There are two holiday shopping parties around town tonight – that we know of! There are probably a lot more! Trink Turk at 8008 West Third St. from 7 to 9 tonight (Thurs Dec 10) is offering discounts, holiday cookies, drinks, raffles, and ten percent of proceeds being donated to the Make a Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. We like this new long dress of hers, pictured here. Anthropologie at 211 South Beverly Drive is offering a fifteen percent discount to all who come tonight to a “Socks and Shoes” holiday soiree to benefit the Equestrian Aid Foundation, from 7 to 10pm. Now, they ARE charging $75 for entrance – we thought we should warn you. But it is a charity event. For more info, call 800 792 6068.

We love “window shopping” on Anthropologie’s website – it’s true that some pieces look better online than in the store, but with Anthropologie, that’s generally not true. There are great sweaters and coats under $200. And we found this dress, called “the thousand tier” dress – in black or grey, with lovely sheer cap sleeves – that retails for $188.00. We noticed that it’s not dissimilar from the dress on the Banana Republic Christmas campaign poster – a black tiered dress. But Anthropologie’s clothes generally fit better than Banana Republic. And we like the smoky grey option – very now. Very winter 2009. And it will still look good this spring.

These days, fashion shows are turning into boring little affairs, with clothes hanging on racks or models, and there’s very little hair, makeup or model artistry going on because of costs – let alone, food and wine. But L.A.’S own Corey Lynn Calter, whose clothes are sold at Anthropologie and Hilary Rush, held an actual sit down dinner on Tuesday night on Melrose Place. She was lucky enough to procure an empty space on Melrose Place that’s handled by gallerist/book dealer and art dealer Jonathan Brown (of Lead Apron, across the street, in the Rose Tarlow building near Marni), and it was all table clothes, white candles, champagne and cod for a dinner that included Shiva Rose, L.A. Magazine’s Laurie Pike, stylists George Kotsiopolous and Jessica Paster, Cameron Silver, Rose Apodoca, Magda and Alex Berliner, and Corey’s fab pr and production gals, Jen Green and Shana Honeyman of Genevieve Productions. To show the collection first, Corey, with the help of her techie husband Glenn Kaino, shot a film that was projected on three screens, of the models in her colorful spring 2010 outfits walking, with the miracle of film, from one wall to the next, and answering silly questions – while looking great. It’s so imaginative to show clothes on a film – (more…)

Due to the sudden drop in temp around these parts – when it was in the nineties last week – it’s not clear how to dress for the weather. It’s still sunny and warm during the day – but when the sun goes down, it was VERY chilly yesterday. We say, immediately add a fuzzy colorful scarf to any outfit – it keeps you warm, and with a denim or leather jacket, it changes summer clothes into fall clothes in one minute – and it brings color to your face. We love these at Anthropologie. Some of them have a cute “rosette” quality and a lot of texture, a waviness to the knit, that looks very now. They range in price from $24 to a bit over a hundred dollars – and it’s not too
soon to think about – the dreaded Christmas presents! You can order them off anthropologie.com or pop in the new store on South of Beverly Drive, south of Wilshire, in BH.

This one’s a little different: “Man Shops Globe” is a new series on the Sundance Channel, with eight parts of the series, beginning on Wednesday October 7th at 10 pm. In each half hour program, the buyer at large for the eclectic chain Anthropologie is in a new landscape – Tunisia, the U.K., Paris flea markets, India, Turkey wherever – Keith Johnson shops with local experts to find unusual objects for the store. He’ll also interview local artisans, sculptors, glass blowers, and graffiti artists from around the world who inspire him. It’s being produced by World of Wonder, who also make “Tori and Dean” and “Rupaul’s Drag Race,” so you know it will be interesting and different.
This is the first time we can recall a buyer for a store taking people on shopping expeditions around the world, and we’re looking forward to this documentary style shopping show. –

Merle Ginsberg

Once the Paris fall shows are over next week, L.A. Fashion Week kicks off. The GenArt Show at BoxEight is on Friday night March 13th downtown, and there are shows the next day and Sunday in that space.

But the night of March 12th, there’s a lot of fashion activity in this old town: a book signing at the Stella McCartney store on Beverly and Robertson; a party at the new Anthropologie on South Beverly Drive, as the store on North Beverly Drive shuts down – and now we’ve learned that Petro Zillia, the colorful whimsical ultra-boho L.A. clothing line by Nony Tochteman (known for her multi-colored hair), will have an event on March 12th, Thursday, in their Third Street store at 8218 West Third St, a bit west of Crescent Heights. There will be 2-% off PZ’s wildly colorful spring collection, jewelry, and even free lash applications by Ja’Maal Buster, who calls himself “the eyelash guru to the stars.” We don’t care how much of a guru he is, we’re not sure we’d want our lashes done at a party, which friends watching on (it’s between 6PM and 9PM) – but then, there are free lashes, and you can’t sneeze at them.  RSVP to 323-782-0424 – and of course, on top of free lashes are just – free drinks. You can’t sneeze at them these days, either.

Anthropologie – one of the truly fun shopping experiences around, with its low priced and fun boho clothing, shoes, jewelry – and also, glassware, bedding, curtains, rugs and furniture – is leaving 320 N. Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. However, it is moving just a few blocks away – to 211 South Beverly Drive, below Wilshire, to a much larger space.

Beverly Drive south of Wilshire does not have luxury stores – so Anthropologie will have less shopping distraction and competition. The company seeks out individual looking spaces, and the new space was built in a 1948 office building. It has 10,000 square feet of space and two levels, and lots of natural light.

On Thursday, March 12th, the new store will have an opening night party with requisite cocktails, from 7PM to 9PM, which will feature singer songwriter Angel Taylor performing. There will also a special exhibition of clothing by LA-based designers. Believe it or not, you may not know – Anthropoligie carries Corey Lynn Calter, Ella Moss, Danang, Language, Anna Sui, Lauren Moffat, Mint, Tracy Reece, Development by Erica Davies, Bacini (lingerie designed by the owners of Satine), Velvet, Twinkle, Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent, Splendid, and very very cute shoes by cool labels like Bettye Muller and Chie Mihara.  

Why does a company pull up a major store and move only three blocks away? Clearly they think it’s a good idea – because it is an expensive move.

Designers from all over the world land in L.A. every season, often to be mentors at the Otis College of Art and Design’s Fashion Design Department – and while they’re in town working with students, they often lecture, do in-stores, trunk shows, etc.

Otis has a particularly good line up of visiting mentor designers for the 2008/2009 school year. They include Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders, Mark Badgley and James Mischka of Badgley Mischka, LA’s own Monique L’hullier, Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin (which used to be called Project Alabama), Liliana Casabel of Morgane LeFay and Max Azria of BCBG, who is based in L.A. These designers will work with the senior class. Todd Oldham, Patricia Marquis of Cosabella, David Meister, and top designers from Anthropologie and Hurley will work with the junior class. It’s all happening on a volunteer basis. The designers help the students go from beginning garment – to finished garment.

Just think of it as a real-life episode of “Project Runway.” When Otis students shows their designs on a real life runway in May or June, this is why they look so good.