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West Hollywood

WeHo is the Holy Grail for fashionistas wanting to dress like young Hollywood royalty. The main strip is paparazzi-lined Robertson Blvd where Kitson, Curve and Lisa Kline hold court. Melrose Ave west of Fairfax has Fred Segal, Marc Jacobs and other hot designers, plus gift and home stores. West Third St is another trendy drag.

Mid-City

Melrose Ave east of Fairfax is thrift-shop-chic central with lots of vintage and resale stores selling cool garb for people without a trust fund. Also in the mix are rocker and Goth supply dens and trashy boutiques. La Brea Ave between Santa Monica and Wilshire Blvds used to be mostly about furniture but is now attracting upscale indie boutiques, galleries and food stores. Small but fun, Larchmont Village also makes for a quick browsing break. The outdoor Grove is among LA’s nicest malls.

Beverly Hills

Bring your money bags. Rodeo Dr is a catwalk for the Gucci and Prada brigade and Wilshire Blvd is department-store row with Barney’s New York and Neiman-Marcus as well as a Niketown and the world’s biggest Hugo Boss store. If price tags make you gasp, head to Beverly Dr for chic international chains like Lululemon to Jigsaw London.

Downtown

The Fashion District can yield great bargains if you’re willing to brave the crowds and sensorial onslaught. Pick up ethnic gifts or strange food-stuffs on Olvera St or El Mercado in East LA, Chinatown and Little Tokyo. To keep tabs on the latest in LA art, check out the galleries on Gallery Row and along Chung King Rd in Chinatown.

Santa Monica

Santa Monica has the best shopping along the beach, in three distinct zones. Third St Promenade has Old Navy, Anthropologie, Zara and the usual high-street retail burgs. To unchain yourself, head to tony Montana Ave for well-edited specialty boutiques beloved by celebrity locals, or laid-back Main St where stores still reflect the vision, philosophy and taste of their owners.

Venice

Outlandish Venice Boardwalk is the place to go if you’re after a spiked leather hat for your dog or maybe a spiked leather bikini for yourself. More classy shopping is found along Abbot Kinney Blvd, currently the most exciting and interesting shopping strip on the Westside, with a funky but fashionable mix of art, clothing and New Age emporiums.

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Bert Green Fine Art (Map; 213-624-6212; www.bgfa.us; 102 W 5th St; noon-6pm Tue-Sat) The ‘godfather’ of Gallery Row likes art that’s raw, provocative and not for sissies – expect naked bodies and ‘porn’ flowers.

Mary Goldman Gallery (Map; 213-617-8217; 932 Chung King Rd; noon-6pm Wed-Sat) Specializes in established avant-garde artists from LA, New York and Europe in all types of media, including big-wigs Sanford Biggers and Rob Fisher.

Hive Gallery & Studios (Map; 213-955-9051; www.thehivegallery.com; 729 S Spring St; 1-6pm Thu-Sat) Tunnel-shaped Gallery Row arts collective with a pop surreal focus and awesome show openings on the first Saturday of the month.

LMAN Gallery (Map; 213-628-3883; www.lmangallery.com; 949 Chung King Rd; noon-6pm Wed-Sat) One of the few galleries on Chung King Rd to represent emerging and mid-career Asian and Asian-American artists.

CULVER CITY

Once a blank spot on LA’s art map, Culver City has quietly emerged as a hotbed of savvy, edgy art with a string of galleries set up in warehouses along La Cienega Blvd between Venice and Washington Blvds and a few more west along Washington as far as the former Helms Bakery.

Blum & Poe (Map; 310-453-8311; www.blumandpoe.com; 2754 S La Cienega Blvd; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat) Major player and juggernaut of the Culver City arts district; reps such international stars as Takashi Murakami, Sam Durant and Sharon Lockhart.

Billy Shire Fine Arts (Map; 323-297-0600; www.billyshirefinearts.com; 5790 Washington Blvd; noon-6pm Tue-Sat) Champions raw, urban, lowbrow art by such emerging geniuses as Tony Fitzpatrick, Bari Kumar and Gary Baseman.

Gregg Fleishman Studio (Map; 310-202-6108; www.greggfleishman.com; 3850 Main St, Culver City; noon-6pm Wed-Sat) Like Eames on acid, Fleishman