LNA is the Los Angeles label that started with a very good T-shirt and kept the instinct. I like it for tops that look simple until you notice the sharp cut, the lace or the faux leather.
LNA Tops: Fit Notes, Fabric and Best Buys
Who built the West Coast basic
I will admit I am a sucker for a brand that begins with one stubborn question, and LNA's is a good one. Imagine the ideal men's T-shirt, then design it for women. Lauren Alexander and April Leight started the label in Los Angeles in 2006 to answer it. Then they widened a simple tee into a whole collection of West Coast essentials, with a zip, a sharp cut or a little texture to shift the mood.
Leight ran operations, Alexander led the design, and the early company worked out of Culver City. Alexander has kept LNA independent, which probably explains why the clothes still feel like one person's taste, and why the label never drifted far from that first tee. I find that rare in a brand with this much range, and it is the reason I trust its basics more than most. LNA's own history calls it laid-back luxury, everyday staples with an edge, and I would not argue.
The tee wardrobe, with a sharper edge
This is where I see LNA's founding idea in its present tense. The Ryan Sleeveless Top and the Selene Collared Top are the straightforward building blocks, while the Demi Fitted Mock Neck Top makes a plain black layer feel more considered. For texture, the Mirage Lace Two Piece Long Sleeve Top brings a sheer note, and the Jet Faux Leather Halter Top pushes the basics toward a night out. The Etta Top, Drift Top and Rory Top fill in the middle ground.
Picture her leaving a warm Los Angeles afternoon for dinner in the Jet top, a clean skirt and flat sandals. My rule is to start with the neckline and sleeve you like, then keep everything else quiet, because essentials with an edge work best when one piece does the talking.
A little leather changes the whole base
The jackets and bottoms are where the basics-with-edge promise gets easy to style. The Fairfax Short Sleeve Leather Jacket and the Mercer Faux Leather Bomber Jacket give a plain tank and straight-leg jeans two different proportions, and the Vivienne Plaid Zip Up Jacket adds a graphic check. Below the waist, the Leony Printed Rib Skirt, Vega Faux Leather Wrap Skirt and Naomi Skirt change the texture, and the Cross Creek Check Pant and Brixton Faux Leather Pant take it into trousers. I went deeper on a related idea in Gestuz Jackets & Tops: Sizing, Fit and Best Buys.
Picture her at a late lunch in the Cross Creek Check Pant and a white tank, then reaching for the Mercer when the air cools. What I would skip: print and leather in the same outfit. Pick one to carry the contrast and let the other sit out.
Basics that still have a point of view
I come back to LNA when I want the starting pieces to be as considered as the finishing ones. It began with a T-shirt and kept that instinct, and now it has opinions about texture and proportion too: a high neck beside a simple tank, a print against a clean base. I would build slowly, choose the fit I will reach for most, and add one sharper piece. That feels true to the California roots, although I suspect the faux leather skirt will win.
