Fashion and culture blog for Los Angeles

It’s the absolute perfect time for a trip to Palm Springs. The Coachella crowds are nil, hotel rates are reasonable and the weather is so perfect that you could easily be on a Mexico beach, minus the nastiness that comes from a a plate of drunken late-night street meat. But after the sun stroke starts to set in and you can feel your leather face begin to form, there is nothing better than a trip to the Cabazon outlet malls. We just returned from a desert jaunt and stopped by the creme de la creme of all California outlet malls—the Desert Hills Premium Outlets, just 15 minutes outside of town. This is what we found that’s worth stopping for:

Burberry: Everyone seems to be clambering for a trench coat this season. And the obvious first choice of where to get one would be the English trench masters themselves, Burberry. At the brand’s Desert Hills Premium Outlets outpost we found a major selection of the coveted coats. Lightweight, perfect for spring versions come in black ($419 from $495), beige ($459 from $650) light pink and baby blue (each $459 from $650). A heavier, more classic tan, wool-lined version was marked $649 from $950. But a cool option for adventurous gals is to mosey over to the men’s section where a beige canvas, double breasted safari-style trench was $649 from $1,795. And yes, there were small sizes available. PS, signs told us that select coats were 30 percent off and that the discount would be taken at the register. Since we wouldn’t have been able to pay for our gas home if we made it to the register, we don’t know which coats are on clearance.

Diane Von Furstenberg: DVF is the master of creating colorful, Palm Springs-perfect pieces and her discounted storefront is no exception. Classic long and short sleeve wrap dresses in every happy, springy color and pattern combo imaginable start under $200. A pair of very now, Native American-beaded flat sandals were $63 from $210. Also cool were a pair of lace leggings, marked $142.50 from $285. Our favorite pieces were a burnt orange, matte sequin cardigan ($381 from $545) and a gold flecked suede jacket ($650 from $950). No, the prices aren’t dirt cheap. But DVF’s gear transcends seasons so you are sure to get a lot of wear out of really cute, well made clothing that you would have wanted to buy at full price anyway. Don’t miss the back of the store, where a whole wall of simple silk tops and blouses in every color under the sun were under $100 less 20 percent.

Yves Saint Laurent: We will forever be grateful for the pair of purple, runway-style rhinestone and lucite heels we once found here for under $200. This trip, the shoes weren’t as adrenaline-inducing. But there were a great selection of high, thick heeled slides in leopard print, gold and black velvet each under $200 as well. Those crazy black patent leathe rcage pumps from the runway were $599 from $1,190 and a pair of black patent and cork wedges that channel Christian Louboutin circa 2005 were $249 from $495. A bevy of bags filled every nook and cranny of the store, and our favorite was a Raffia and brown leather Metropolis tote ($449).

Barneys: Eat and pee before stopping into the lower-priced version of our favorite department store, because you may be here awhile. We happened upon a rack of Alexander Wang wares including a fantastic black fitted blazer, marked $319 from $625. A short, white, structured Co-Op brand vest was $95 from $188. JBrand jeans were $95 while the company’s cropped denim jacket was only $65. We found a black satin, size 40 shift dress by Rochas ($454.50 from $1,515) and a bright purple, size 34 blazer by Jil Sander that could fit in on a Joan Jett album cover ($414 from $1,375). An entire rack is devoted to Marc by Marc Jacobs, but we most enjoyed a light silk and cashmere metallic striped cardigan marked $79 from $120. Over in the shoe section, suede and rubber open-toe Prada platforms came in black and brown ($233 from $565) while various sizes of electric blue metallic sling back sandals by Manolo Blahnik got our blood rushing ($274 from $745). And a pair of Chloe, thick-strapped flat sandals that looked quite similar to the ones we wrote about last week were only $213 from an original retail price of $540.

Jimmy Choo: Honestly, this place blew our mind with a dizzying array of flats, boots, stilettos, plain looks and those that looked like they walked off the runway. We were too exhausted to really delve into the vast selection, so we will just say this: There is something for everyone here. If you’re in the market for a still-pricey pair of shoes, bring a wad of cash (between $400 and $700 should do the trick) and go to town. Take the extra $200 you would have spent on retail Choos and go have a genius piece of steak and some good wine. Better yet, wear your new shoes at one of Palm Springs’ luxe hotels, flash your gams and find a cute guy to buy you dinner instead. Win-win for all.

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