Tag - Irvine Spectrum

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.**