There was a long line of ladies dressed in asymmetrical leopard-print dresses and bandage-style skirts in the parking lot between Taste and Lucques restaurants on Melrose near La Cienega on Thursday night. They weren’t waiting for a table or a bite of chicken paillard or sticky toffee pudding from Lucques but rather, a glimpse of their style idol Kim Kardashian and her new jewelry line, Belle Noel, at the Revolve store that’s nestled between (and behind) the two restaurants.

Most of the fans shivering in their micro-minis and platform shoes had heard about the event on Kardashian’s website or by following Revolve on Twitter. First in line was Carolyn Alvarez, who had been standing in the parking lot for about 45 minutes after driving an hour from her home in La Habra. She and her friends were let in shortly to join the frenzy happening inside the store.

Kardashian showed up right on schedule -- at 8:15 p.m. on the dot (she was coming directly from taping the Jimmy Kimmel show and later left at 9 p.m. to dash to a “business meeting”) and went immediately into on-camera interviews.

Guests stretched their necks and held camera phones as high as their arms would reach in order to get a shot of the tiny (yes, very tiny) Kardashian, who was in a black blazer, leggings and an uncharacteristic up-do that was tied up with several elastic head bands and looked like a pork loin wrapped in twine -- but in a really pretty way, of course.

The jewelry, designed by Kardashian and produced by jeweler Pascal Mouawad’s Glam House, the division of Mouawad’s company that also manufactures Low Love by Erin Wasson and House of Harlow 1960 by Nicole Richie, was displayed through the store and certainly attracted as much attention as the designer herself, not just for the edgy/glam aesthetic but for the uber-affordable prices (the average prices fall around $30-$48 for earrings, necklaces, rings and even ponytail chains).

“Designing jewelry is such a great way for me to express myself,” said Kardashian. “The line is fun, edgy, young and kind of rocker, but still with my signature glam look. Since I dress really feminine I like to wear these pieces to add a little toughness to my outfit.”

Consider this yet another successful venture in the Kardashian empire, which includes fragrance, shoes, clothing, weight-loss supplements and now Silly Bandz in the shape of the three reality star sisters. That’s right, Silly Bandz made in their likeness -- something colorful to layer in with the spiked silver bangles from the Belle Noel line. I’m sure the 600 people who came to see her last night have already thought of the combo.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photo: Kim Kardashian at a party for her jewelry line, Belle Noel, at the Revolve store in Los Angeles. Credit: Alexandra Wyman/WireImage.

 

A dimly lighted private back room at the Soho House, with a cascading Champagne tower in the center and “Sunset Boulevard” playing on a flat-screen TV, felt appropriately Old Hollywood on Tuesday night as fashion lovers and nostalgia enthusiasts gathered to celebrate Lesley M.M. Blume’s book “Let's Bring Back: An Encyclopedia of Forgotten-Yet-Delightful, Chic, Useful, Curious,  and Otherwise Commendable  Things From Times Gone By.”

The A-Z encyclopedia lists items and ideas Blume wishes would be revived and started as a column on the Huffington Post in 2007. A wide range of items are explored -- cable cars as well as calling cards and style-related paraphernalia including bustles, bloomers and Peggy Guggenheim’s sunglasses collection.

Blume herself looked right out of the 1930s in a striking black satin dress and turban. But her eye was really on a 1940s black Adrian dress with a hammered silk belt, hand-picked along with several other vintage pieces by Cameron Silver of Decades, who showcased the gowns for the evening. “I’ve had my eye on this dress for awhile,” said Blume, “and I’m so happy it’s here.”

Besides the fashion, Blume claims that the '30s and '40s also inspired many interesting topics in her book. “Old Hollywood really did provide some of the most decadent, scandalous and deliciously rich content,” she said.

Given subjects from the era that are mentioned in the book -- Tallulah Bankhead, Fanny Brice, the Garden of Allah, one would have to agree.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos, from top: the cover of “Let's Bring Back"; author Lesley M.M Blume at the Soho House in West Hollywood. Credit: David Crotty / PatrickMcMullan.com. A Champagne tree at the party for Blume. Credit: David Crotty / PatrickMcMullan.com

 
 
 
Whether you’re at home with a tin of caramel corn watching Snooki and Seacrest count down to 2011 (ahem, now you know my big plans) or attending some amazing party where a hot little dress and high heels are more the dress code, it’s always fun to stick on a sparkly item to ring in the New Year.

For those of us on the couch, a sequin mini or tiara-esque headband are a little over the top, but silver nail polish or a metallic eyeliner are easy beauty items to slap on and get you into the spirit.

