Vintage L.A. is like a magical treasure trove - filled with historic gems from Tinseltown past, endearing & insightful interviews with sparkling locals, dazzling photographs and endless riches to behold! It is apparent that the author, Jennifer Brandt-Taylor, is a true fan of Hollywood history and the City of Angels. She takes the reader on a whimsical "insider" tour, with many surprise stops along the way. Jennifer Brandt-Taylor does a wonderful job at inspiring the reader to look closer, to find divinely decadent inspiration in something that most pedestrians would pass by without a glance. I read this book in one sitting, and then placed it on my art-deco bookshelf alongside other favorites, "Eve's Hollywood" and "Weetzie Bat." I will make sure to leave enough room on that shelf for Jennifer Brandt-Taylor's next book...

Knowing a good deal about book design and something about near-history, I can say that this book is a perfect package. From the gorgeous full-color pages saturated with great photography and vintage postcards to the colorful language used to illustrate this opulent city of dreams, Vintage LA is the magnum opus to Los Angeles. Anyone I know who has read this book recalls sitting down in the evening to crack the spine, and a few hours later they were finished, and ready to buy plane tickets to LA. It's a beautiful book!

Hats off to Jennifer Brandt-Taylor, the vintage queen! Her new book VINTAGE L.A. is a well-crafted homage to the delightful assortment of styles and flavors which comprise the identity of Los Angeles.

It is an extremely well balanced and thoughtfully compiled collection of reviews, photos, tidbits of trivia, and other ephemera which sparked my interest in revisiting the town in which I live.

Collecting vintage is one of my true passions. Finer men's attire of bygone eras is my own calling, so when Jennifer referred to the boutique Playclothes I was obliged to investigate. What a treat! I left with 2 deadstock silk scarves from the Edwardian era and some other treasures for well below market value. Thanks, Jennifer!

The love which the author has for her hometown is apparent in her features of the magical haunts and classic splendor of old Hollywood. Two of my absolute favorite places to soak up some genuine Tinseltown are the Magic Castle and the Beverly Hills Hotel. Hands down the finest establishments in which to imbibe.

It was a true inspiration flipping through the expertly layed out pages. My eyes were led along from page to page as if a kid in a candy store had been turned loose on a shopping spree. A plethora of colors and styles was arranged like a bouquet, enticing the reader to dive in and experience the finest this American epicenter of culture has to offer.

One thing I absolutely loved was her interspersed features of vintage lovers from all walks of fame in their respective environments. Catching a glimpse of how these zany characters live and reading their own reflections on the things which keep them inspired was a fascinating allusion to the eclecticism of Los Angeles.

If at all you are interested in planning a trip to Los Angeles, please do yourself a favor and let Jennifer Brandt-Taylor be your guide to the stars!

This book covers just about everything I like about LA -- the good old-timey stuff! It's beautifully photographed, typeset and laid out from cover to cover, looking and reading like a Disneyland brochure from the '60s. The author leads you to historic walking & shopping destinations in every neighborhood in and around LA, with a special focus on all things glam and baroque. The photos are spectacular and the descriptions are fun, first-person, non-snooty and truly evocative of the wonder of visiting these groovy underappreciated relics. You'll want to visit each and every spot, and the more of them you experience, the more your view of LA will change from the unfair stereotype of a dumb, violent, smoggy wasteland to a true love of this lovely, historic fantasyland left behind by dreamers of the past.

Knowing a good deal about book design and something about near-history, I can say that this book is a perfect package. From the gorgeous full-color pages saturated with great photography and vintage postcards to the colorful language used to illustrate this opulent city of dreams, Vintage LA is the magnum opus to Los Angeles. Anyone I know who has read this book recalls sitting down in the evening to crack the spine, and a few hours later they were finished, and ready to buy plane tickets to LA. It's a beautiful book!

Hats off to Jennifer Brandt-Taylor, the vintage queen! Her new book VINTAGE L.A. is a well-crafted homage to the delightful assortment of styles and flavors which comprise the identity of Los Angeles.

It is an extremely well balanced and thoughtfully compiled collection of reviews, photos, tidbits of trivia, and other ephemera which sparked my interest in revisiting the town in which I live.

Collecting vintage is one of my true passions. Finer men's attire of bygone eras is my own calling, so when Jennifer referred to the boutique Playclothes I was obliged to investigate. What a treat! I left with 2 deadstock silk scarves from the Edwardian era and some other treasures for well below market value. Thanks, Jennifer!

The love which the author has for her hometown is apparent in her features of the magical haunts and classic splendor of old Hollywood. Two of my absolute favorite places to soak up some genuine Tinseltown are the Magic Castle and the Beverly Hills Hotel. Hands down the finest establishments in which to imbibe.

It was a true inspiration flipping through the expertly layed out pages. My eyes were led along from page to page as if a kid in a candy store had been turned loose on a shopping spree. A plethora of colors and styles was arranged like a bouquet, enticing the reader to dive in and experience the finest this American epicenter of culture has to offer.

One thing I absolutely loved was her interspersed features of vintage lovers from all walks of fame in their respective environments. Catching a glimpse of how these zany characters live and reading their own reflections on the things which keep them inspired was a fascinating allusion to the eclecticism of Los Angeles.

If at all you are interested in planning a trip to Los Angeles, please do yourself a favor and let Jennifer Brandt-Taylor be your guide to the stars!

This book covers just about everything I like about LA -- the good old-timey stuff! It's beautifully photographed, typeset and laid out from cover to cover, looking and reading like a Disneyland brochure from the '60s. The author leads you to historic walking & shopping destinations in every neighborhood in and around LA, with a special focus on all things glam and baroque. The photos are spectacular and the descriptions are fun, first-person, non-snooty and truly evocative of the wonder of visiting these groovy underappreciated relics. You'll want to visit each and every spot, and the more of them you experience, the more your view of LA will change from the unfair stereotype of a dumb, violent, smoggy wasteland to a true love of this lovely, historic fantasyland left behind by dreamers of the past.

another vapid non-fact checked book on LA. And vintage none the less! Oh look at the cuitsey tug of war with various vintage items: "I want it! No, I want it!" (Clearly the fat chick with the bad dye job wins.) Little did the author know that, by the time this meaningless book was to come out, a large majority of the vintage spots that she featured would be out of business. No more tug of war, anymore! Another thing of interest, is an example of how loosely, in the 2000s, the term "fashion designer" is used, and thrown around by people with an identity crisis. Take note of Kimmie Aaburg's page of fame. look how she blends in with the celluloid heros of yesterday. What a standout shot. And she just happens to be reading a 1973 Star magazine. Now, how long do you think it took this "fashion designer" and "rock and roll muse" to come up with this pose? I happen to have been graced with this "fashion designer" and "rock and roll muses'" drunkenness, and also know for a fact that, between her and any musician she is suggested to have inspired, it didn't result in any song. Just a late night drunken "happy ending."
So before you buy this book, or get in the car and drive to Low Fi to buy one of their neat-o vintage jackets, only to find the doors closed and them out of business, and/or one night you are at the Beauty Bar, or another intermediate club for confused people, and happen upon a chubby, banged, drunk girl, such as kimmie Aaburg, it will not be a pen and paper in the morning you reach for to write a song, but probably a bottle of A200.
Now, as passe and outdated as it is, this book has TRULY become "Vintage LA."

I saw this in the bookstore yesterday and read the whole thing in one sitting. It's perfect for anyone who isn't typical, and likes the cooler things in life.
I grew up in LA and while I knew MOST of the haunts in the area, I still discovered a couple new facts in this great book.
You won't be disappointed. Trust me.