The Crowd

B.W. Cook

The operative word is style.

For the past 25 years, Orange County women, and in particular the Newport

crowd, have relied on the fashion sense of Iris Tons Frankel and Mary

Rubenstein, two very fashionable gals who run a very fashionable business

known as MiPlace, which is based in Laguna Niguel.

The boutique has attracted the social, business and celebrity crowd and

Newport customers including pretty Patti Edwards might be checking out

the season’s selection from designers such as Claude Montana, Robert

Danes, Randolph Duke and Dolce and Gabbana alongside Deidre Hall, star of

television’s “Days of Our Lives,” or Mary Hart, co-host of “Entertainment

Tonight.”

Even Laura Schlessinger of radio fame can be seen among the threads.

Patti and Dr. L are good friends. Patti probably introduced the good Dr.

to MiPlace.

Recently, MiPlace expanded to Newport Beach, moving into the swank Corona

del Mar Plaza. And, as is fitting for such an expansion, co-owners

Frankel and Rubenstein threw a little open house to say hello to their

new neighbors.

They all came. Power dressers such as the leader of the pack Judie Argyos

came with her young grandson. Provocative blond Sonya Grech came in

mini-mini and zebra stripes, accompanied by handsome husband Ed Grech.

Judy Curtin was all smiles, bussing Frankel. Gina Gage, Pat Gaines and

Priscilla “Bo” Moore all stopped by the new store to blow a kiss, check

out the fashion, and meet the star of the opening, international fashion

guru Marc Bouwer.

Making a grand entrance, Bouwer, wearing golden leather trousers to match

his golden locks, added a bit of edge to the assemblage. MiPlace has been

known for its fashion forward approach to dressing women in Orange County

(and elsewhere), so it was appropriate to add a little Hollywood drama to

the opening.

Bouwer creates evening clothes, often quite revealing evening clothes,

worn by Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Pamela Anderson Lee and Shania

Twain. Conservative is not the operative word. MiPlace has made a

reputation translating the sexy and showy into glamorous for the local

gal. It has been a working formula attributed to the vision of Frankel

and Rubenstein.

And if you thought it was easy running a boutique, and doing it

successfully for years, think again. Frankel and Rubenstein have poured

their collective creative souls into the enterprise, taking risks (both

fashion and financial) to make MiPlace work. They have brought to Orange

County the designs of Thierry Mugler, Zang Toi and Bouwer, to name only a

few, educating and introducing the local crowd to the brave new world of

ever-evolving design.

To add a touch of class and social relevance, a portion of the proceeds

from the opening and Bouwer presentation were donated to the Marconi

Children’s Foundation.* B.W. COOK’S column appears Thursdays and

Saturdays.