For those of you going to the fabulous parties, shimmy into a T-shirt smattered with sequins or wear a sequin cross body bag, but not together of course.

Sporting something shiny, bright and fun on New Year’s Eve makes the holiday that much more festive. Just make sure that your outfit isn’t making more noise than the party horns.

Happy New Year.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos (top): Laura Mercier Metallic Cream eye shadow, from left, $22, at www.sephora.com/. Credit: Sephora. Laura Mercier, OPI for Sephora sparkle top coat in "Flurry Up," $9, at www.sephora.com/. Credit: Sephora. Jemma Kid Silver Screen eyeliner and mascara duo, $18.96, at www.asos.com/. Credit: Asos.com

Photos (middle): Jennifer Ber triple baguette crystal head wrap, left, $960, at www.jenniferbehr.com/. Credit: Jennifer Behr. French Connection "Carnival" sequin top, $131, at www.frenchconnection.com/. Credit: French Connection

Photo (bottom): Gap sequin cross body bag, $39.50, at www.gap.com/. Credit: Gap

Long before Steve Antin brought his PG-13 "Burlesque" to movie theaters sans the striptease, Dita Von Teese was teasing the world in her pasties and G-string, splashing around a giant martini glass to introduce the art form to the mainstream. 

And she's showing no signs of slowing down. On Monday, she debuts "Strip, Strip Hurray!" at the Roxy. The show, which runs through Wednesday, includes two new numbers. ("One is a new version of what I did for MAC's Viva Glam, except this time I'm riding Swarovski crystal-covered steer horns instead of a lipstick," she says matter-of-factly.) 

Dita the brand is going full steam ahead, too. Thursday night at Fred Segal on Melrose, she vamped for the cameras at a cocktail party to celebrate her newest release with Cointreau. Just in time for the holidays, she has come out with My Private Cointreau Coffret, complete with cocktail shaker, martini glasses and a bottle of Cointreau with her image silhouetted on the front.

The blush pink satin coffret with fishnet overlay doubles as a jewelry box, and even has a secret compartment in the back (for those pasties, perhaps?). The set ($299) is exclusive to Fred Segal, where partygoers sipped cocktails from martini glasses decorated with feathers (I'm definitely going to try that at home).

Von Teese, who will appear on an upcoming episode of "CSI,"  was dressed to the nines in a Collette Dinnigan sheath dress with puffy sleeves and an even puffier updo, seamed stockings and Brian Atwood heels. Asked about the timing of her new show, she said, "In light of the film, I wanted to show people there is a burlesque scene alive and well today." She is bringing in some of her favorite performers to join her on stage, including Dirty Martini* from New York and Perle Noire from New Orleans.

Asked what she thinks of the film "Burlesque," Von Teese admitted she hasn't had time to see it, not that that has stopped her from commenting on its lack of authenticity.

"I will see it on video," Von Teese quipped. "Because apparently it's going to be there pretty quick."

--Booth Moore

Top photo: Dita Von Teese attends the launch of her Limited Edition Set "My Private Cointreau Coffret" at Fred Segal on Thursday in West Hollywood. Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images. Bottom photo: Cointreau Coffret. Credit: Cointreau

*[Updated 12/14/2010, 9:28 a.m.: In an earlier version of this post, burlesque performer Dirty Martini was incorrectly identified as Toni Martini.]

 
Girly, whimsical and festive are all synonymous with Juicy Couture and designer Erin Fetherston, so it’s no surprise that Fetherston would be tapped to design a collection for the L.A.-based label. Her holiday collection debuted to an eager audience of Fetherston fans and fashion press on Wednesday night at the Juicy Couture boutique on Rodeo Drive.

Racks of velvet, velour and satin sat in the middle of the store for everyone to peruse and purchase. Fetherston stuck to holiday trademarks such as jewel tones, bow details and rhinestone flourishes, but still managed to make it all look very fresh. Paying homage to the brand’s roots, she created a jacket with a nipped waist and ruched sleeves and a draped bow-front skirt; both in a burnt orange velour -– quite a far cry from a sporty track suit, but it was nice that she incorporated the fabric that made the company famous. She also included an exact replica of the dress she wore to this year’s Met Ball –- a champagne-colored, stretch velour gown that will retail for just over $300 and is available in both a long and short version.

“I drew inspiration from the 1930s,” said Fetherston, who herself was wearing a black satin jumpsuit with a bow at the waist, also from the collection, which drew a strong contrast to her blunt, platinum blond haircut. “There was such beautiful draping with velvet during that period.”

