Fashion Parties Never Stop in L.A.
For the Los Angeles’ fashion scene, no rest is permitted because store parties have been keeping social calendars busy.
Former Dior designer Alexis Mabille dropped by the elegant debut party of fashion boutique Arcade on Oct. 23. Arcade was a good choice for Mabille to make a stop. The new boutique is devoted to high-fashion and designer labels such as Vivienne Westwood, Ungaro, Doo.Ri and Mabille’s namesake line. Arcade owner Rochelle Gores said she has plans to build more stores in the near future.Arcade is located at 8473 Melrose Ave. near the exclusive designer street Melrose Place.
On the same night, players in the contemporary and premium denim scenes partied at the store debut for casual line Ever at 8251 Melrose Ave. Lucky Brand Jeans chiefs Gene Montesano and Barry Perlman, boutique owner Lisa Kline, Revolveclothing.com co-owner Michael Mente as well as Billy Stade, owner of The Closet boutique, showed up to support the new Ever store, which seemed to be designed to look like a hip workshop space. Perlman, one of Ever’s first investors, said a Malibu store is expected to open in February.
What would a Los Angeles fashion party be without a hint of celebrity? On Oct. 22, the celeb fashion T-shirt line for new TV show Beverly Hills 90210 made a splash at Kitson Studio store party on 142 N. Robertson Blvd.
Also on Oct 22, Monterey, Calif.-based handbag and accessories designer Stella Page held a party for her first 500-square-foot store Stella Page Design at 8576 Melrose Ave. It is located across the street from the highly popular eatery Urth Cafeacute;. Paige said she happened across the property recently and took out a 6-month lease. “It was an impulse buy,” she said of the property.The store is a showcase for her handbags and accessories that mix function and art.
Possibly the reddest of the red carpets was rolled out for the debut of Catherine Malandrino Maison on Oct. 20. Malandrino greeted visitors and VIPs at her collection’s emporium at 651-653 La Cienega Blvd. in Los Angeles. Her good friend, singer Mary J. Blige, gave a champagne toast. Assembled guests celebrated the new store by eating chocolate cake served at the gala. They included celebrities Dita Von Teese, Rosario Dawson, stylists Kendrick Osorio and George Blodwell and Decades II co-owner Christos Garkinos.
Garkinos knows a thing or two about parties. His high-end vintage store Decades II and e-commerce shop HauteLook.net had a fete at Decades Melrose Avenue boutique, located at 8214 Melrose Ave., on Oct. 15. The theme was the Kennedy-era advertising world of the TV cable series “Mad Men,” televised on the AMC network. For atmosphere, Decades’ display cases exhibited 46-year-old Life and Look magazines, a strange machine called a typewriter, and the staple prop of “Mad Men” cigarettes.
The party also gave a sneak peak at a new sweater-line collaboration between fashion label French Connection and Darren Gold, owner of West Hollywood boutique Alpha. The line will be called French Connection Exclusively For Alpha.
On Oct. 14, Costa Mesa surf brand Hurley traveled up to Los Angeles nightclub Apple (no relation to the computer maker,) in order to show a surf- and-skate angle on the venerable fashion item; the corset. The occasion was the 2nd annual Hurley Art Chest where artists and celebrities customized corsets and T-shirts to be auctioned off to benefit Boarding for Breast Cancer.
The bright faces of Hurley’s marketing campaign, Bar Rafaeli and Rob Machado, were reportedly in the surf glitterati crowd. Yet what seemed to fascinate was the many different looks of the surfmaker’s corsets and T-shirts spoofing corset designs. Girly corset looks had to take a back seat in this surfy crowd.
Hurley marketer Paul Gomez put two fake pistols on the corset he designed. Another corset, attributed to actor Sarah Chalke, featured starfish and sequins.
Also being auctioned were artist-designed T-shirts. Surf artist and historian C.R. Stecyk designed a T-shirt of fish swimming around a corset. Disney artist Jason Maloney drew two cats resting in a corset on his T-shirt for the cause. Bids on the items will be taken until the end of October.
For more information, visit www.hurley.com/ms/girls/artchest/2008/ —Andrew Asch
