JSLALALAND

CITY & ITS PEOPLE

The LA fashion slang translator

In LA, when a friend says 'It's giving coastal grandmother,' they're not calling you old. The 12 most common fashion phrases, each with how people actually dress that way here. Get them, and tomorrow's outfit sorts itself out.

Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.

Key points

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  1. No.01｜Clean girl

    Looks like no effort, but every detail is handled: glowy skin, a low ponytail, little gold earrings, a white tee with wide-leg pants, an iced matcha in hand. The point is to 'look well-rested.'

  2. No.02｜Quiet luxury

    Very expensive, but no visible logos: beige, gray, navy, cashmere sweaters, beautifully cut trousers. Most common in Beverly Hills and Brentwood; the quieter, the pricier.

  3. No.03｜Old money

    Looks like the family's had money for a long time: white shirt, sweater draped over the shoulders, straight-leg pants, loafers. Close to quiet luxury, with a little more tennis club.

  4. No.04｜Coastal grandmother

    Linen shirt, loose white pants, a woven bag, a bunch of flowers and a glass of white wine. It's not calling you old; it's saying you know how to live. Malibu and Santa Monica weekends are full of it.

  5. No.05｜Elevated basics

    A white tee, jeans and a jacket, but every piece is beautiful quality. The most common LA look; it seems simple, but it's the biggest test of fabric.

  6. No.06｜Athleisure

    Wearing workout clothes, but not to work out: matching leggings, an oversized hoodie, a baseball cap, clean sneakers. In LA, this is the most common 'formalwear.'

  7. No.07｜Model off-duty

    Looks careless, but the proportions are perfect: an oversized blazer, a cropped top, wide-leg pants or shorts, tiny sunglasses, sneakers.

  8. No.08｜Boho

    Free, romantic, a little hippie: maxi dresses, fringe, cowboy boots, a wide-brim hat, lots of layered necklaces. The desert and Topanga are its home turf.

  9. No.09｜Monochrome

    One color family head to toe: all oatmeal, all black or all white. When you don't know how to put an outfit together, this is the easiest trick.

  10. No.10｜Capsule wardrobe

    10–15 basics that all mix with each other to make lots of outfits. Migrating birds living in two cities need this most.

  11. No.11｜Effortless

    Spending 40 minutes to look like you spent 4. The highest compliment in LA style.

  12. No.12｜"It's giving..."

    'Very… vibes': "It's giving main character" = major main-character energy. "It's giving." on its own means 'love it,' a complete compliment in itself.

  13. Bonus | How Angelenos compliment an outfit

    "Obsessed with this fit!" = I love your outfit; "Where did you get that?" means they genuinely want to know. Getting complimented by strangers is common in LA; just say "Thank you!"

  14. Two-city mirror

    Taipei's style adjectives are 氣質 (graceful), Korean style, Japanese style, artsy, commuter; LA's are clean girl, quiet luxury, effortless. Taipei dresses for the occasion; LA dresses for the lifestyle.

  15. Labels go out of style; liking yourself doesn't

    Trend names keep changing; 2026 is clean girl, and next it'll be something else. But every LA look is saying the same thing: I want to look like I really love my life.

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An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).