The Beverly Center got hit with a big dose of glamour Thursday night during the official opening of the mall’s new Fendi Boutique. Until now, the only luxury store in the mall worth mentioning was Louis Vuitton, but it looks like things are going upscale, now that Fendi and the yet to open Prada store have nestled in.

 A large crowd that looked way too dressed up against the gray and white setting of the Beverly Center, but just right once past the amber-colored façade of Fendi, gathered to celebrate the store. Once inside, guests quickly got to drooling over the men’s and women’s accessories housed throughout the 2,000-square-foot store. Some women bought shoes, mostly a red suede style with circular cut outs. Men mingled by the logo sneakers and eyed the small leather accessories. A portion of the night’s sales benefitted LACMA.

And though the Champagne and shopping kept everyone extremely occupied, it was hard to ignore the absence of the event’s host, Chloe Sevigny. She was not present at the store or the dinner at the Chateau Marmont that followed, but people didn’t seem fazed and focused on the night’s next biggest star, Kelly Osbourne.

Osbourne, a recent fixture on the E! Channel’s “Fashion Police,” was dressed in a black strapless Fendi cocktail dress and a diamond bib-style necklace from Amrapali, all of which showed off her newly svelte figure. “I work out half an hour every day and 2 to 3 days a week with my trainer,” said Osborne during the Fendi dinner held under the colonnade at the Chateau Marmont. “If I get too busy to work out, I really miss it. I never thought I would be that girl.”

Other dinner guests included Brad Goreski, Perrey Reeves, Cameron Silver and Osbourne’s partner in crime on “Fashion Police,” stylist George Kotsiopoulos, all of whom excitedly opened the slim yellow Fendi box placed at each table setting to find the latest style of sunglasses from the Italian house. The oversized retro frames managed to look right on everyone who put them on. Don’t be surprised to see more and more of the interlocking double F logo around town.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: At top, the atmosphere at the Beverly Center Fendi boutique opening party; at bottom, Kelly Osbourne; Stacy Van Praagh, president of Fendi North America; and Sharon Osbourne./Photo credit: Stephanie Keenan

"Hey, you got the wedges - you like them?"

Blake Mycoskie welcomes each shopper with a grin and a look down to their shoes. His own light blue  colored espadrilles are well worn. The founder of TOMS Shoes is at Nordstrom at the Grove to present new models of his company's trademark espadrilles and promote his charity project One for One in which for every pair sold another is distributed to an individual in a disadvantaged country.

The motives of Mycoskie's project are serious but the atmosphere at Nordstrom is pure party. Pop techno beats blare from a DJ's speakers. A mini putting green sits between the men's and women's shoe sections. A waitress offers risotto hors d'oeuvres to the crowd of shoppers, who fill the aisles so tightly that they must take care not to bump into one another.

Girls with side swept bangs and floral print dresses run their fingers over the display counter tops. Mothers push their children in strollers, and guys who emulate Mycoskie's surfer style browse and chat.

Nearby, several artists use markers to decorate espadrilles with giraffes, peace signs, spirals - whichever designs the shopper requests.

About 25 styles are on the floor including holiday exclusives in tie dye, glitter and sequins.

Meanwhile, Mycoskie is busy smiling and laughing as he greets the guests who have lined up to shake hands and take  a picture with the 33-year-old entrepreneur.

"I love meeting the people who wear TOMS shoes and learning their stories and why they became part of the movement," Mycoskie says.

TOMS shoes recently sold its millionth pair.  

--Daina Beth Solomon

Photo: A sample of TOMS shoes, on display at the Santa Monica headquarters. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

The Beverly Center was home to a full-fledged runway show Friday night -- a little slice of the global shopping extravaganza called Fashion's Night Out in our own backyard. Lights, loud music and celebrities in the front row added excitement. Tweens crowded the banisters on all floors overlooking the hoopla.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, introduced by Ellen K of Kiis FM, kicked the evening off and wasted no time telling the crowd what the event was all about: "Today we celebrate retail, and we're saying to all of you that we want you to shop until you drop."

The tweens cheered the loudest for will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, who thanked them all for coming and reminded them that when he was 15, he used to "sit up there on the top floor." 

Lisa Love, West Coast editor of FNO co-sponsor Vogue, thanked the crowd and reinforced the mayor's sentiment. "I just want to say I am so proud of everybody in L.A. Fashion is fun, spend money tonight and help everybody in this economy and this business."

The fashion show commenced to the blaring sounds of Mike Posner. There were also appearances by The Hills star Stephanie Pratt, blogger Perez Hilton and actress Mena Suvari.

--Raha Lewis

Photo: L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa attends the American Idol Grand Finale 2010 at the Nokia Theatre on May 26, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Gregg DeGuire / FOX / PictureGroup.

High street fashion label Lipsy is celebrating its recent entree into the U.S. market -- via select Bloomingdale's stores -- by hosting an event at the Beverly Center this Saturday.

The London-based brand will showcase its fall 2010 collection with a model presentation and through on-site fashion makeovers. A live DJ will be spinning tunes, and plates of free cupcakes will be passed around. The event is open to the public.

Essentially a fast-fashion brand, Lipsy specializes in trendy looks for party girls. Think metallic mini-dresses, tiered bandeau frocks and sky-high peep-toed shoe boots. Prices, which range from $70 to $250, are more Zara than H&M, but don't feel overly pricey.

Celebs who have rocked Lipsy looks include Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Kristin Cavallari. The sassy brand is sold at select Bloomingdale's in Southern California, including at the Beverly Center and in Newport Beach.

