Fashion Island unveils $100 million renovation project

Ritzy Fashion Island in Newport Beach -- already home to Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's and Juicy Couture -- today announced a massive renovation project to upgrade the beachfront shopping center.

Among the additions: a Nordstrom store, slated to open April 2010; a Dean & DeLuca gourmet grocery; hand-carved fountains and a 24-foot-high water wall; new cafes and outdoor seating areas; and more parking spaces.

The project will cost more than $100 million and is expected to be completed by mid-2011, according to executives at the Irvine Co., which owns the open-air shopping center.

"It's important for all retail centers to reinvent themselves over time," said Keith Eyrich, president of Irvine Co. Retail Properties, in an interview. "People are going to see something they wouldn't see anywhere else."

-- Andrea Chang

Photo: Shoppers -- and their pooches -- stroll one of Fashion Island's paseos. Credit: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times

ELuxury to shut retail operations Friday; closeout sale underway

ELuxury, the high-end e-commerce site owned by Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is shutting its retail operations Friday -- which means steep discounts on Dolce & Gabbana heels, Marc Jacobs dresses and Fendi tote bags.

Of course, even at closeout prices many of the site's offerings still carry jaw-dropping price tags, such as a $2,605 Versace draped one-shoulder dress on sale for $1,563.

ELuxury announced this month that the site would be redeveloped as "an online destination for stylish editorial content" that the company would unveil later this year. Launched in 2000, ELuxury features apparel, accessories and beauty products from some of the world's most elite designers.

-- Andrea Chang

Photo: Dolce & Gabbana's painted eel slingbacks are on sale for $330 (down from $825) at ELuxury.com. Credit: ELuxury

$6,295 shoes coming to South Coast Plaza

Christian Louboutin, the man behind one of the most coveted brands in shoes, will celebrate the U.S. debut of his limited-edition Marie Antoinette Collection at his pricey boutique in South Coast Plaza on Tuesday.

Shoppers interested in buying the exclusive shoes should be prepared to fork over the big bucks: Only 36 pairs of the shoes exist in the world, and each pair costs a whopping $6,295. The shoes are available in three colors -- pink, blue and yellow -- and were designed in collaboration with embroidery house Jean-Francois Lesage.

Shoppers can meet Louboutin at his namesake store in the mall from noon to 4 p.m.; the Costa Mesa shopping center is the only West Coast stop for the collection.

-- Andrea Chang

Confessions of a real-life shopaholic

I’m Claudia. I’m a shopaholic.

I’m also an entertainment business reporter for The Times who wrote a recent article about Disney’s wacky new comedy “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” which opens in theaters today. Based on Sophie Kinsella’s bestselling series of chick-lit books, the film stars Isla Fisher as a financial journalist and retail addict who shops her way into some serious credit card debt. She’s hopelessly in love with designer clothes and heels -- and has stacks of bills to prove it.

When my precious mother read the piece, she left me an endearing message on my voicemail at work: “Congratulations on your autobiography darling!”

Wow. The truth bites! Hey, who needs a 12-step program when you can get an unsolicited dose of Jewish guilt from your biggest fan?

So, here it is. Confessions of a real-life shopaholic:

-- I can’t resist a sale at Barneys New York.

-- I’m addicted to flea markets (well, there’s no such thing as having too many vintage watches or another cool black-and-white photo of strange people).

-- Finding a new pair of Converse sneakers in a color I don’t already have is, well ... thrilling.

-- You can never own enough U.S.A.-made pottery from the ‘30s and ‘40s -- especially if it’s white.

-- It’s really hard to go more than five days without buying a little something.

All that said, after seeing “Shopaholic” I decided to enroll myself into my own self-help recovery program. And, thanks to my loving, nagging mom, I’m in the throes of trying to pay down all that horrific credit card debt.

But let me be perfectly clear about something. Even though I’m admittedly a pretty hopeless shopaholic, I’m not nearly as pathetic as Fisher’s character Rebecca Bloomwood in the Disney movie. I mean, in one scene she actually goes so far as to get into a physical brawl with another customer over a pair of half-priced Gucci boots!

Now, a pair of black Prada loafers? Well, that’s a different story. I’d kill for those. (I hope my mom’s not reading this!)

