To me, there's nothing sexier than a man in a suit. So you can imagine my horror, upon arriving in L.A. six months ago, to discover that dressing up for a West Coast man involves pairing a Marc Jacobs t-shirt with his jeans; that a graffiti-print hoodie is acceptable cocktail attire; and that hours are spent perfecting that ever-so-charming 'Walk of Shame' look.

Just when I began resigning myself to the idea of a life of long-distance relationships, I discovered Lova. Making its debut for Spring 2008, the label combines the slickness of European menswear with West Coast comfort and ease. Hailing from Australia and Los Angeles, design trio Daniel Murphy, Nicholas Apostolopoulos and Giuseppe Valentini not only shared a common disdain for the local ripped-jeans-and-flip-flops look, but noticed that their friends were starting to tire of it too.

"There's been a huge movement towards over-branding in men's fashion," says Murphy. "But a lot of people want to look unassuming, not like a walking advertisement. We want to make it easy for someone to look cool in an understated way."

The result is a streamlined take on old-fashioned menswear, all made from natural materials in downtown L.A. Standout pieces include the perfect pair of slim-fitting dress shorts, shirts crafted in vintage-inspired prints, tissue-thin layering cardigans and tanks, and 100 percent silk trousers made for muggy SoCal summers. Not that the collection's all prim and proper—there's also a pair of hip-hugging white skinny jeans that appear to have been lifted straight from Razorlight's tour wardrobe.

It appears that the Lova guys are on to something—their first collection has already been picked up from Dallas to Istanbul. But they're remaining pragmatic about their success. "We're aiming for slow, steady growth," says Murphy. "We want to be around for a long time." I think I can speak for girls everywhere when I say I hope they are, too.

Lova's Spring collection will be showcased in Revolveclothing.com's temporary pop-up boutique at 8452 Melrose Avenue. For other L.A. locations, visit www.lovadesign.com.

- Erin Magner

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