CHIREL

 

Today I talked to Chirel. 

I am looking for comfortable summer shoes in order to walk in the streets of Los Angeles and become a better blogger. The Lux shop stands on Larchmont Blvd and carries affordable things. Let's say that if Ali Baba were a girl, this would have been her summer cave. Everywhere you look, there is something you want to touch. Fine jewelry, shoes for night and day, sunglasses, hats, and scarves. Chirel, a petite smiling trendy girl, is the boss here. A few years ago, she moved to Los Angeles from Paris, France. At this time, all her friends were getting married. She suddenly saw herself at the age of forty, married with three children, eating quiche with girlfriends on Sundays. "I wanted to live something exciting," she says. So she flew to Los Angeles to work with her brother. 

By the way, this portion of Larchmont Blvd is pretty much like a family business. Chirel's brother manages one of the shops next door. His wife, Jacquie Aiche, designs fine jewelry, that Chirel sells. Amongst other things, she creates handcrafted amulets inspired by her Native American and Jewish origins. The necklaces contain a blessing and are said to bring good fortune and protection to whomever wears them. Then, I meet Cynthia who shows us her hand. Her wedding ring says "Fuck". "Fuck, I'm married!" she says, and laughs. She works at the men's store next door. Her husband is Chirel's brother's best friend. "We're one little family over here," says Cynthia. She points to the bench in front of Lux: "Sometimes we seat here and talk about people on the street. We call it Larchmont Talk," she says. A girl with a light summer dress and black sandals walks by. "She would be a perfect customer for me," says Chirel. At this moment, the girl blatantly pulls on her panties. "Well, she puts her panties back in place but that'll do," adds Chirel with a laugh.

Every five minute, a new girl pops into the shop and  looks delighted to see Chirel. A woman with green-tinted sunglasses enters: "I've sold the house. I'm moving to New York," she says. Chirel congratulates her and they hug. Her name is Viktoria. She has created Ebba, a line of scented candles and fine perfumes. Women who wear these perfumes seem to love them so much that they refuse to reveal the name of the brand to other women. That's intriguing... I definitely have to check it out. 

Tonight Chirel is going to a restaurant that shows movies on its rooftop for free. She says that her friends call her Huggy Bear, or Huggy les Bons Tuyaux in French (Antonio Fargas' character in Starsky and Hutch, TV series). They say she knows all about the best tips, the free parties, and the great restaurants in town. But most of all, you can tell this girl loves people. She offers advice about fashion or anything else concerning... well, life. 


Suddenly, after maybe an hour or two of girl talk, Chirel mentions that she is creating things too. She shows me her black leather bags and purses. Each one has a different object engraved in the leather: a plastic spider, a pair of sunglasses, or a paintbrush. The idea is unique and the result definitely cool. Her brand is called Sibling as a tribute to her brother and sisters (The French name is: Trois Soeurs et un Frère, but Chirel says it is way too long) and it can be found at American Rag. 

It is finally time for me to leave this bubbly girly experience. I have enjoyed meeting these fun and creative women, and I hope to hear from Huggy Bear's good tips soon.