-- Claudia Eller

Photo: Isla Fisher, second from right, in a scene from "Confessions of a Shopaholic." Credit: Robert Zuckerman / Disney via Associated Press

For $50,000, you can stop her from shopping at Zappos.com -- forever

Last month we told you about a JCPenney viral marketing campaign that allowed women to send their loved ones to a virtual "doghouse" for failing to buy them diamonds.

Now Zappos.com is giving people another way to get back at their significant others for bad shopping habits: Spouses who are frustrated by how much their partners spend at the online retailer can buy a $50,000 T-shirt that comes with a "Cease and Desist" guarantee -- meaning the company will permanently disable the significant other's account for life.

"It is definitely a tongue-and-cheek kind of thing and meant to be lighthearted and fun," said Diane Coffey, a Zappos.com spokeswoman. She said the idea came after many people jokingly complained that their spouses spent too much money buying shoes and clothing from the site and that it was causing relationship and financial strains.

"We are confident that any buyer of the T-shirt and service will be 100% satisfied with the purchase," said Tony Hsieh, chief executive of Zappos.com. "More importantly, we will be satisfied with the $50,000 that we receive and the relationships we save."

The T-shirts are available in five colors with choices that are "suitable for wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend or 'it's complicated,' " the company said. The shirt will be hand-delivered by a member of the Zappos Customer Loyalty Team.

-- Andrea Chang

Photo: Can't stand how much your girlfriend spends on shoes from Zappos.com, like these $929 Alexander McQueen open-toe pumps? For $50,000, you can ensure she'll never shop at the site again. Credit: Zappos.com

Viking rings and other gifts you can't afford

If you're still stuck at work this close to Christmas, you're probably staring off into the distance, dreaming of what you could have bought if you magically found the $50 billion Bernie Madoff swindled out of various people across the country. You might be able to dispose of it quickly with Neiman Marcus' Christmas Book. The annual catalog details ways to spend excessive amounts of money on things you didn't even know existed. So in case you've somehow stumbled across a few billion this holiday season, here are some ways you could part with it.

Love the Dallas Cowboys? Love grass (the kind on the ground)? Maybe you want to shell out $500,000 on the 530 square yards of Texas Stadium's end zone. The stadium is being put out to pasture, and they're selling off the parts. Your friends will be able to see the big "Cowboys" logo when they fly over your house in their private jets! (Though installation isn't included.) It comes with a VIP package to attend the opening of the new stadium in 2009, and autographed memorabilia from Cowboy legends.

If you're more of a music maven than a sports guy, you can spend $275,000 on every single 45 rpm vinyl record listed on the Billboard Top 100 charts from 1955 to 1990. Hope you have a big closet. And a record player. Or else this gift might be kind of like buying Confederate money after the Civil War.

But maybe Christmas is the time for you to ask that special lady to be your wife. She might not say no if you give her an original medieval or Renaissance ring or two. One of them is supposedly from the days Viking chieftains gave warriors rings before they headed off to battle Orcs or whatever enemies they fought back then. How romantic. That'll run you $25,000 and up. Then you can cozy up to her parents and ask them to shell out $1.3 million on a luxury destination wedding package in ... Newport Beach. They'll get a couture wedding dress and 40 ocean-view guest villas as part of the deal. Bring your own booze.

Enough about her. Let's talk more about you and your sports dreams. Maybe you always wanted to play basketball for the Lakers but run as slow as molasses. For only $110,000, you can get guaranteed playing time on the Harlem Globetrotters. You also get an official uniform (what, you thought you were going to play in your college sweatshirt?) and introduction as a special guest. If golf is more your thing, the same amount of money will get you a three-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Yard not included. How will you choose?

Don't believe us? Go check it out yourself. We haven't even told you about the $10-million thoroughbred racing stable package, the $250,000 authentic Guinness Home Pub, or the $100,000 M-Velope Transformable Structure (no, sorry, it's not a real Transformer). There's lots more stuff in the catalog too: expensive jewelry and clothing and sultry models. So whip out all the credit cards you haven't cut in half this year and start a' spending. Because if 2008 has taught us anything, it's that large sums of money rarely stay in anyone's pocket for long.

