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Over here in single-land, we don’t usually think about our future wedding dress unless we’re very, very bored (or happen to be watching a wedding-themed Christmas movie on Lifetime). But for those of you who make dinner reservations for two, buy adjoining-seat plane tickets and are currently sporting a rock that didn’t come from the [...]
Judith Ripka, the New York-based jeweler who has outfitted the likes of Courtney Cox and Isla Fisher on the red carpet, has been hosting a series of SoCal sample sales this month. And this Friday at the St. Regis in Orange County is where you can snag pieces from Ripka’s earthy glam 18K Couture Collection as well as the everyday-appropriate Sterling Silver line for 50 to 70 percent off retail prices.
With the pair of Ripka’s green tourmaline and diamond drop earrings at right going for a cool $11,000, it’s a discount that’s well worth the drive.
Friday, November 11. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., St. Regis Monarch Beach. One Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point. 949-234-3200. judithripka.com [mappress mapid="198"]
It’s almost the 1st of the month, and you know what the means — rent is due and our bank account is about to be busted. Awesome.
Luckily, downtown L.A. designer (and former Vogue editor) Michelle Jonas is sample sale-ing her spring/summer Travelwear collection of easy, breezy, exotic locale-worthy goods so we can still go shopping even though we’re poor.
This Saturday, find tie-dye cropped caftans for $25 (from $220), lace-inlet maxi skirts for $50 (from $286) and a selection of colorful cocktail dresses for $75 — $100 (from $219 — $391).
And if it turns out we can’t make rent, Jonas’ long hippie gowns will make a perfectly lovely overpass tent.
Saturday, August 27. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 719 S. Los Angeles St., Suite 915. L.A. 213-627-2337. michellejonas.com
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You may not already know that Society for Rational Dress has a groovy little retail shop called Reserve attached to their downtown studio. And tomorrow and Saturday, the store is blowing out spring and summer merchandise to make room for fall.
Expect designer Corrine Grassini’s standard offering of butter-soft leather skirts and gauzy, lovable knits, which have been offered at past sales for under $100. But this time around, shoppers will also find pieces from the label’s inspirational vintage library — you know, items that are sourced from out-of-the-way places solely to shape the aesthetic of a collection.
Offerings include a caftan purchased from Grassini’s favorite secret Santa Barbara shop which inspired a robe in the spring 2012 collection, an early 1900s linen army duster from the Santa Monica Vintage Expo that led to fabrics used for spring 2010 and a lavender Hussein Chalayan cargo jacket from Grassini’s personal archive that directed the soft pastels of next spring’s collection.
It’s always cool to get a glimpse into a designer’s process. And what better way than to actually see the stuff that fuels her creativity up close?
Friday August 5 and Saturday August 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. 255 S. Sana Fe Ave., Los Angeles. societyforrationaldress.com
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Photo: Grassini’s lavender Hussein Chalayan cargo jacket, for sale this week, that inspired the colorways in her spring 2012 collection.
As a currently single gal with no serious prospective grooms in sight, I don’t yet understand the craziness that goes into wedding dress shopping. I mean I get it. But I suppose I’ve always assumed that when my big day neared, I would just kind of nonchalantly find my dress and know it was what I wanted when I saw it (unless I’m bffs with Oscar de la Renta by then and he wants to custom make me a gown. But seeing as how I hope to be married before my funeral, I’ll bank on option number one). No pushing, no shoving, no stress, no mayhem. It’s like shopping for anything else, no?
Uh, no way say those who have taken a trip down the aisle — especially if you’re hoping to score a designer dress and afford a five-star honeymoon.
There has to be strategy, determination and a healthy dose of cunning to snag the perfect gown, if only for your kids sake when they look at your wedding album.
Well I come baring good news for hardcore brides-to-be: Monique Lhullier is having one of her famous sample sales on Sunday, July 10. The set up is the same as it always is — first come, first serve, pieces are as-is and dressing rooms are communal (so save going commando for that honeymoon you’ll now be able to afford). You’ll find a selection of bridal and ready-to-wear between 40 and 90 percent off Lhuillier’s original prices, which can top out at $15k.
Not the best conditions, but well worth it if you truly consider this dress to be much more than just a dress.
