Eleven of Us boutique opens in Silver Lake

Eleven of Us, a new women's and tweens fashion boutique specializing in colorful casual wear, opened last week near Sunset Junction in Silver Lake (1404 Micheltorena St. at the corner of Sunset Boulevard.)

The 1,000-square-foot space was launched by 4-year-old Vernon, Calif.-based brand Erge Designs, which is carried in over 500 stores worldwide, including Fred Segal and Bloomingdale's locally. The brand, which creates vibrant printed tops and dresses, represents half the store's inventory, sharing space with like-minded brands including Notify and Curtsey.

"Like any other manufacturer, we have to over-cut and make more than we need to," said David Charles Keeton, chief financial officer of Erge Designs. "We had stock sitting in our warehouse and we thought we'd try a store."

Keeton, who co-owns the brand with designer Frank Quijada, said the company chose Silver Lake as their first retail destination because, "This is the hot area -- it feels right. We also were able to get a short-term lease here so we could try it out."

The store isn't just well-located -- its merchandise is priced to move. Knit dresses, hoodies, tees and slouchy scarves, many of which are samples and overstock, are priced under $65, with most Erge Design tops priced around $25.

The name Eleven of Us references the 11 family members of Quijada's who work for the company. "Everyone loves the name," noted Keeton. "It just felt right."

-- Emili Vesilind

Street Fashion: Silver Lake

Follow the Image section on Twitter

Photo credit: Emili Vesilind

Meet Disney's newest princess at Westfield Culver City

Hear ye, hear ye: For the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Disney Store in the Westfield Culver City Shopping Center on Saturday, the Magic Kingdom is trotting out its newest royalty to meet the public.

Princess Tiana, from the upcoming movie "The Princess and the Frog," has apparently penciled 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. into her royal itinerary, and will be receiving guests and posing for photos in the mall court for what we're told is one of the few opportunities to see her in the flesh before the movie debuts on Nov. 25.

What's more, the first 100 kids in the store after its 10 a.m. opening will get free kid-sized Mickey Mouse ears, and everybody gets a 20%-off coupon to use toward purchases this weekend.

No word if Prince Naveen of Maldonia -- in human or amphibian form -- will be part of the royal entourage. If he jumps into the scene as the latter, practice your puckers, ladies.

The Disney Store at Westfield Culver City, 6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City.

-- Adam Tschorn

Follow the Image section on Twitter

Photo: Prince Naveen and Princess Tiana in a still from the upcoming Disney movie "The Princess and the Frog." Tiana is set to turn up at the new Disney Store in Culver City on Saturday to meet her subjects and pose for pictures. Credit: Disney Enterprises Inc. 

William Rast opens its first stores in Century City, San Jose and Cabazon

"Sexy," Justin Timberlake-style, has arrived in California.

William Rast, the denim-based line co-founded by the pop singer and his childhood friend, Trace Ayala, opened its first-ever stores last week: two full-priced boutiques in Century City and San Jose, respectively, and an outlet store in Cabazon, Calif.

The full-priced stores -- which boast bold-and-boxy plywood elements that help affect a raw, industrial look -- carry the full assortment of the brand, with half the stores dedicated to menswear and the other half to women's apparel. There are plenty of jeans, of course, but also sporty leather jackets, woven shirts and silk tops (for women).

"Surprisingly, we only started this process about four months ago, and all the stores opened on time," said Colin Dyne, chief executive officer of William Rast. He added, "I think the architecture, the fixturing and the combination of light wood with black-and-white and neon – the design [of the stores] is a combination of new and old. It’s got a very architectural look to it."

And the company is just getting started. There's a plan to roll out 40 to 50 stores over the next two and a half years -- with roughly seven stores already in the negotiations phase.

--Emili Vesilind

Photo of the Century City store courtesy of William Rast.

Louboutin open its doors in West Hollywood

I’ve always loved the stretch of Robertson Boulevard between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue — the site of cute restaurants, home interior stores and several high-end shops that have popped up in recent years.

And with the new Christian Louboutin boutique kicking off its opening last night with a shopping event complete with champagne foot baths, the block has even more appeal, even if all you are in the market for is a little drooling and window shopping.

The quaint, two-story shop with a charming courtyard filled up quickly Thursday night, with several die-hard Louboutin shoppers and plenty of people who mostly gravitated to the champagne table.  Party guest Renges Fabris donned a sparkly pair of silver Louboutins from last fall, but has already scooped up about seven pairs from this season and was eyeing a pair of hot pink, patent leather heels from the holiday collection.  “They’re like the original Barbie shoes,” Fabris said.

