Established in NYC in 2002 by California natives Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, Opening Ceremony (a concept store based loosely around the Olympics) has turned Charlie Chaplin’s former dance studio on La Cienega into a West Coast offshoot filled with seasonal fashion face-offs for both genders. This year, it’s USA vs. Sweden.

From the outside Opening Ceremony's presence is marked by a subtle freestanding white sign—it's so cool it doesn't need a flashy storefront to draw in customers. We heard indie rock drifting out of the entrance before we even saw the entrance (to the right, through a pair of French doors). Inside, the floor plan twists and turns, connecting 12 rooms lined with über-stylish, esoteric pieces by Alexandre Herchcovitch, Hussein Chalayan, United Bamboo, Proenza Schouler, Topshop (including Kate Moss’s self-reflexive collection), Rachel Comey, the store's own line, and local designers like Katy Rodriguez and Band of Outsiders. Plexi has replaced plaster in a few sections of the walls with jewelry like NYC's Driftwood. Other quirks include dressing rooms made from faux house fronts, complete with working knockers, ping-pong tables topped with a pink and a yellow rendition of our state flag, display books, and Opening Ceremony's own line of candles. Since the current competitor is Sweden, the store is filled with Acne Jeans and Minimarket, plus Swedish independent music, art publications, home objects and accessories—some of which will be supplanted by another culture when the next competition begins. This September, to celebrate this outpost's opening, it's NYC vs. LA. But isn't it always? — Lyndsey Saul