Just try not to make yourself crazy with it all. You’ll have a new hubby to make you nutso enough.
Sunday, July 10. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 1201 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. moniquelhullier.com
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The above is self explanatory — after a week of gorgeous 82-and-sunny weather, this weekend is kinda nasty in comparison. Perfect for shopping, we say. And What Goes Around Comes Around, who has had a 90 percent-off sample sale at their Space 15 Twenty digs since March 24, just further reduced their prices an additional 10 percent (we’re such fans of the place that we profiled owners Seth Weisser and Gerard Maione on our homepage last year).
That means vintage skirts, which were $15 in the sale, are now $13.50; blouses that were $10 are now $9 and one-time $20 rock T-shirts are $18. Sure, the savings won’t afford you a down-payment on a Lautner. But on cloudy days like today, the kick of an iced Americano that feels free is just as nice.
1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 323-836-0252. whatgoesaroundnyc.com
[mappress]Photo: WGAGA’s quirky, Cowboy-cool style. Kiino Villand for Style Section L.A.
We’re gambling types here at Style Section L.A., so we’re betting you haven’t filed your taxes yet, leaving time for one more pre-filing blues splurge next weekend… and if you’re smart (or desperate like us), you’ll have already started thinking about how to make this a one a write-off.
We’re referring to Lucky Magazine’s first-ever “Lucky Shops L.A.” event on April 8 and 9. And with a long list of designer brands up to 70 percent off, we suspect the sale could provide ample opportunity to exorcise pent-up tax season aggression by means of a few thrown elbows.
Participating brands include Barneys Co-Op, Botkier, Foley + Corinna, Geren Ford, Helmut Lang, Kate Spade, Pour La Victoire, Rebecca Minkoff, Theory and Winter Kate, among others.
For those wanting to go forth and support the economic recovery by expanding their wardrobes, get the goods here.
Friday April 8, 12-6pm; Saturday April 9, 10-5pm, Siren Studios. 6063 West Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. Tickets start at $15; buy them online at luckyshops.com
[mappress]Photo: Lucky Shops New York this past November, expect a similar scene on our coast.
These days, our budget is completely committed to un-fun necessities such as the gas bill (but only when we feel like it) and keeping the power turned on (but only when they’re threatening to turn it off). Which means we’re way too broke-ass to hit up sample sales at the moment, even when they’re genius.
Such a bummer, because Lova, one of our absolute favorite L.A.-born menswear labels of all time (John Legend, Ryan Gosling and Zac Efron are also fans), is having a warehouse sale at their downtown offices this weekend.
Included in the merchandise mix are jeans ($50), wax-coated trench coats ($195) and slick leather bombers ($295) from Lova’s autumn 2011 line. And for all of us Loval-loving ladies who prefer to wear the stuff instead of merely staring at its hotness from afar (though that ain’t a bad deal, either), a wool shawl-collar cardigan ($70) woud be a cute, androgynous addition to a vintage leather mini-skirt. Just sayin’.
Plus, it could act as a cozy replacement for the heat that’s about to get shut off. Some may call that irresponsible. We call it resourceful.
Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Lova Warehouse. 1213 N. Main St., Los Angeles (enter on Elmyra). lovadesign.com
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The Los Angeles hub of American Rag is detoxing. Now through January 30th, the store is hosting a major sale across the street from their La Brea Avenue store in the Abandoned Treasures space. Absolutely everything is marked 80 percent off and any item with a star on the tag is an extra 50% off. When we say major, we mean major. The sale includes clothing, accessories and shoes from designers like Barbra Bui and Rag & Bone. If you have any sense at all you will get over there stat before the other fashionistas snag the best stuff.
Abandoned Treasures, 159 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. 323.936.0731
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December in Los Angeles means one thing: Sample sales galore (ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration — it also means that the town clears out and our jeans stop fitting). But every weekend this month it seems that shoppers have the chance to snag designer clothes for cheap. And this Friday and Saturday local favorite Society for Rational Dress is hosting a blow out warehouse sale. T-shirts are going for $30-$70, silk dresses from $50-$150 and leather jackets from $175-$275. Here are a sneak peak at the goods you can expect to find.
Friday, December 10th and Saturday, December 11th. 255 South Santa Fe Avenue, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 213.613.0757. societyforrationaldress.com.
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