Upstairs, the usually closed-off VIP room was set up to give guests champagne foot baths.  Rose petals and champagne were poured into tubs while ladies had their tootsies pampered.

And as if you needed more décor than the shoes themselves, the shop is filled with fun and unique treasures from Mr. Louboutin's travels, far and near.  A beaded zebra-print chair and a giant white bird statue were hauled in from the Rose Bowl flea market and hand-blown glass bubbles made in Syria hang on the entire stairwell.  The space is one of the largest Louboutin boutiques in the world, modeled after the shop on Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Paris.  Bigger store just means more shoes to love.

Christian Louboutin, 650 N. Robertson Blvd. West Hollywood.

— Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: Christian Louboutin neon sign and a pair of sparkly shoes from the collection/Melissa Magsaysay

Store openings: Orange County's Henri Bendel opens Friday

Henri Bendel, the storied New York Fifth Avenue retailer, unveils the first of its two new Southern California stores on Friday. The 2,000-square-foot boutique at South Coast Plaza stocks Bendel's array of handbags, jewelry, perfumes, scarves, chocolates and other gifts.

3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. (800) 423-6335. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

-- Max Padilla

Bendel heads to the Beverly Center this November

Follow the Image section on Twitter

First-ever Vans pop-up opens at Conveyor at Fred Segal Santa Monica

Vans opened its first pop-up store over the weekend at Conveyor at Fred Segal Santa Monica. Dubbed the Vault Shop at Conveyor, it will occupy the entire retail space until at least mid-January. It's being described as "the most complete collection of Vault by Vans found anywhere" and will serve up a deep bench of the brand’s higher-end, limited-edition product, including some re-releases of sold-out items and exclusive Vans x Conveyor collaborations.

The store opened on Friday with a showcase of shoes designed by artist Taka Hayashi, and we're promised additional featured guest artists (and an entirely new stock of product each month) along the way. Next up? A "Vans Comix" assortment featuring the artwork of R. Crumb, Rick Griffin and Robert Williams.

-- Adam Tschorn

Vans x R. Crumb Collaboration

Follow the Image section on Twitter

Photo: Through mid-January, Conveyor at Fred Segal Santa Monica has been remodeled into a Vans pop-up store, dubbed the Vault Shop at Conveyor, 420 Broadway, Santa Monica. Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Credit: Vans Inc.

Weekend Update: Reformed Pop-Up store, Esquivel shoe sample sale and more

Opening

-- On Saturday (Oct. 24), Reformed Pop-Up store at Space 15Twenty opens. The Reformation’s Yael Aflalo and Chi Bui are launching their Reformed collection for Urban Outfitters at Space 15Twenty with a cocktail reception. The temp store will carry the affordable Reformed collection ($48-108) plus the Reformation's one-of-a-kind pieces and leathers from Veda. RSVP to RSVP@space15twenty.com.

1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. 7 to 10 p.m. space15twenty.com

Events

-- Tonight (Oct. 22) and Saturday (Oct. 24), celebrate the launch of Peter Lamas Chinese Herb organic hair care ($20-45) at Fred Segal Beauty Mix. Legend Lamas, who coiffed Jacqueline Onassis, will greet  shoppers. Product samples and nosh provided. RSVP to events@lamasbeauty.com.

500 Broadway, Santa Monica. (310) 394-8509. 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Noon to 3 p.m. Saturday. www.lamasbeauty.com

-- Friday (Oct. 23) through Sunday, Westfield Topanga Style Tour lands in center court starring "Project Runway" finalist Laura Bennett and Tori Spelling. At 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Friday, Bennett doles out style tips. At 1 p.m. Saturday, Spelling hosts makeovers for shoppers. At noon Sunday, beauty consultations will be offered to shoppers.

6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park. (818) 594-8740. Noon to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday. westfield.com/topanga

-- On Saturday (Oct. 24), Hello Kitty kicks off the celebrations leading up to her 35th birthday with a Super Fan Day. Hello Kitty Super Fan Day starts off with a bento box workshop, followed by Karaoke and happy hour for adults. Meet “Kitty Mama” head designer Yuko Yamaguchi in from Tokyo and Tokidoki’s Simone Legno from Italy who will launch the Hello Kitty x Tokidoki 35th Anniversary collection.

Royal/T, 8910 Washington Blvd., Culver City. (310) 559-6300. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. www.royal-t.org

Sales

-- Starting Friday (Oct. 23) through Sunday (Oct. 25), Alpha menswear boutique is having a pre-holiday blowout.  Gift ideas on sale include $23 Lexon Mini Dolman Radios (regular price $63), $20 Aquala bamboo bath caddy (reg. $50), $60 Taschen Ingrid Bergman archives (reg. $200), $15 Give and Take charity T-shirts ($55). Also, Alpha is offering through Nov. 27 a “one for you, one for you” promotion: spend $100 or more and receive a $25 gift certificate.

