Mind the Gap
Not only does Stella McCartney run her 8-year-old eponymous fashion house, but she’s also the mother of three young children. So a Stella McCartney collection for GapKids and BabyGap should surprise no one.
On Monday, the collection for kids ages newborn to 12 hits the racks in select Gap stores, including the former Gap 1969 pop-up on Robertson Boulevard, which will open as a GapKids shop beginning Thursday through Nov. 28.
The 70-piece Stella McCartney for Gap collection includes wardrobe elements that any mother of young ones would plead for: easy-care items such as denim jeans (both skinny and flare-leg styles for girls), T-shirts, sweat pants and hoodies mixed in with fun and fashionable pieces.
“I think this collection has a mix of the playful and practical. It’s a reflection of my brand; there are pieces that are classic and very sort of timeless and hopefully very chic, and then there are pieces that are the kind you chuck in the washing machine and they get better with time and, you know, they are funny and hopefully a little bit cool,” McCartney says.
The dress-up pieces your kids will tug off the Gap racks are a trendy military Miller-style jacket ($128), boys’ superhero T-shirt ($28) and high-top sneakers ($48) that come with optional colored markers for personalization. For girls, check out the tulle tutu ($58) and leopard-face intarsia sweater ($98).
“The Miller naval-inspired jacket for both boys and girls is too cool for school,” the 38-year-old designer says.
McCartney, who has two sons, designed the collection with as many outfits for boys as for girls. She pairs the sturdy sweat pants ($78) with school-ready looks, including a double-face plaid shirt ($38) and a chambray puff jacket ($88). For holiday dressing, a mandarin-collar dress shirt ($38) can work with a trench coat ($78).
For adult fans of the Stella McCartney label, the girls’ collection features mini-me looks mixed in with basics. A charcoal cable-knit cardigan ($78) recalls a classic 1970s wrap style -- the designer grew up in that Paul McCartney and Wings decade, which she often mines for inspiration. Holiday looks include a stylish tuxedo jacket ($78) and a bow-belt coat ($128). Two basic little-girl silk dresses come in neutral colors, prints and ruffles like those from past Stella McCartney ready-to-wear collections.
McCartney says she took up the offer from Gap to design a kids and infant collection because she believes children’s clothing should be accessibly priced (the collection starts at $14 for tights). And, like her designer collection, the lifelong vegetarian’s GapKids collection is completely leather- and fur-free and employs organic cotton and nonscratchy materials.
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108 N. Robertson Blvd. West Hollywood. (310) 285-1880. 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
www.gap.com
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SALES
Dress for Success at Footcandy and Feature Boutiques Thursday through Nov. 8: Donate three items of clothing or shoes for women in need and receive a $20 credit toward new merchandise at Brentwood’s Footcandy and Feature boutiques. Feature stocks fall offerings from Wren ($100 to $300) and Aussies Camilla and Marc ($300 to $600).
11934 and 11958 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 826-6600. 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Sunday by appointment.
featureboutique.com
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EVENTS
Jason Wu Trunk Show Monday: Savannah boutique previews Wu’s spring/summer 2010 collection. Wu is famous for designing Michelle Obama’s inauguration gown. 706 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 458-2095. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Shu Uemura Thursday: Makeup artist Jason Hoffman, who works with Vogue Italia, will be giving makeovers all day. Call store for appointment.
3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. (714) 957-0521. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
www.shuuemura-usa.com
Westfield Culver City Fashion Weekend Friday through Nov. 8: The remodeled mall hosts three days of shopping events and celebrity appearances. At noon Friday, Saturday and Saturday, Hollywood stylist Laurie Graham will offer “looks to love.” Three shoppers will receive a personal consultation and a $1,000 Westfield Culver City shopping spree. At 1 p.m. Saturday, OK Magazine beauty editor Kim Kardashian will discuss makeup trends until 4 p.m.; the first 100 guests will have a photo taken with Kardashian and receive an autograph.
6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. (310) 390-5073. Noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
westfield.com/culvercity
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OPENING
Henri Bendel Friday: The storied New York Fifth Avenue retailer unveils the first of its two new Southern California stores. The 2,000-square-foot boutique at South Coast Plaza stocks Bendel’s array of handbags, jewelry, perfumes, scarves, chocolates and other gifts.
3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. (800) 423-6335. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
www.henribendel.com
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