. I thought it was a dying store, like Sears.</p>
<p>Did JCP online for lots of son’s college clothes, on the advice of parents from all over the country whose kids are attending same college, Bama. What’s great is, if you get an online order that doesn’t fit, don’t like the color, you can return it to a local Penney’s, no worries about shipping.</p>
<p>Great! Will try and visit JCP. I used to go to Sears when we lived in Hicksville, LI. They always had sale on Levi’s. But it was a boring store to go to.</p>
<p>Kohl’s doesn’t seem to have as many coupons as JCP unless you are a credit card holder (I’m not) but it doesn’t matter - they literally have everything on sale every week. I never pay full price there because if it’s not on sale, it will be within a few days. Their prices are excellent on name-brand items like levi’s, dockers, etc.</p>
<p>JCP also runs tons of sales and they usually have a coupon in Sunday’s paper that you can add on top of their sales prices. Again, I rarely pay full price there.</p>
<p>Son had to wear polo shirts and khakis every day from K-12. I have ordered them from Land’s End (great quality) but the ones at JCP held up just as well and were usually a lot cheaper. Also, JCP has a huge selection of shorts - pleated, plain front, cargo, longer shorts, you name it.</p>
<p>Our JCP is packed all the time. Best time to go is on a weekday.</p>