8625 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. (310) 855-0775. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. www.alpha-man.com

-- On Friday through Sunday, L.A. Eyeworks is having its annual sale on signature designs discounted up to 80% off and starting at $25.

7407 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 653-8255. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. laeyeworks.com

-- Starting Friday through Sunday, Oliver Peoples is having a sale on selected sunglasses and optical styles priced from $79 to $99. Prescription services will also be 30% off.

8642 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 657-2553.10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

3900 Cross Creek Road, Malibu. (310) 456-1333. 10 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. (714) 557-7000.

3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. (714) 557-7000 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. Sunday. www.oliverpeoples.com

Sample sales

-- On Friday  through Sunday, Creative Recreation, the L.A.-based stylish sneaker brand is holding a sample sale in the Sportie LA parking lot featuring men’s, women’s and kid’s styles from current and past seasons. Shoes are going for up to 70% off retail.

7753 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles. (310) 278-7328. Noon to 6 p.m. www.cr8tiverecreation.com

-- On Saturday, Esquivel is holding a one-day-only sample sale with “friends & family” pricing on made-to-order shoes, with prices starting at $250.
8309 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles (entrance through Sweetzer Avenue or Flores Avenue).11 a.m. to 5 p.m. esquivelshoes.com

-- On Friday through Sunday, Rock & Republic is having a giant sample sale taking up to 80% off retail prices on men’s, women’s and kid’s clothing, including denim. Credit cards accepted.

Sony Studios, 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City (entrance on Overland Ave.). 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. rockandrepublic.com

-- Max Padilla

Photo: A look from the Reformed. Credit: Courtesy the Reformed

Q&A: 'Queen of comfort' Rachel Pally opens new pop-up shop Thursday

Rachel Pally makes some of the most comfortable clothes in creation -- whipping up chic dresses and tops in super-soft, colorful jersey fabric. And now devotees of the L.A.-based designer will be able to check out her entire collection in the flesh and under one roof.

Pally is debuting a new pop-up shop inside a formerly empty storefront on La Brea Avenue today -- kicking things off with an invite-only launch party hosted by actress and Pally fan Amy Smart. The store will open to the public Thursday.

We chatted with the queen of comfy cool on her new ephemeral endeavor:

All the Rage: Why did you decide to do a pop-up store?

Rachel Pally: Why not? There are so many vacancies everywhere and I kept reading about everyone opening these pop-ups, and I thought, why not me?

What’s the space like?

We transformed this raw space into something cute. We did a little Ikea, had some racks made, we bought nice hangers…and I have all this stock. It’s about 1,000 or 1,200 square feet. We have photos on the walls, but mostly it’s cement floors and white walls and tons of colorful clothing.

What can shoppers expect in terms of merchandise?

We have current fall and holiday -- the new stuff that’s in stores right now -- and also old spring and summer looks on sale in the sale loft, marked down 40% to 50%. We also did a couple of new styles in heather gray especially for the store.

How long with the pop-up be around?

A couple of months. I’m not really sure yet; it’s open-ended.

We heard you will be hanging out at the shop a bit…

I will be in the store once a week. I feel like my brand is for local shoppers -- a lot of people have been coming to my sample sales and I’ve personally been able to make a connection with some people. We’ve been seeing a lot of excitement on Twitter and Facebook.

Rachel Pally’s pop-up boutique will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday; 456 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 932-0907.

-- Emili Vesilind

RELATED:

Follow the Image section on Twitter

Right Bank Babies Shoppe to bow at Hollywood + Highland

Sure, buying swanky baby clothes might not be high on your list of priorities right now. But if outfitting your bambino in Carter's cotton is losing its luster, you'll be happy to hear that one of the most froufrou of all baby brands, Right Bank Babies, is launching its own store at the Hollywood + Highland complex.

Slated to open Oct. 15, the Right Bank Babies Shoppe will feature the brand's delightfully over-the-top signature pieces (which are all reversible, so if Betty dribbles meatball down her dress, there's an instant fix.)

Store openings: Michael Stars in Newport Beach

Michael Stars, the L.A.-based company known for its T-shirts and casual wear, opened its first boutique in Orange County in late September. The Michael Stars boutique at Fashion Island features tees, tanks outerwear and dresses plus accessories -- belts, eyewear, hats and scarves from $49 to $199.

1005 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. (949) 999-0750. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. michaelstars.com

-- Max Padilla

Follow the Image section on Twitter.