D

Herve Leger Now Open at NorthPark

The popular skin-tight bandage dresses by designer Max Azria are now available to daring Dallas divas in an array of styles at the new NorthPark location. New styles for the season include strong shoulders, removable sleeves (like look pictured at left), embellished fabrics, and exotic prints. New Year’s is just around the corner and there’s bound to be a few fabulous options in this store!

Saks Fifth Avenue’s “Off 5th” Opening This Week

Who couldn’t use a little Off Saks these days? We’re getting a big, brand, shiny new one cross from NorthPark. Opening its doors tomorrow, the Saks will be part of the new shopping area that has sprouted across from the mall. The Saks Fifth Avenue outlet version will be home to all kinds of designer clothing and accessories for discounted prices. Get excited!

Louis Vuitton NorthPark Now Open

Louis Vuitton lovers, rejoice! The new store at NorthPark Center is now open, and it’s the biggest LV location in Dallas. The 6,200-square-foot space features a large women’s lounge area and a display of antique trunks, among many other special design touches. Merchandise includes luggage, handbags, men’s and women’s shoes, watches, jewelry, sunglasses, textiles, ties, and other accessories. This is great news, if only because you now have such easy access to the Christmas gift you’re going to buy for me. Just in case you’ve forgotten, it’s the Keepall 50 with shoulder strap that I have my eye on. Happy shopping!

Hadleigh’s Relocates to Highland Park Village

We introduced readers to the private lifestyle atelier, Hadleigh’s, in the September issue of D. It was located in the back of the owner’s (Gable and Ed Shaikh – pictured at left with daughter, Hadleigh) Kessler Park home. They recently relocated the shop to suite #74 in Highland Park Village – above Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt.  The newly designed space features charcoal maple floors with snow-white walls, an open ceiling with exposed rafters and Italian club chairs…a chic base for the beautiful bespoke wares (i.e. Barker Black, Cesare Attolini, d’Avenza, and Emanuele Maffeis) offered at the appointment-only boutique. Call 214.770.4743 or visit www.hadleighsbespoke to book an appointment now!

Opening Party for Ilori at NorthPark: Come Find the Right Frames for your Face

Ilori will be the boutique-style home of designer sunglasses. Their goal is to keep limited edition shades and hard-to-find styles in the shop. This Dallas location will mark Ilori’s 25th store in North America. Brands for men and women will include Chanel, Oliver Peoples, Ray-Ban, Tiffany & Co., and emerging artists like Proenza Schouler and Derek Lam. Come celebrate the opening with their Wednesday, Oct. 21 party. Gracing us with her presence will be stylist Jennifer Rade (who deals with her highness Angelina Jolie). She’s teamed up with the boutique to keep eyewear as fashionable an accessory as any other. On Wednesday night you’ll have the chance to find the perfect sunglass shape for your face with knowledgeable in-store consultants. And if you decide to buy a pair, all purchases made will be donated to The Elisa Project, an organization dedicated to spreading eating disorder awareness and treatment. NorthPark Center, Level One. Wednesday, Oct. 21. 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. RSVP to the event at 917-553-1217. Photo of limited edition Tom Fords from Ilori’s 2009 lookbook

Lash Studio Opens in Dallas

If you’re a lash kind of lady, you won’t want to miss this new hot spot. Recently, I went to meet owner Shannon Sturdivant and PR gal Bee Lee (one of your 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas nominees) and if memory serves me correctly—although it often does not—Shannon called the vibe “flirty chic.” If she didn’t, then I’m calling the place flirty chic. It’s elegant with its black chandeliers and gorgeous light fixtures and wall sconces, but totally girly glam with hot pink walls and stripes–check it out after the jump. This sets the mood for getting the two awesome treatments offered at Lash Studio: NovaLash eyelash extensions and Bronze Biologic airbrush tanning. Shannon applies each extension one lash at a time for the most realistic look using NovaLash, her favorite U.S.-made lash line, which is said to last up to eight weeks. (We’ll let you know when we’ve tried it ourselves.) You can get a full set for $250 or The Flirt, which is a partial lashing of the outside corners, for $150. Other services on the menu include colorful lashes in brown, blue, green, and purple and glittery lashes (hello, Halloween!), and Discrete Lash, a travel service to your home so the paparazzi (or your nosy neighbors) don’t discover your faux lash secret. Bronze Biologic, also a U.S.-made product, is an airbrush tanning solution that uses only botanical ingredients for a chemical-free golden glow, only $35. Lash Studio is also planning to be host to girl’s parties—think bachelorette, bridal and birthday—where girls can gather for a little beautifying and champagne sipping. Check out at Lash Studio at its West Village home at 3699 McKinney Ave., Ste. 400 or click here to make an appointment.