The designer now splits her time between New York (where she still designs her eponymous collection) and Los Angeles. The Northern California native is certainly embracing the Southern California lifestyle, having taken up residence in Los Feliz and taking full advantage of all L.A has to offer. “I have a heated salt water pool that I swim in every single day,” she said “I don’t understand people who live in L.A who say they have a pool but don’t use it!”

Fetherston’s holiday collection for Juicy Couture is available at the Juicy Couture boutique on Rodeo Drive.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: Top: Erin Fetherston and Whitney Port, Middle: Cameron Silver, Erin Fetherston and Angelique Soave

Credit: Donato Sardella, WireImage

Still on a high from Saturday's fabulous Museum of Contemporary Art happening, the art-fashion crowd gathered again on Tuesday at Mr. Chow to celebrate the launch of men's accessories under the Nancy Gonzalez brand.

The line, which includes duffles and totes, is named after her son Santiago, who was the evening's guest of honor at the dinner hosted by his college pal China Chow, dressed in a stunning gold Chanel collar and black cocktail dress.

All of the ladies were carrying Nancy Gonzalez flap clutches that matched their outfits, including actresses Jennifer Morrison in a cream Max Mara dress, and Tracee Ellis Ross in a vintage nightie paired with a tailored blazer. Cameron Silver was decked out in Lanvin for H&M days before that line hits stores, and artist Rosson Crow rocked a psychedelic print vintage Oscar de la Renta jumpsuit bought at Shareen. (With her platinum hair and her penchant for wearing long dresses, Crow is emerging as quite a stylish figure.)

MOCA's Jeffrey Deitch and LACMA's Michael Govan were also there, enjoying Mr. Chow's famous chicken satay, alongside artists Doug Aitken and Ed Ruscha, gallery owner Honor Fraser, Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Sharon Stone, James Caan, Shiva Rose and Lisa Eisner.  

I chatted for a few moments with Santiago about Nancy Gonzalez, the stealth luxury crocodile accessories brand created by his mother in Colombia in 1988, and the new men's line, which launched Tuesday at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills:

 
Imagine a tent full of celebrities, artists and art patrons dressed in their designer best -- Eli Broad, Frank Gehry, Jeff Koons, Gwen Stefani and more -- submitting to a cacophony of farm auctioneers calling, cattle ranchers whipping and drummers drumming. This crazy scene was illuminated by a light sculpture by Barbara Bestor that seemed to mimic the Southern California highways, and set to the folk music stylings of Beck, Devendra Banhart and Caetano Velosa. And it was amazing!

Saturday's gala fundraiser, "The Artist's Museum Happening," at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles was an art piece itself, a "happening" conceived by artist Doug Aitken. The evening was his meditation on the West brought to life in every sense, from poster art on the tent walls by John Baldessari, Ed Ruscha and other local artists, to  yummy farm-to-table food by Venice-based AXE restaurant chef Joanna Moore. At every seat was a book titled "The Idea of the West," a culmination of 1000 interviews during which Aitken asked people to answer the question: "What is your idea of the West?"

There are responses from the famous, such as Rodarte fashion designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, who said, "People are cowboys here," and the not-so-famous, such as Jenni (no last name given), unemployed, who said, "I get to be crazy." (The photo book-meets-zine is available for purchase for $69.95 at the MOCA museum store.) 

The evening was sponsored by Chanel Fine jewelry, which supplied the Hollywood glamour quotient for this happening amid the cowboys and gospel singers (almost forgot about them).

Naturally, there were lots of lovelies dressed by the house, demonstrating the range of Chanel style. We saw everything from Chloe Sevigny playing the gamine in an adorable white jumpsuit to Kate Bosworth playing the screen siren in a black gown with cap sleeves, and a pair of diamond feather-shaped earrings from the Plumes de Chanel collection.

I sat across from Ginnifer Goodwin, who looked terrific in a black lace dress with an embroidered pearl collar, and a "Secret Camelia" watch with a diamond-encrusted camelia flower that flipped open to reveal the time. "I don't want to give it back," she said, like Cinderella trying to forestall midnight.  

Also at the Chanel table: Priscilla Presley, Liz Goldwyn, Kirsten Dunst and Rachel Bilson. Not in the Chanel camp, Dasha Zhukova looked gorgeous in a white Rodarte dress, as did Rose McGowan in a teal Issa gown. Check out a gallery of red carpet looks here.

I also spotted L.A. designer Monique Lhuillier, who shared that she is hard at work on her own home furniture and accessories line that is to debut next year.