-- Emili Vesilind

Photo: Lipsy Metallic Sweetheart Shape Dress, about $100, on lipsy.co.uk. Credit: Lipsy

L.A.'s plans for Fashion's Night Out on Sept. 10 are coming together.

This year, the Beverly Center will serve as the official hub for the event, which is being organized in collaboration with the mayor's office. A news conference with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected next week to announce plans, according to Susan Vance, marketing and sponsorship director for the Beverly Center.

The mall at the corner of Beverly and La Cienega boulevards will host a runway show in its Center Court, with celebrity guests in attendance and trolleys at the wait to transport shoppers to other destinations in the city, Vance said.

The two major local hubs for last year's inaugural Fashion's Night Out event were the Fred Segal Center on Melrose Avenue and Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, and with Beverly Hill's ramping up its own efforts this time around (plans include putting a Ferris wheel in the middle of Rodeo Drive), the Beverly Center seems a more accessible Los Angeles option for a couple of reasons.

First, it's within easy trolley distance of the Robertson Boulevard, Melrose Avenue and West Third Street shopping districts. Second, while the mall is home to many luxury brands -- including Burberry, Gucci (soon to be joined by Fendi and Prada), it also boasts outposts of True Religion, Ed Hardy, Forever 21 and H&M. 

In fact, Beverly Center's unique mix of retail reflects the trend of high-low dressing, mixing luxury handbags with fast fashion apparel means the mall is likely to draw a more diverse crowd to the event, and Vance notes that the shopping center tends to attract a younger customer -- those in the coveted age 18-to-35 demographic.

Founded in 2009 by Vogue magazine and the Council of Fashion Designers of America as a global celebration of fashion and to help jump-start spending during the economic downturn, Fashion's Night Out celebrations are planned for Sept. 10 in dozens of cities in the U.S. and abroad.

-- Booth Moore

Rodeo Drive spins the Ferris wheel for Fashion's Night Out

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Photo: A runway show staged at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills was part of 2009's Fashion's Night Out festivities in Los Angeles. This year, the Beverly Center will serve as the official hub and include a trolley service to take shoppers to other retail districts around town. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

About a month ago, a friend and I were strolling through the Beverly Center, when to my surprise she requested we make a stop at Ann Taylor.  A present for her grandmother, I assumed, but it wasn’t the case.  She, in a Balenciaga lace bandeau top and Nina Ricci ankle boots, made a beeline for a table of shiny accessories and started trying them on.  Still confused as to why we were in my mom’s favorite shopping destination, I spotted another young lady shopping, wearing beaded moccasin boots and the cover look from the Urban Outfitters catalog.  I knew right then, this was no longer my mother’s Ann Taylor.

Getting a second look at the holiday collection and a sneak peek at spring 2010 Thursday afternoon, I was again impressed and in awe of how different and good the clothes and accessories at Ann Taylor are looking.  Vintage inspired rhinestone baubles, chunky stone necklaces woven with grosgrain ribbon and decadent-looking cocktail rings are the bright spot of their holiday offering -- and everything is priced from $60 to $100, which is a lot of bling for your buck considering the high-shine impact these pieces make.  The dresses are classic and feminine,  simple shifts with bow details at the shoulders, a '40s inspired polkadot dress with side ruching and flirty black cocktail dresses adorned with delicate rhinestones at the waist can look subtle and traditional, but can easily get styled with fun and quirky accessories for an even more youthful look.

Ann Taylor’s facelift is due in part to their new creative director Lisa Axelson, who signed on starting with fall 2009 after creative roles at Club Monaco and Banana Republic.  Axelson has injected a fresh and more youthful feeling into the design of the line, but not to the point where you wouldn’t recognize it (there’s still plenty of ribbon-trimmed cardigans and practical trousers).  Also, look out for their ad campaigns -- Heidi Klum is the “face” for holiday and according to an Ann Taylor rep, the star of their spring campaign will be an even bigger surprise, someone most people wouldn’t have previously associated with the brand at all.

I’m sure the fashionable young ladies I saw perusing the Ann Taylor store at the Beverly Center won’t be the last.  The spring line is chock full of chic, silk trench coats, slim cut blazers and slouchy camp shirts in a color palette of dusty grays, ivory and plum that would suit various wardrobes and budgets.

-- Melissa Magsaysay



Photos: looks and accessories from the Ann Taylor holiday collection/Ann Taylor

Over the weekend, The Times sent photographer Colin Young-Wolff to capture sartorial strutters in one of their natural habitats: the 3rd Street shopping area around the Beverly Center. He found Aaron Gonzalez and Krystal Simpson of Laurel Canyon. He laughs as he describes his style as "funky booty chic." She says hers is "Keith Richards-meets-Anita Pallenberg … vintage with a high-end feel." Check out more photos from this outing.

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Photo: Colin Young-Wolff / For The Times

The Beverly Center will be getting a splash of Henri Bendel’s signature brown and white stripes when the department store opens its second California location (first in L.A.) this November.

The Fifth Avenue retailer has more niche brands and higher-end merch than Macy’s and Bloomingdales -- the only two existing department stores currently in the mall -- so, who knows if the typical Beverly Center shopper will be willing to spend more than at the always-crowded stores such as Steve Madden and Aldo. 

With holiday shopping creeping up around the time of the store’s opening, the house line of candles and the selection of accessories make great gifts. And who wouldn’t’ want something wrapped up in a brown-and-white stripe Bendel’s box?

Henri Bendel at Beverly Center, opening November 2009: 8500 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Rendering of Henri Bendel store at the Beverly Center