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H&M Is Coming to Town! Eventually…

That’s what Unfair Park is reporting.

Intimacy Opens At NorthPark August 18

This could be you!

The folks at Intimacy call themselves “bra fit specialists” and it certainly sounds like they are. They not only help women find their perfect size but also teach us how to avoid back fat (thank goodness!) and what it takes to extend the life of your lingerie by using proper cleaning techniques. What I’m most excited about though are their free thirty minute “bra makeovers” where you’ll meet one-on-one with an Intimacy fit specialist. Appointments are private so you don’t have to worry about standing there half-naked with a group of strangers discussing your breasts. The store, which opens at NorthPark on August 18 (between Dillard’s and Macy’s) carries over ninety sizes from A through K cups. Now that’s a lot of bras. The store is stocked with goods by European designers like Lisa Charmel, Aubade, La Perla and Prima Donna. These people are not only serious about bras but also, about making women feel as beautiful as possible – right down to their undies. Make your bra makeover appointment today; I made mine!

New Dallas Shops for Tots

In the current issue of D, I wrote about an adorable vintage-inspired children’s line called Pout and a few other tid-bits on cute things for kids. It seems that this is one category of retailers and fashion unaffected by the recession. Kids stores and clothing lines seem to be popping up everywhere, including two new stores worth mentioning in Dallas. Christine Visneau, designer of clothing line, Baby Bean Vintage Daywear has decided to open up a shop for tots, Little Bean, that’s stocked with cute clothes (including her own line) and unique accessories, gifts, and art from independent designers. Little Bean (pictured at left) is tucked away in East Dallas’ historic Junius Heights neighborhood (5308 Junius St.), where Christine’s sewing machine is on site for made-to-measure requests and spur-of-the-moment creations that you won’t find anywhere else. Also be sure to stop by Mockingbird Station to check out the recently opened (Erykah Badu attended the Grand Opening party last week) Kidrobot. The gallery-store sells limited edition art toys and apparel, many collectibles.

Aloha, New Hawaiian Nail Bar

Because I’m a slave to convenience, my go-to nail salon just happens to be the closest nail salon to my apartment. Mai-Le Nails in the Old Town shopping center is not fancy—no massage chairs or complimentary wine or anything like that—just quick and basic manis and pedis. Until recently, I was completely fine with that. Then something happened. Construction started on a new nail place just around the corner in the same shopping center. The sign for the old tenant, Beauty First, came down and was replaced by a sign for Hawaiian Nail Bar, a local chain with locations in Flower Mound and Irving. So what’s a girl to do? Do I leave the Mai-Le folks who’ve been nothing but nice to me all these years and try out the new kid on the block? Or do I let loyalty prevail? ShopTalkers, have any of you been to a Hawaiian Nail Bar? If so, tell me all about it.

Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th Scheduled To Open at Park Lane in November

I admit I hadn’t even been to Park Lane until I had to drop off a friend at Nordstrom Rack the other day. The mixed-use development–residential, hotel, shopping, dining–has only just begun to fill up, and Off 5th is the latest in a long lineup of coming stores. Scheduled to open this summer are Aveda Institute of Dallas, FreshBerry Frozen Yogurt and Café (seriously? another one?), and Bailey’s Prime Plus.

Isabella Collection

We love when new stores open – especially when they open in the same location where another store just closed.  (Remember Art & Lily which opened and closed before we could buy a single thing.)  So come to the grand opening of the Isabella Collection’s IBC Design Studio tomorrow, July 2 from 6 – 8 at 2000 Greenville Ave.  We’ll be drinking mojitos and trying out all the new bedding – depending on how many mojitos we have.

West Village a Welcome Haven for Haven

I finally dropped into Haven’s new digs at the West Village the other day. You remember that store, right? Lovely home furnishings boutique in Victory Park. Such wonderful chic finds. Oh that’s right. You probably don’t remember it because hardly anyone shops at Victory. At least that’s what co-owner Jon Tutolo (pictured left with co-owner John Bassignani) told me. “Some days I wouldn’t see a soul. Now, there’s people walking by my shop. There’s such an energy here at the West Village,” he said. Though the new store is a 1/3 of the size of the original, it’s chocked full of candles, linens, lamps, books, furniture, and gifts galore. Couple Haven with Gardens around the corner and you have two of Dallas’ chicest stores (almost) side by side. That’s some good shopping. Photo by Vanessa Gavalya

New Shops at Watters Creek

The resort-style outdoor shopping center in Allen is growing, with the addition of ten new tenants including Dallas-based Flirt Boutique (the original location is in Uptown), Houston-based Charming Charlie, and children’s salon/spa/party place  Sweet & Sassy. Coming soon: Filthy Rich (June) – specializing in replicas of jewelry worn by the stars, Apricot Lane (September) – moderate to high-end apparel and accessories, and the infamous Luke’s Locker (September) – specialty running, walking, & fitness shop. If you live in town you probably won’t be making a dash for the suburbs to see these shops since most of them have other locations nearby, but why not make the trip simply for a change of scenery and full day of shopping, eating, and relaxing.

