Short shorts in La Jolla

I love La Jolla in early August. The weather has yet to reach the sweltering early-September temperatures and the heavy crowds of June and July have thinned out a bit.

There is some terrific shopping to be had in the tourist trap section of downtown La Jolla. For bargain shoppers there is Pink Zone, where nearly everything is under $35 — shoes, bras, dresses, adorable floral rompers, and so forth. A few short steps away you’ll find Francesca's, a girly boutique brimming with delicate dresses, blouses, and fun accessories at reasonable prices.

A favorite among locals is LF. LF carries an assortment of Jeffrey Campbell shoes, Carmar clothing (exclusive to LF), and a variety of California-based apparel brands.

I ran into two well-dressed LF sales girls, Mallie Koczon and Elim Cho, on a beautiful San Diego day.

19-year old Koczon wore a remade vintage jacket from First of a Kind.

“They are a really cool brand. They remake vintage jackets and do different washes and embellishments.”

Koczon, who is a Coronado native going to college in Pennsylvania, has a shoe obsession.

“I love all my Jeffrey Campbell shoes. They are my favorites.”

“In five years, I see myself in LA acting,” Koczon told me.

Her daisy-themed pale-blue jumper is by Paper Heart and was purchased at LF, along with her jacket.

“We get a really good discount,” she explained.

Elim Cho also opted for a floral-themed outfit, only hers was two-piece.

“My jacket and shorts are Mika & Gala and my top is by Paper Heart.” Cho describes her style as comfy-casual-grunge.

A bit further south, in the Bird Rock neighborhood of La Jolla, I ran into Australian tourists Kristen Harris, Leanna Fraze, Tess Fraze, and Mallory Peterson. Tess and Leanne are triplets. (Their brother was not invited to join the trip.)

“We just got into town yesterday,” Kristen told me. “We really like San Diego so far. We like that there are more locals than tourists. It’s just really cool here,” she said.

The foursome rented a cottage in Mission Beach for a night before they head off to Vegas.

“In Australia we can drink at 18,” explained Mallory.

“We can’t get into any clubs or bars here,” said Tess, “so there is not a whole lot we can do.”

The group planned on spending the day biking around town and heading out for dinner in the evening.