Sandy Monica Went Shopping

Check out LalaLuxe’s Nicole Pollard showing Sandy Monica a pair of cozy jeans (for the extended July gloom) at DAME in Santa Monica.

Countdown to the opening of Santa Monica Place!

We are beyond stoked that our beloved city of Santa Monica is getting a face-lift with the opening of Santa Monica Place on Friday, August 6^th. Ideally located between the Third Street Promenade and The Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica Place promises to be a mall of the future, fusing together shopping, food, and an overall nightlife experience that is sure to leave a smile on all attendee’s faces.

The fashion palate is one geared towards higher end retailers, including Michael Kors, Barney’s CO-OP, Betsey Johnson, Burberry, Coach, as well as our one of favorite lines that has had multiple shout-outs in this blog, the Los Angeles based clothing line, Ever, will be opening up yet another trendy boutique. We are also jazzed about the Bloomingdale’s, whose retail is supposedly being tailored specifically for Santa Monica customers.

The dining terrace on the roof might even trump the fashion. Not your typical greasy food court, The Santa Monica Place, is providing shoppers a haven in the sky with their “distinctively different rooftop dining.” This open air palace of sorts is comprised of six different chef driven restaurants as well multiple options for more casual fare—some people really do just crave a burger and fries when doing their mall shopping. We are intrigued by The Market, which unfortunately will not be debuted until late 2010 or early 2011, but will consist of independently owned shops that sell artisanal goods such as coffee, chocolate, cheese and baguettes. Can you say merci? We think good ol’ America might be taking a cue from the beauty of France and their daily open-air markets.

For all Santa Monica residents and visitors alike, be sure to check out the events calendar at santamonicaplace.com for a comprehensive run-down on all the fun activities that are planned for August in celebration of the mall’s grand opening. DJ’s, dining, and shopping galore sounds like a good time to us! Can’t wait to have a glass of wine with girlfriends while taking in the gorgeous ocean breeze!

ZEROMINUSPLUS Philanthropy Launch Party

Check this out – tonight from 6pm – 9pm, ZEROMINUSPLUS at Fred Segal Santa Monica will be hosting a launch party with 100% of the proceeds going towards United Nations humanitarian agencies.  Patron will be hosting the bar (score!) and Marc Breslaw, Executive Director at USA for UNHCR and Kevin Sturtevant, VP of Development for the Friends of the World Food Program will be hosting the evening…

Get Carried Away West Coast Style

LA Shopping Reviews and LalaLuxe are  thrilled to be strategic partners for the Sex And The City 2 “Get Carried Away-West Coast Style” Party in Los Angeles and San Diego. Please join us on the pink carpet at the Shangri LA hotel in Santa Monica for pre-party cosmos and celebrity worthy gift bags and on the Third Street Promenade for the movie!  Sign up here:  http://bit.ly/cyWrpz

My Belated Valentine…

Valentine’s Day got away from us (we were having too much fun in the bedroom and completely forgot it was a workday … teehee) and here’s the post that was supposed to go up Friday.  Enjoy!

Let’s be honest, the rarity of finding a heterosexual male that enjoys shopping is the Holy Grail for all women. Yes, he can fake it till he makes it, but true enthusiasm when scouring the racks item by item is as hard to come by as those elusive black-patent-Mary-Jane Manolo Blahnik’s. The exception to this rule is the second week in February, when the mission at hand is lingerie. We’ve learned through trial and error that if you treat shopping like a covert operation involving a plan of attack and an ultimate prize, sometimes a man will mistake it for a video game, and violà, all hands are on deck— and potentially on you at the end of the night.

Los Angeles has a plethora of lingerie stores with a diversity that perfectly reflects the scope of inhabitants under these perpetually blue skies. For the tongue in cheek couples, there is the ever-so-famous and ever-so-amusing Trashy Lingerie. Because they believe in Halloween year round, you can always find that ‘Sailor Jerry’ outfit with the built in push up bra and missing mid-section. Disclaimer: do not attempt to wear when actually sailing, keep this in the bedroom, and throw on those topsiders when hoisting the sail and shouting starboard. Cupid has thrown up on this store, as they are cashing in on Valentine’s Day, but who can blame them, with outfits that are both simultaneously fun and funny, that remind us of the pleasure of laughter in the bedroom.

LaShoppingReviews hearts Trashy!

If Dita von Teese is your style icon, than Agent Provocateur is your heaven. Although steep on price, it is a worthy indulgence, for both you and your man, as your sexual self-confidence immediately skyrockets when donning this opulent yet undeniably sexy apparel. The corset wearing sales staff makes shopping a breeze without a hint of blushing as you recline on the ox-blood red velvet couches. Agent Provocateur has helped changed the perception of a burlesque show from a lowbrow form of entertainment, into something that could actually pass as a date night. Seriously, study the movements of those performers; this clearly isn’t their first rodeo.