"L.A. now feels like the most exciting place in world for contemporary art," MOCA director Jeffrey Dietch told the crowd. " He described the evening as a "cultural ambush."

Here, here.

-- Booth Moore

Photo (from top): Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso, Devendra Banhart and Beck perform at the annual gala for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles on Nov. 13, 2010. Credit: Danny Moloshok / Reuters

Photo: Kate Bosworth in Chanel diamond earrings at MOCA's annual gala, "The Artist's Museum Happening." Credit: Paul Buck / EPA

Photo: Chloe Sevigny, left, and Ginnifer Goodwin in Chanel at the MOCA event. Credit: John Shearer / Getty Images for MOCA

Resident Image stylist and market editor Melissa Magsaysay soothes your sartorial woes in the weekly Your Stylist blog column

 
In this installment of “Your Stylist” I address the essential and often way too expensive evening bag. With holiday parties looming, most people are starting to think of a few festive looks that are dressy enough that your go-to leather tote bag or work satchel look totally out of place.

Having a couple of versatile evening bags in your wardrobe is important but easily overlooked since they slip into rotation only a couple of times a year. And considering that they generally only hold a tube of lip gloss, a valet ticket, one tissue and if you’re lucky, a slim cellphone (good luck stuffing a Blackberry in there), it’s hard to fathom paying the usual $200 and up it costs to get a good-looking, not cheapy-feeling bag.

A good evening clutch can be fun but should not compete with your outfit. Neutral shades are best –- black, metallic, champagne or dark gray. If you’re wearing a black dress, take the opportunity to add a pop of shine to the look with a metallic clutch.

My favorite clutches have that angular, Art Deco appeal to them. These two (top and above) from Asos.com (both $62.06) are small (but hey, they pretty much all are and the point of an evening bag is that it’s elegant, demure and out of the way) and make a great vintage statement. They are both under $100 (as are all the options shown here), because for a bag that you use for special occasions only, it’s nice to have something that looks great and stylish, but without having to spend the same amount you do on your everyday bag, a new pair of gorgeous shoes or your rent.

For a versatile option, this rectangular bow bag from French Connection ($68.96) does the trick. It’s got a bit of texture with the large bow and that festive holiday feel from the subtle sparkle.

An evening clutch doesn’t have to be over the top or expensive. It should be that final flourish that ties together the overall look and doesn’t eclipse your clothing. Unless you’re into evening bags as a conversation piece (Judith Leiber anyone?) then, try a few less expensive options that are super chic and fit for the swirl of upcoming social gatherings, but won’t break the bank or eat up your holiday gift-buying budget.

Send your style queries to melissa.magsaysay@latimes.com

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: Top: Asos gun-metal bag with tassel $62.06/asos.com, second down from top: Asos check hard-case clutch $62.06/asos.com, second from bottom: French Connection bow clutch $68.96/French Connection, Bottom: Aldo "Indest" lace print clutch $45.00/Aldo

O.C. brand Hurley celebrated its new pop-up boutique — and first-ever mono-brand store — on Friday night at the Americana at Brand shopping center in Glendale with a cocktail party open to the public.

The store, which will be open through Dec. 31, is not only a first for the brand, but also a study in economy. The company only spent $7,000 to put it all together, cutting costs considerably by repurposing displays and artwork from other company showrooms and events.

Hurley's existing employees pieced the shop together in seven days, cracking open shipping crates to create industrial-inspired clothing racks; piling up wooden palettes to make an ad hoc piece of art that doubles as an accessory rack (see below photo); and nailing up a massive cartoon-ish mural by artist Bigfoot, relocated from the brand's Orange County art space.

"It's been really fun because none of us has ever worked in retail before," said Laura Wasser, vice president of marketing for the company. "It's like, 'Oh, we're supposed to have permits. Of course!' I mean, who knew?"

The Hurley pop-up, which we wrote about in the Nov. 14 Image section, features the brand's cool new collaboration with heritage brand Pendleton, a huge wall of denim choices and pieces from its past collaboration with Weezer.

--Emili Vesilind

Photos: the new Hurley pop-up. Credit: Emili Vesilind / For the Los Angeles Times

Anyone who has spent many nights (and often times some, uh, work days), shopping online for the latest and greatest trendy items may have come across revolveclothing.com, which stocks more than 500 men’s and women’s clothing and accessory brands ranging from designer to contemporary. On Thursday, the 7-year-old, L.A.-based company went live with the relaunch of the site, which now includes a social networking aspect and various “muses” to inspire and guide users through the plethora of fashion labels.

