Boutique Archives - LAFashionsnob.com

Vintage and Stella & Dot Trunk Show – Austin

Mar 03 2013

I just recently made a move from Austin and before I left, I had a small trunk show/ going away soiree. It was held at The Sugar Factory on W.Koenig in North Austin. The Sugar Factory is owned by iconic Austin jewelry designer- Gay Isber and is a boutique that’s filled with local brands, vintage goodies and Gay’s handmade creations. It is such a fun, whimsical, creative space that serves as a multi-functional haven for the local community. I was so happy when Gay gave me the ‘thumbs-up’ to host my event there. I was doing a pop-up shop with some of my vintage inventory {future vintage shop} and my friend and Stella & Dot rep- Whitney F. was also co-hosting and selling some the latest Stella & Dot collection. We hosted the event in the back and was a nice, intimate setting with jewelry, vintage, lemonade, wine and mini cupcakes that were graciously provided by Cupprimo. I want to tell you that Cupprimo is such a lovely cupcakery and coffee shop that is located near Spicewood Springs/ 183 area and has THE BEST chai latte EVERRR! The staff is also super-friendly and I just had to get them involved with my last hurrah in Austin. The day turned out to be a success as friends came, got styled, got fed and mingled. The highlight of my day was when I made my first sale and first Square sale… as a start-up vintage entrepreneur…it’s the little things that count. The Stella & Dot pieces were beyond amazing… statement necklaces, pendants, bracelets, earrings- you name it. My faves are: the “Jolie” necklace, the “Spring Awakening” necklace, the “Olivia” bib necklace, the “Gilded Arrow” bangle, the “Zinnia” bracelet and the “Julep” and “Carrie” bracelets. It was great seeing how the jewelry can be styled (and look really great) with vintage.

For those wishing to shop the Stella & Dot portion of my trunk show, you can HERE and you have until March 17th.

I want to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to: Gay Isber for loaning out a room of the Sugar Factory for the event, to Anastasia for assisting in the shop that day, to my co-host Whitney, to Cupprimo for graciously sponsoring the yummy cupcakes, to Andee, Michelle W., Michelle Z., Miranda, Hannah for the love and support!

DownEast Basics Holiday Blogger Mixer (Sponsored)

Dec 01 2011

I was utterly ecstatic when the folks at DownEast Basics contacted me to come and review their new store at Irvine Spectrum. The brand is based in Salt Lake City, but the designer- Andrea Updike, is based in Santa Cruz, where a lot of her design aesthetic is based on that chic and carefree lifestyle. The founder- Johnathan Freedman, who’s background was in textiles and clothing; started the company with three objectives in mind: value, quality and style. The Irvine location is the first DownEast Basics store to open in Southern California and is still a newbie, having just opened this past June. I also have never been to the Irvine Spectrum mall, so it was like a double-treat for me (seeing the famed ferris wheel and carousel). The store was very spacious and (at the time of review) all decked out for the holidays. I had the pleasure of meeting store manager-Nephi Garcia and regional manager- Lisa Deets, as well as the rest of the DownEast Basics Irvine staff. I mingled with local OC bloggers and tried on a few clothes. The clothing style is very fun and sophisticated meets bohemian. I found that a majority of the pieces are easily able to be mixed ‘n matched and layered…whatever floats your boat. They also offer a variety of accessories, such as jewelry, headbands, knits, scarves (that of which are just super-soft and welcoming on a cold day). Prices are decent and there’s something for everyone’s budget. As a ‘thank-you’ for reviewing the store, we were given a gift card to shop around with. I purchased the Santa Monica maxi dress; which looks great on, I can add fun accessories and layers to, and is comfortable. It was such a fun evening and I enjoyed playing dress-up at this great new store in Irvine.

DownEast Basics is located at 71 Fortune Dr. in Irvine, CA between Anthropologie and H&M. You can also check out their website here.

Huge thanks to: Kathy at FizzBrands, Nephi Garcia, Lisa Deets, Miriam and the rest of the Irvine DownEast Basics Staff.

**I was gifted a $25 gift card to shop and review the store, as well as a warm and fuzzy scarf.**

"CHOOSE CHINATOWN" Boutique Grand Opening 2/13/09

Feb 23 2009

Nestled in the heart of Chinatown on Gin Ling Way, amidst the kitschy shops selling Chinatown souvenirs, is a narrow boutique, who’s only advertisement is its name, “Choose Chinatown” stenciled in white lettering on the windows. They were having their Grand Opening on Friday the 13th.After a hearty dinner at Hop Louie, my friend and I arrived at the boutique. Since it was still fairly early, not many people were there, but that meant I was able to connect with the sales people and the owners on a more personal level. There were rows of Tecate set up on the front counter, beckoning for the arriving patrons to grab and quench their thirst. Meanwhile, DJ RoRo was playing the latest hits at his booth set up in the corner.

I met up with the owners of the “Pop-Up” shop, as they referred to it, Raymond Tseng and Jason Gillix. The concept of “Choose Chinatown” began about 3 ½ to 4 years ago, when the slogan was just on t-shirts. A friend of Ray’s designed the logo, while the slogan was based off of “Choose Life” during World AIDS Day. Seeing that the neighborhood kids were sporting them and that they were just selling well in general, they decided to open a boutique. They sell the brands, Cheap Monday and WKND. WKND is only sold in Europe, but they had the line shipped to their store. During these tough economic times, the prices aren’t bad either. Price points range from $20- $250. The best selling item, being the jeans, sell for $70 and the “CHOOSE CHINATOWN” tees sell for $20.

The designers of the installation were also there, Alex Chew and Danielle Wagner of the firm, All that is Solid. They came up with the idea of a playful, kitschy pop-up store that geared towards the target audience of the youth of this generation. I thought the balloons that decorated the ceiling were a fantastic idea. The total layout of the space was very modern and contemporary, with those little kitsch surprises displayed throughout. They told me that from concept to design, it took about a month, with the installation taking about a week. Check out www.allthatisolid.net for further information.

Note: The owners of “Choose Chinatown” also own “Lion’s Den” and “Welcome Hunters”, also in Chinatown. For more info, please visit www.choosechinatown.com. Choose Chinatown is located at 441 Gin Ling Way, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Special thanks to Jose Garcia for letting me drag him out with me to the opening after work and on Friday the 13^th….

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