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Sure, money's tight. But can you afford a few hours with the Dallas Cheerleaders? Credit: pcxHB via Flickr

Sending "bad" gift-givers to the doghouse

Ladies, did your loved one forget to buy you diamonds for Christmas this year? JCPenney says send 'em to the doghouse.

The department store chain recently began a viral marketing campaign that allows women to banish their significant others to an online "doghouse" using their names and photos. The "Beware of the Doghouse" site is intended to be a light-hearted way to "punish him for the thoughtless gifts he's given you or for anything else he's done."

How does one get out of the doghouse? By purchasing diamond jewelry from JCPenney, of course.

The site gives tips on some of the chain's most affordable diamond items, such as its three-stone ring and diamond studs.

Go here to throw someone in the doghouse or to see who's already inside.

-- Andrea Chang

Photo: One of JCPenney's diamond necklaces could be your ticket out of the doghouse. Credit: JCPenney

Snap up your 15 minutes of fame

 

What better gift for the Hollywood-obsessed than actually owning a little piece of it?

It’s a Wrap, which calls itself the “the only company on the planet” that lets the general public buy actual wardrobe and props from movie and TV sets, has two Los Angeles brick-and-mortar locations and an online site from which you can pick up some nifty finds for the holidays.

Inventory is constantly changing and since many items are one-of-a-kind, this isn’t for the shopping-hesitant. It also may not be for the fuller-figured, since –- as we learned in “The Devil Wore Prada” -- size 6 is the new 14 and many Hollywood starlets consider celery stalks a full-on meal.

The website very thoughtfully suggests that some items might be framed and displayed as home decorations.

A recent item from the website was a Levi's faded denim miniskirt with a custom ruffle, worn on the set of “Hannah Montana.” The waist measures 15 inches and it’s going for $115. If that seems pricey, you don’t have a 10-year-old.

-- Ann Brenoff

Photo: Clearly, a fan. Credit: Anne Cusack  / Los Angeles Times

Early-bird opening times on Black Friday

Can't get to sleep after all that turkey? Head out to some of the early-bird specials at retailers across Southern California. Here's what time they'll let the hordes in:

Citadel Outlets in Commerce: 11 p.m. Thanksgiving Day

Glendale Galleria: 5 a.m. Friday, but a handful of stores are holding midnight madness events.

South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa: 8 a.m.

Americana at Brand in Glendale: 9 a.m.

The Grove in Los Angeles: 9 a.m.

Beverly Center near West Hollywood: 8 a.m.

Fashion Island in Newport Beach: 10 a.m., but some stores will open earlier.

Disney Store: Half of the chain's stores will open at midnight.

Toys "R" Us: 5 a.m.

Kohl's: 4 a.m.

Sears: 5 a.m.

Macy's: The majority of stores will open at 5 a.m.

Target: 6 a.m.

Home Depot: 6 a.m.

Staples: 6 a.m.

Best Buy: 5 a.m.

Circuit City: 5 a.m.

Fry's: 5 a.m.

Lowe's: 6 a.m.

Individual store hours may vary. Can't wait to start your shopping? Some Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy stores will be open Thursday. Big Lots will also be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Turkey Day.

-- Andrea Chang and Tiffany Hsu

Massive sale underway at Saks in Beverly Hills

It was a madhouse today at the Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, which began holding a special pre-sale event with discounts of as much as 70%.

"Everything, like even the new designs, is on sale," said one sales associate. "I recommend coming down."

Actually, not everything in the store was on sale, even though it seemed like it. Discounted merchandise included Christian Louboutin heels and Marc Jacobs handbags.

After hearing about the sale from her husband's co-worker, Sam Kadkhoda, 29, rushed to Saks -- only to wait an hour before finding parking. Kadkhoda, a pharmacist from West L.A., said she planned to spend about $2,000 on a couple of handbags and a wallet.

"I wouldn't have bought it if it weren't on sale," she said. "I can't afford it otherwise."

No reason for why the store is doing this, but chances are the miserable economic situation is to thank. Sales associates said such heavy discounts are typically saved for Black Friday. The sale continues through Tuesday, we're told.

The store, located at 9600 Wilshire Blvd., closes at 8 p.m. today.

-- Andrea Chang

Photos: Hundreds of shoppers packed the Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills today to get discounts of as much as 70%. Credit: Andrea Chang