The social networking feature is Facebook-esque, but with a serious fashion slant. Users can build their own page on the site, adding their favorite trends (including visuals like runway shots and mood board collages), what they are currently coveting, and recent purchases as well as archive stories from the site’s “magazine” section where style muses like Nicole Richie, Rumi Neely and Harley Viera Newton are featured in fashion spreads.

To mark the completion of the makeover, which according to revolveclothing.com owner Michael Mente, took nine months to execute, the site celebrated with a party held at Revolve’s brick and mortar flagship boutique in West Hollywood. Hundreds of guests flocked to the event that was DJ’d by Harley Viera Newton and fed by the Komodo and Coolhaus gourmet food trucks. Truffle fries and Prosecco kept everyone satiated and fueled up to dance to Viera Newton’s set as well as a performance by Rain Phoenix.

The crowd looked like an ad for all the brands on the site, with girls in solid colored mini dresses and peep toe booties and the boys in sleek military-inspired coats and rigid, designer denim.

With new tools to navigate through the tens of thousands of products on the site and the social networking feature to hoard your wish list items and nab a peek at what people like Richie and Kardashian stylist Monica Rose are buying, combing through the site should be a lot less clunky than before. As if anyone needs another reason to shop online... 

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: At top, a screen shot from the newly refurbished revolveclothing.com retail site. At bottom, fashion DJ du jour Harley Viera Newton/Revolveclothing.com

 
Premium denim has long been synonymous with Los Angeles. From downtown being the epicenter of manufacturing, washing and innovation in denim, to jeans of all kinds being the unofficial uniform of the city's denizens for decades. 

So it's no surprise that one of the biggest names in denim, Vernon-based 7 for All Mankind, is   celebrating 10 years of making premium denim with a coffee table book, a special anniversary collection of jeans and a string of parties this week.

On Tuesday night, the brand hosted a party at a private residence in Beverly Hills that was more Mac store-meets-spacecraft than your typical mansion. The space was kitted out with concepts representing the "Seven Senses" theme of the event and the coffee table book. Guests could wander through the circular space into rooms that held interactive installations based on "Seven Senses": sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste and the added "style" and "intuition."

Style was captured in a display of the Anniversary collection (several reissues of the brand's best-selling and most popular styles), and intuition was a touch screen that lighted up and projected onto a large, wall-mounted screen. However, the most interesting senses were "smell," which was represented in a room covered in photographs of L.A (which also appear in the book) that were scratch-and-sniff (most of them smelled like suntan lotion to me, but the concept and execution was impressive nonetheless,) and "taste," which was a wall of colorful tequila concoctions sitting in mounted Plexiglas containers. Guests could walk right up to and dispense the drink of their choice into a glass. Between the scratch-and-sniff photos and tequila wall, one couldn't help but think of Willy Wonka, but with alcohol and art rather than candy.

The party, plus all the ancillary items being released around the company's 10-year anniversary are part of a denim-centered celebration that hasn't been seen in L.A for several years, since the burst of the "premium denim" bubble.

"In the contemporary market, 10 years is like dog years," said Susan Kellogg, president of the contemporary brand's coalition for VF, 7 for All Mankind's parent company. "So we're really, really proud that we're as vibrant today as when we started."

The denim company continued its L.A celebration with a private dinner for celebrities and taste-makers Thursday evening, and will take its anniversary party on the road, holding in-store events in several of its 125 free-standing stores worldwide.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Top and bottom photos: The 7 for All Mankind "Seven Senses" party celebrating the brand's 10-year anniversary. Credit: John Shearer / WireImage

Middle photo: Nikki Reed and Justin Long attend the 7 for All Mankind party. Credit: John Shearer / WireImage

Heidi Klum hosted a dinner at Pali House on Thursday night to celebrate her holiday ad campaign for Ann Taylor, the mall brand that is getting more chic every day. The centerpiece of the room was a tree trimmed with the retailer's sparkly gems, including pearl starbursts ($128), snowflake necklaces ($98), and snowcap stretch bracelets ($88).

Debra Messing, Maria Menounos, Rachel Zoe, Pippa Black and Michelle Alves joined in the fun, bedazzling themselves with sparklers from the tree. And in case you're wondering, that's the winter white tuxedo jacket ($218) and modern pant ($128) that Klum is wearing, both at anntaylor.com.

With all the pieces I've collected during the lifespan of the current statement-jewelry trend, I may just bling my own tree.

- -Booth Moore 

Photo: Heidi Klum at the Ann Taylor holiday dinner. Credit: Alex Wyman / Wireimage