Rebag opens handbag resale shops in L.A. and Beverly Hills; Heidi Merrick pops up in Malibu
New York-based luxury handbag resale company Rebag jumped into the Los Angeles market with two stores simultaneously — one on Brighton Way in Beverly Hills, the other a few miles away on Melrose Place in Los Angeles.
“They cater to different clients,” said Charles Gorra, chief executive and founder of the four 4-year-old company, which has two boutiques in New York. “In Beverly Hills, there is more of a conservative color palette in the merchandise. Melrose is brighter and flashier.”
The 2,000-square-foot shops stock previously owned bags and small leather accessories from brands including Chanel, Hermès, Givenchy and Gucci, and Rebag boutiques are known for their “Birkin walls,” some 30 options of the hotly pursued bags on display as rainbow-colored artworks.
Most of the inventory is priced between 20% and 80% off regular retail (with the exception of the Hermès bags, and that’s consistent with original prices because of demand). To celebrate the double openings, Gorra curated some Los Angeles exclusives such as limited-edition Louis Vuitton X Supreme pieces, exotic skins and some hard-to-find Gucci items. Through a new initiative, shoppers can return a Rebag bag after six months of use for at least 70% of its purchase price in credit, which can go toward another bag.
“It enables customers to be bolder in their choices,” Gorra said.
Rebag, 9546 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, and 8461 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, rebag.com
Mietis
There are still a few days left to drop into an unusual pop-up from Spanish leather ready-to-wear and accessories brand Mietis. That’s where you’ll find jackets embellished with lush beaded fringe, miniskirts accented with slick patent leather and tidy clutches given googly eye designs.
“We did a whole collection exclusively for Los Angeles,” said brand founder Maria Fontanellas. The Barcelona-based brand, founded 18 months ago, chose Los Angeles for its first pop-up after being invited by the owners of avant-garde boutique UN.plugged by Please Do Not Enter. The temporary shop opened Nov. 7.
The 60-piece offering, priced from $800 to $1,500, includes ready-to-wear in color groupings such as black and blue with white or fuchsia with pink and mauve. There are also limited-edition pouches in red, dark green and black ($300) and structured handbags from $800 to $1,000.
“Everything is made using Spanish leather, but our styles are more like streetwear,” Fontanellas said. (Fontanellas’ family has owned a leather tannery since the 1950s, and that’s where the collection is made.)
Mietis pop-up until Nov. 21, UN.plugged by Please Do Not Enter, 643 N. Flores St., Los Angeles, mietistudio.com
Stars Shop Small for WeHo
Support local businesses, pose with celebrities and rally for a good cause at the Stars Shop Small for WeHo event. It’s part of the upcoming Small Business Saturday, an initiative started by American Express in 2010.
For its latest West Hollywood iteration, organized by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, businesswoman and “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Lisa Vanderpump will stop by to chat with fans at Tom Tom Restaurant and Bar (which she operates with husband Ken Todd and “Vanderpump Rules” stars Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz). Also, NBC4 anchor Robert Kovacik will cook up gourmet meals for pooches at Just Food for Dogs, and “Criminal Minds” actress Kirsten Vangsness will dole out shopping advice at Fred Segal on Sunset Boulevard. The idea behind the first-Saturday-after-Thanksgiving event is to encourage shoppers to spend their money at local boutiques. Other initiates in West Hollywood include complimentary makeup demos, Champagne and other giveaways at Nars, cloth tote bags and espressos from Fred Segal, discounted deals at Barber Surgeons Guild, and comped B12 boosters at Drip Doctors. Proceeds from sales at participating locations as well as donations collected will go to the West Hollywood Homeless Initiative.
Stars Shop Small for WeHo, Nov. 24 at various retail locations in West Hollywood, wehochamber.com
BOLD Holidays
Beverly Hills is expected to turn into a California wonderland of sorts during the holiday season. Think a ballerina pirouetting atop a piano, painted human bodies transformed into fashion plates and outrageous-looking motorcycle carriages spiriting visitors around town.
“We like the idea of offering experiential nightlife,” said Dr. Julian Gold, mayor of Beverly Hills. “The goal is to create a vibe around the streets.”
The BOLD Holidays initiative kicked off Nov. 15 and will continue through Dec. 22. There will be various attractions designed to appeal to residents as well as people who may not often get to Rodeo Drive.