Maggie Gyllenhaal in Agent Provocateur

If you scoff at the notion of buying a ridiculously expensive piece of lace, with the intention of it being stripped off of you, then Only Hearts is your Valentine’s Day headquarters. Relaxed sexy seems to be their motto, as their Valentine’s selections consist of the softest boy-cut underwear with dainty hearts, and matching tanks. When they do venture into lace, it is done effortlessly, allowing you to wear it year round. While we all love the idea of a day dedicated to love and sex, but sometimes the sexiest moments consist of an element of surprise, and these wearable red lace bras allow you to do just that— buy it now, catch him off guard later.

Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Edition's Bar Refaeli in Only Hearts

Kiki De Montparnasse is, well, Kiki De Montparnasse. Lingerie is the foreplay for this sexual emporium. Their lingerie is divided amongst three lines according to personality of the piece and person wearing it– boudoir, muse, and ingénue. Honestly, who doesn’t want to be somebody’s muse? The bedroom is clearly a sanctuary in their eyes and they treat it as such, with offerings such as silk bed linens to five hundred dollar vibrators. He will never complain about seeing you come home with a shopping bag from this store despite the dent it leaves in your wallet.

Which store do we prefer? Well, only Mr. Pillow-Talk needs to know that.

written by  Veronica McCarthy

Cocktail Hour at Confection Jewels

Every girl loves herself a good cocktail dress, and for that matter a good cocktail. The ritual of slowing sipping on a dirty goose while the chilled martini glass delicately floats in your hand seems decadently nostalgic to us, as images of coiffed hair and red lipstick from the 1950’s flash through our minds. We praise those cocktail-sipping ladies for indulging in extravagant baubles to rest on their hands while sipping that goose, as they paved the way for us to incorporate exaggerated cocktail rings into our everyday wardrobe. A statement ring is simply a-must-have, goes-with-everything-piece because it can effortlessly transition from those lived-in ripped jeans and white t-shirt to a favorite corseted cocktail dress, and all while making you look too-cool-for-school.

With that said, we are always on the hunt for that perfect ring, so when we heard of vintage-button-inspired cocktail rings growing out of a garage in Venice, we were intrigued and decide to investigate further. For the past three years, with the help of a grass-roots support crew, Yanique Venezia has been producing the lavish line of Confection Jewels out of her Venice studio. We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at her line before its big debut at her first Fred Segal trunk show, next Saturday, February 13^th.

German Power Crystal- Pink, $225

Golden Flower Patch, $175

Flower Power 2, $180

These rings are meticulously made with love as Yanique has brought her graphic design background into her new burgeoning venture. The dynamic range of vintage buttons from around the world remain the center of the each ring, while Yanique then places them in a hand crafted and polished setting, sometimes adding other adornments that enhance each button’s individual personality. If you think we are talking about them like children it is because to Yanique they are, and she has cleverly named them accordingly, such as The Jolly Stallion or Chocolate Ashtray. What we love most is that the range of buttons from pop-princess-pink to art-deco-vintage, allows everyone to find a ring to suit their personality. Despite this range, there remains continuity throughout Yanique’s line that can only be described as layering pop Warhol on top of an old Victorian soul. The juxtaposition of the two on the surface of a cocktail ring creates a sublime effect that we find fascinating.

As of now, the button rings are in limited quantity as the number of each individual design is determined by the number of buttons that Yanique was able to acquire. These limited edition rings are listed under “One-of-kind” and “Limited Series” on confectionjewels.com. You will also find “Collection Series” on the site, which is the where Yanique hopes to expand production and lower the price to embrace a wide demographic of consumers. We’ll happily sip on our dirty goose martini and cheers to that!

Cocktail Rings ranging from $45 -$250

http://www.confectionjewels.com

written by  Veronica McCarthy

Beautiful Jewels That Don’t Break The Bank

A unique spin on the classic Valentine’s Day gift – mark your calendars for this event at Krista Everage Studio in the Bergamont Station.

Look Who We’ve Spotted

Which red-headed mama is getting into her car after a morning of shopping at the Brentwood Country Mart? 

It’s our favorite redhead, Debra Messing … duh!  Wonder what’s in the bag???

The Casual Approach

Jessica Alba looks quite comfy hanging out with a girlfriend in Santa Monica.  

In Los Angeles, the closer to the beach, the more casual the style.  Jessica looks quite comfy in her ballet flats, skinny jeans, oversized bag and wrap sweater.  What do you think of this look?

Only In LA … Subway Surf

Someday, surfers will be able to commute from Hollywood to the beaches of Santa Monica. How might Los Angeles style change?  We can only imagine…