L.A. Outlet Mall Guide

YOU DON'T have to drive 200 miles for great outlet shopping. Sure, Cabazon and Camarillo have their mallish charms. But Trina Turk, Kitson and half a dozen more outlets dwell right here in our neighborhoods, offering the same steep discounts and something closer to a boutique experience. Some of these outlets are in old warehouses and factory spaces, now filled with scores of reasonable designer dresses, shoes and bags. Other storefronts looked so much like regular boutiques -- one even had a Robertson Boulevard address -- that it felt like we'd have to pay full price. Until we saw the price tag, that is. The best discovery of all -- Trina Turk -- turned up in an industrial park in Alhambra, hidden behind a barred iron gate (no photographers allowed inside), where the merch was half-off wholesale. Nice. And think of how much we saved on gas.

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