You know what you’ll find in Beverly Hills: Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Prada. In contrast, Melrose and Beverly Boulevards, parallel shopping streets, offer some surprises with less-established, cutting-edge designers. More surprises await when you glance at price tags only a smidge less lofty than their Rodeo Drive counterparts. Apparently, it costs money to look glam. Costume Nationale, Daryl K, Miu Miu and Liza Bruce make their homes in this mid-town neighborhood. The ne plus ultra of mini-malls, Fred Segal, anchors the Melrose-Beverly district, luring hordes of A-listers and wannabes with the newest Chloe tees, Dolce & Gabbana leather and Kiehl creams. Not a day goes by without a name-brand face strolling into Fred Segal. When the stars themselves are too busy or just can’t be bothered to leave Malibu, they send stylists and costume designers to shop for them. Costume designers for Friends, Sex in the City and Buffy have been known to shop here. Driving by, you wouldn’t necessarily recognize these streets as the hotbed of American trendsetting. Unlike Beverly Hills, Madison Avenue or your run-of-the-mill mall, Beverly and Melrose have sparse, if any landscaping, bland, box-like storefronts and deserted sidewalks. Although theoretically, you could walk from store to store, not many do, preferring to drive the 20 or so feet from Miu Miu to Daryl K. Once inside these boutiques, however, you’re rewarded with some of the most innovative designs available anywhere. Which goes to show, even in LA, it’s what’s inside that counts.