(*photo  above by Gregg Ellman)

Waxing the City

I stopped in Waxing the City, an “exclusive waxing studio” (you name it, they wax it: brows, ears, nose, lips, legs, backs, bikini, shoulders…just about any body part in need of hair removal), yesterday to get my eyebrows groomed. I had been getting them threaded for the past two years, but when I heard about this place dedicated solely to the art of waxing, I decided to give waxing another shot. Here’s the scoop: four friends who are passionate about waxing got together to open Waxing the City in Colorado (two in Denver, one in Boulder) over five years ago and they have now expanded their business to include Dallas (partially due to the fact that there is no place like it in Dallas). Lucky for me, Summer Hartshorn, one of the founders and “cerologists” (a  term coined by WTC management; “cera” is latin for wax) was tending the studio (they currently take turns coming to town to run the Dallas location until they find and train proper technicians to take over) and did my brows. I must say, I am very happy with the results. The small, yet functional facilities are very bright and clean, residing on the second floor of 6131 Luther Lane. They use a hard wax, which is less abrasive and doesn’t leave you with that red-skinned look you can get from the alternative. Bonus: The pricing structure (starting at $9, brows start at $18) and a no tipping philosophy makes regular visits easier to keep up with. Rest assured, all of the cerologists go through several months of training at the companies training facility in Denver. Now go and get your wax on!

Newflower Opens

Newflower Farmers Market (a competitively priced organic food store otherwise known as Sunflower Farmers Market) on Henderson Avenue opened yesterday. Since Whole Foods on Greenville Avenue has officially moved to their new digs in Lakewood, this store should be a welcome surprise to those in the area. I haven’t been by yet, but a friend of mine has and they were impressed. They said they have a great selection of chicken sausages (one of my faves) and produce, and that the cereal they usually buy at other grocers is a dollar or two less there. I plan on stopping by later today. Will give you a full report, unless of course, one of our savvy SideDish reporters beats me to it.

Togs for Tweens

Last week I received a giant purple ipod pillow (with functioning speakers – pictured at left) announcing a recently opened (in late December) shop, BeTween Scene, in Inwood Village. I stopped by the store this weekend to check it out. First thought: If they had this around when I was a young fashionista my mom would have been in trouble. The store is separated into sections – to the right “Chick’s” (size 7-16), to the left “Dudes” (size 8-10), and a selection of “Kids” (size 4-6x) towards the back. Offerings include adorable mini J-Brand denim shorts and other diminutive denim by 7 For All Mankind, Rock & Republic, Joe’s Kids, Miss Sixty, Hudson, and It Jeans, tee’s by Ella Moss, and petite posh pieces by Twelfth Street Girl by Cynthia Vincent, Lacoste, KORS Kids, Alice & OIivia, Moschino, and Ike Behar. Accessories and shoes are available as well. If your kiddos get restless they can jam away some of their energy with a game of Guitar Hero. Overall thoughts: Great place to shop for trendy togs for the little one’s in your life, but be prepared to pay for them. There was a small rack offering 60% off sale items that’s definitely worth a look.
What are some of your favorite shops for tots in Dallas?

Weekend Shopping by Holly

Not going to lie. There isn’t much going on this weekend in the sale department. Might I suggest doing some Spring cleaning? Nevermind. That sounds terribly dull, so out and about we go.

Home decor aside for 1 sec. Saturday is Milly Day at the Neiman Marcus at NorthPark. Milly definitely takes the cake for precious Spring frocks. From 11-4, the Milly rep will be there to showcase what is hot this Spring.

Stella Dallas, my new Lovers Lane obsession, is having their first sale, which features markdowns throughout the store… select furniture, jewelry, pillows, candles, soaps/lotions, Tepper Jackson bags, home accessories… even their solid Missoni’s are going on sale!

There are a host of new stores well worth checking out this weekend:

• Again Design Studio (2003 Henderson Ave.)

• Plum Crazy (6959 Lebanon Rd., Ste. 117, Frisco)

• Art & Lily (2000 Greenville Ave.). Modern art, furnishings, and floral + coffee bar.

