More than Jeans
A love letter to Los Angeles.
“Thank you for checking in on me. We are safe. It’s stressful and feels like a fire could break out anywhere at any moment. I am terribly sad and have been scared, but we are OK. Thank you for your concern.”
This is the gist of what I’ve been writing to the many, many (so many) people and out-of-town friends who’ve reached out to me this week. (If you are one of these people, thank you, the outpouring of love helps.)
My texts with those I grew up with in Los Angeles have been a little bit different…
“Do you need anything? How are your parents? Our bags are packed. It’s beyond compare. Where are you staying? What app are you using? Did you make it to Palm Springs? Have you seen the footage of the Palisades Village? Did you know that Rick Caruso hired private firefighters? Did you see, the Reel Inn burned down. Our best friends lost their house. Our nursery school is gone. Rustic Canyon survived the night mostly due to vigilante neighbors dousing fires with buckets of pool water. Pulse check. Respond when you can. The Sunset Fire was too close. The Studio City Fire was too close. The Kenneth Fire was too close. We left. We prayed with the kids. I’m so sorry. I hate L.A.”
I myself wrote that last sentence to my high school friend Kate at around 4:30am on Wednesday morning during what was (let’s hope) the worst of it. Of course, I was tired. And of course what these fires ravaging my hometown have shown me is that I love L.A. I love it so much my stomach hurts right now.
If you grew up in Los Angeles, or have lived here long enough, you know the Santa Ana winds are – in addition to being annoyingly reliable and fire-related – a distinct, Los Angeles feeling that no amount of Joan Didion can actually get you to feel. It’s like when the radiators turn on in New York for the first time each fall. The heat-smell triggers the nervous system and suddenly it could be any fall – or any fire. Even these. Or so we thought. This trigger is very different. Now, when they say the street names on the news my childhood memories are so close I can touch them. I run to them. I don’t even care that it hurts.
I have a post about stretch jeans I plan to share soon, but not today. Today, I am worried and heartbroken and thinking about everyone whose homes and businesses burned. I am thinking about the firefighters out there saving lives. I am so grateful for my family. I am so sorry. It was, I’m not kidding, easy to pack for an evacuation (we were told to prepare when the Sunset Fire in Runyon Canyon broke out. Thankfully, we were not ordered to leave). I put passports, jewelry, photos, the children’s blankets, practical cotton sweaters and jeans in a bag. Medicine, reading glasses, some other things, but not much. The bag sat in my car for a day and a half. Then, because it was hard to breathe, my husband and I decided to drive the kids out of town. One doesn’t live in L.A. to stay inside all day. It actually feels really unnatural to do so, which is not something I’d say about other places I’ve lived.
“It’s sort of a toilet bowl of feelings,” my friend Robyn, who lives in the Palisades, aptly said. The vibe of her neighborhood group chat had shifted on Friday from reactive to proactive. I was feeling the same. Although, that was yesterday, before the fire jumped Mandeville Canyon last night. The toilet comes with an automated flush that sets off whenever the wind blows. It’s not over, yet.
The Los Angeles Times has published THIS LIST, and also THIS about where to volunteer this weekend, though honestly, I think anyone who is physically in L.A. knows people who have been affected and giving time or hand-delivering a goodie bag is great. Here is a shortlist of links that are more local, denim-related, and personally close to my heart:
• My friend Jenna Cooper of +COOP has turned her Beverly storefront into a donations center full of new and lightly used clothing, children’s toys, pet supplies, bedding, the works. Volunteer or go pickup stuff for those who may not have the brain space to restock right now. Saturday, 10am - 6pm & Sunday 11am - 2pm; 7278 Beverly Blvd; (323) 879-9842.
• Art World Fire Relief L.A. was recommended to me by my friend Carolyn who has worked in the art world in New York and Los Angeles for more than twenty-five years. It was started by an arts administrator and four local artists – two of whom lost their bodies of work and their homes – to help rebuild the art community. L.A.-based artists can apply for relief here. To make a donation, use this link.
• Makeup artist Amy Chin, who I’ve worked with on projects for J.Crew and TOJ, is personally delivering makeup, skincare, and hair supplies to those who lost everything. DM her @amychinbeauty, she’s the best.
• Wyatt Sweeney has turned his vintage denim outpost The Hidden Rivet into a donation station. All donated goods and 20% of the store’s own proceeds will be delivered to Dream Center L.A. Saturday & Sunday, 11am - 3pm; 8366 1/2 W 3rd St, @the.hiddenrivet.
• My high school friend Ashley sent me this link to her sister Heather’s GoFundMe. Heather and her husband and their daughter lost their home in the Eaton Fire.
• Victoria Morris lamps are all over my house, I love them so much. (Jean Stories fans, maybe you remember when I visited Victoria in her old studio?) Friend and artist Hilary Walsh started this GoFundMe to help Victoria rebuild her studio.
• The Center for Yoga on Larchmont is hosting a donation drive this weekend. From the announcement: “We will be collecting essential supplies to be distributed to local evacuation centers and animal shelters in need—including the Dream Center, Pasadena Job Center, and Pasadena Humane via Pasadena City College.”
• Citizens of Humanity and AGoldE have set up a clothing donation center at their HQ in Huntington Park. First and second quality men’s and women’s clothing from both brands can be picked up with proof of residency. Six-item limit. Saturday, 7am-1pm, CLOSED Sunday, Monday 1/13 - Friday 1/17, 7am - 5pm; 5715 Bickett Street.
Thank you for reading. Let’s hope things are stable enough for stretch jeans next week.
With love for Los Angeles and everyone I share it with,
Jane
Thank you Jane for writing this. It was nice to read something other than my neighborhood What'sApp. xoxo
My broken heart is with you 😚