“Each day is different,” said Gold, adding that food trucks will augment the busy restaurants and that steaming cups of hot chocolate will be served in a winter lounge on Rodeo Drive. Also, art curators will lead guided tours and shops will stay open late. And visitors can seek out free rides around Beverly Hills in luxury cars. Gold said similar previous events helped to “create a vibrancy to the area to make it look different from what it usually is.”
BOLD Holidays, until Dec. 22, various times and locations in Beverly Hills, lovebeverlyhills.com
Heidi Merrick
Designer Heidi Merrick is decamping to the beach from East Los Angeles for her first pop-up store, which is open in Malibu through January.
Merrick, who has a flagship store and studio space in downtown Los Angeles, has taken her gauzy dresses, sequined clutches and relaxed sweatshirts to a 3,000-square-foot space. The pop-up will include art installations from Dewey Nicks and Mona Kuhn.
“I love fashion, surf and art,” said Merrick, who was raised in Carpinteria, Calif., and whose father ran a surf shop in Santa Barbara. “I grew up surfing, and the years of staring out at the horizon and the colors of the ocean has helped make for a beautiful, clean silhouette.”
For the pop-up, Merrick has created what she describes as “easy-to-grab beach pieces.” Think sweatshirts, T-shirts, windbreakers and totes. Working with her brother Britt Merrick, who shapes surfboards, the fashion designer has also created a collection of black surfboards.
Prices at the pop-up range from less than $100 for new pieces printed with “SRF PCH” to $3,000 and upwards for the surfboards.
Heidi Merrick pop-up until Jan. 31, Malibu Village, 3822 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, heidimerrick.com
Loop
Loop, a 2-month-old Los Angeles-based brand designed to make ring shopping easier, recently debuted a line of 20 diamond rings priced at $200. If that sounds like a deal for a diamond ring, that’s the point, said Kris Ewton, brand co-founder.
“Everyone hates engagement-ring shopping,” she said. “It wasn’t built for the modern couple. There’s a lack of transparency and a lot of confusion.”
The e-tailer offers several styles of rings, available in a choice of metals — white, yellow or rose — and diamond colors such as white, Champagne and black in a number of carat sizes. About $700 will buy you one-third of a carat-sized Champagne diamond set in 14-karat gold. For $740, there is the Jump, a slender band studded with pavé-set diamonds. The $200 rings are modern and minimalist, made from sterling silver and with Champagne, black or white diamonds.
Ewton said the concept allows couples to find a ring that fits their budget. “They can then save all those thousands to go to Bali,” Ewton said.
Loop, loopjewelry.com
Anna Dello Russo X Vestiaire Collective
Italian tastemaker Anna Dello Russo, also an editor at large for Vogue Japan, has just launched a collaboration with Paris-based luxury resale site Vestiaire Collective to sell 38 pieces from her personal jewelry collection. Among the items are pieces from Roberto Cavalli, Prada and Moschino.
As an inveterate jewelry collector, Dello Russo said that “accessories allow you to play with fashion and to give new life to what you already have in your wardrobe.” She elected to divest of some of these pieces because the “idea of over-possessing things and putting pieces back into circulation is the most sustainable behavior there can be in our industry.” Among the jewelry available is a lavish Moschino necklace of chunky green stones as well as chandelier earrings from Prada featuring rosettes and drop-shaped stones. Prices start at about $85.
Anna Dello Russo X Vestiaire Collective, us.vestiairecollective.com
Love Leo Rescue Event
Your calendar might be filling up at this time of year, but an upcoming shopping event hosted by Hilary Duff, Whitney Cummings and Olivia Munn might be worth penciling in.
The Love Leo Rescue Event is out to raise money for dogs that are being rescued from abusive or unfortunate circumstances and nurtured until they are ready to be matched to a home. At the early December event, guests can bid for beauty and fashion products such as Annick Goutal fragrances, Marigot loungewear and a package from Drybar at prices significantly lower than retail. The venue, Rolling Greens, also will donate a quarter of sales from the evening to the L.A.-based nonprofit organization.
Love Leo Rescue Event, 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6, Rolling Greens, 7505 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; tickets are $100 and available at e.givesmart.com/events/bwY/
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