• Calvin Klein’s new modern home line, available at Macy’s. Three key looks to choose from-City, Weekend, and Destination. Check it out here.

Lastly, don’t forget this is the last weekend of Cantoni’s “Fall in Furniture Love Sale!” 20% off storewide for only a couple more days…

New Shops in Town

The new year welcomes a bevy of boutiques for us to browse. Some opened at the end of 2008, but we haven’t had a chance to check them out. If you have, let us know what you thought. 
Assembly (men’s and women’s contemporary clothing and accessories) at West Village
Cafe Coton  (French company: men’s shirts, ties, and trousers) at The Plaza at Preston Center
Cabana (New Location – previous digs were owner’s pool house on Devinshire: women’s casual clothing and accessories) on Lovers Lane
Oscar Fierro (Pictured at top left and opening at end of January: Local Designers women’s couture and ready-to-wear, including a line of pieces $30 and under) in Mockingbird Station

Happy Shopping!

The Beauty of Bella Bridesmaid

You can read more about new shop Bella Bridesmaid in an upcoming issue of D Weddings, but I thought I’d share the news with you ShopTalkers as well. Even though I’m in no way, shape, or form on my way to the altar, this clean, bright space is so pretty, it makes me want to go browse through its beautiful bridesmaid dresses anyway. If you’re about to tie the knot, you’ll definitely want to make an appointment here. Your bridesmaids will thank you.

New Oscar Fierro Boutique and Trunk Show

Designer Oscar Fierro, who will open his first boutique next month in Mockingbird Station, is holding a holiday trunk show to give Dallas fashion lovers a sneak peek at his store as well as his original pieces. The trunk show started this morning and will continue through 5 pm, but if you can’t make it today, don’t worry. The event will be going on tomorrow as well. Hours are 10am-5pm, and the shop is located between Cafe Express and Ann Taylor Loft. In addition to Fierro’s designs, which include his “To-Go” label featuring items priced at 30 bucks or below, expect to see new jewelry pieces from Austin designer Kendra Scott.

Heaven Scent

I mentioned it was due to open in October and it has finally arrived…LAFCO (Luxury Articles And Fragrance Company) opens it’s doors just in time for Holiday shopping! LAFCO’s New York team (including owner, Jon Bresler) all flew down for the Highland Park Village store’s debut last week and I got a grand tour of the sophisticated fragrance shop. I have never smelled so many savory scents in my life, starting with the Claus Porto soaps (there are 16 scents to choose from) which are made by a century old Portuguese soap making company that is highly regarded throughout Europe. Each bar is milled seven times for the finest finish (lasting three times longer than other soaps the same size). The artful packaging, created using the same paper stock, embossing techniques and screen printing methods from decades ago, makes them great for gift-giving (many on my list will be getting them). Don’t worry guys, you aren’t forgotten. Be sure to check out the Musco Real men’s face and body collection. The shampoo/shower gel is perfect for the man on-the-go and all products are reasonably priced, starting at just $10. The shop is also the exclusive importer of infamous Santa Maria Novella (founded in 1221) products for men, women, children, and more (they even have fragrant fire-starters for the fireplace). Also find candles that are packaged in colorful art-deco glass (that can be recycled), Eau d’Italie fragrances, Linari diffusers, and Arte & Cuoio leather goods.

Marnie Rocks Dallas

It’s possible you’ve seen Marnie Rocks in InStyle, PaperCity, or Lucky magazines. Well, now you can see the goods in person at Houston designer Marnie Greenwood’s new shop in Preston Center. In addition to her jewelry line (like this zodiac pendant, part of her new collection), Greenwood’s wares include super-cute bags, scarves, rain gear, and kids’ stuff. Greenwood’s got quite a following in Hollywood, so if you ever wanted to accessorize like a starlet, this is the way to do it.

Re: New Sephora To Open In Allen

Well, all you Sephora-loving Collin County dwellers, I have some not-so-great news. The store we told you about earlier this week has pushed back its opening to September 26. That means you have to wait two extra weeks before you can sweep a gazillion NARS lipstick samples across your hand and get loopy head from the walls of fragrances.

LAFCO New York Coming to Dallas Soon

Good news for all of you bathing beauties out there. Renowned luxe apothecary, LAFCO (luxury articles and fragrance company) New York, is set to open in October at Highland Park Village. They will stock all European imports including the famed line Santa Maria Novella, made by the most prestigious and oldest pharmacy in the world. To read more about the new addition and see what Jon Bresler, owner and founder of LAFCO New York has this to say about coming to Dallas, follow the jump. (more…)