California Apparel News

The latest edition of our biannual tribute to inspired stores and elegant eateries

NEW YORK

Sfoglia1402 Lexington Ave.(212) 831-1402

Since opening in 2006, Sfoglia, on Lexington Avenue and 92nd Street (opposite one of New York’s major cultural institutions, the 92nd Street Y), has become a favorite among the city’s foodies. Ever reinventing itself, Sfoglia’s Renaissance-influenced menu changes bimonthly and is inspired by the seasonally available produce from the Greenmarket network. Diners at the Manhattan location and at its original Nantucket location are encouraged to eat “all’Italiana”—sampling an antipasto, a primo plate of the chef’s renowned pasta, a secondo plate of naturally raised meats or Long Island fish, a contorno made with ingredients from area farms, and a dolce from a selection of desserts.

Casually elegant, Sfoglia’s deacute;cor is peppered with mismatched antique tables, a pistachio-colored marble bar and pink-bronze Murano-style chandeliers.

For those who want to take a little of their experience home with them, the restaurant recently opened Tutto Sfoglia, an Italian-style grocer, next door. Selling Sfoglia’s bread, fresh pastas, gourmet cheeses, cured meats, prepared tarts, assorted homemade cookies and pastries, as well as imported Italian products, Tutto Sfoglia is a dream for foodies who want to let their inner chefs out to play.Eva New York355 Bowery(212) 925-3890

In her new 2,400-square-foot store on the Lower East Side, Eva New York, Stephanie Pappas has assembled a roster of up-and-coming labels from across the globe that would make the United Nations proud. Emerging designers from France, Germany, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States are represented in the minimalist store and happily coexist in hipster heaven.

Eva, which represents Pappas’ second go at retailing and incubating young brands, sells Vivienne Westwood, Helmut Lang, Threeasfour and Los Angeles’ Michel Berandi alongside lesser-known brands such as Bland, TV, Burfitt and Diana Orving. Sophisticated, cool pieces with architectural and unconventional construction share space with altered classics. Shoppers who prize exclusivity will guard Eva jealously. Some of Pappas’ lines are exclusive to the store, and others provide exclusive colors and styles for Eva.

Hanging alongside Pappas’ chic designer selections is a rotating series of art installations. The experimental gallery, which features mixed-media installations, is curated by Adriana Farietta of the Brooklyn Museum.

“Everything in the store will, hopefully, reflect culture and fashion and art. It’s a tough economy—we want to make it interesting,” Pappas said.LOS ANGELES

Magnolia Downtown825 W. Ninth St.(213) 362-0880

Downtown just keeps getting cooler and cooler. After operating the eatery Magnolia on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood for years, Ron Marino and Laurie Mulstay opened a second location downtown in March. Perfect for the loft-dwelling hip crowd and the urban professionals who populate the high-rises, Magnolia Downtown keeps the original’s classic American menu, unpretentious style and staff, and mid-range prices.

Executive Chef Richard Crespin, formerly of Gordon Ramsay and Jean Georges, will continue to oversee the menu for both Magnolia locations. The downtown outpost operates seven days a week, serving the classic Magnolia menu, with a full bar and specialty cocktails. The full menu is available “to go” and for delivery.

Best of all, happy hour is serious business at Magnolia Downtown. Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., diners can sup on $4 beer; $5 glasses of wine; and $6 appetizers that include calamari, sweet potato fries, fried goat cheese and bruschetta.M’ouments125 W. Fourth St., Suite 106(213) 626-6606

With an entrance tucked away in an alley in downtown Los Angeles’ old bank district, M’ouments promises to be an avant-garde destination in a growing retail scene.

M’ouments (pronounced “moments”) is the latest retail venture from artist/designer/retailer Brett Westfall, who, with Tak Kato, previously ran the Comme des Garccedil;ons Guerrilla Store +1 213 in the same space. Westfall intends to continue to sell pieces from the Japanese label, as well as Unholy Matrimony, Sonia Boyajian and other labels, in his new store.

Westfall is a bit enigmatic about the concept behind the new store, which features exposed metal drywall studs and sculptural shelving made from stacked grocery carts. “The concept is each moment in life,” he said. The curious will find out on May 30, when M’ouments hosts an opening-night party in partnership with The New Order magazine.

M’ouments joins a handful of other shops in downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles–based fashion label Skingraft opened a 1,800-square-foot boutique and company headquarters in the same building on April 29. Elmer Ave., another of the city’s indie fashion labels, will also run a boutique/label design headquarters in the retail/design space. Contemporary brand Fremont opened a headquarters and boutique last year at 120 W. Fourth St.

MIAMI

Bourbon SteakThe Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club 19999 West Country Club Drive(786) 279-6600

Michael Mina caters to carnivores at Bourbon Steak, a contemporary steak house specializing in modern American fare with a focus on the finest meats and freshest seafood available. A James Beard Award–winning chef and restaurateur, Mina brings pedigree and experience to Miami. Before launching Bourbon Steak, Mina made his mark in Las Vegas with the successful Stripsteak steak house at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Foodies have plenty to keep them occupied. An extensive selection of ice-cold shellfish takes the edge off of Miami’s heat. Appetizers bring a dose of Mina’s trademark flavors, with a trio of tuna tartar poppers served with ponzu sauce, shabu shabu with mushroom consommeacute;, American Kobe beef carpaccio with a Thai tomato salad, or whimsical lobster corn dogs served with mustard cregrave;me fraiche.

Meat lovers, however, gravitate toward Bourbon Steak’s wood-burning grill, where prime meats, including prized Masami farms American Kobe and Japanese “A5” Kobe, as well as all-natural certified Angus steaks, are cooked over seasoned wood–fueled flames. Prior to grilling, all meats at the restaurant are first poached for maximum tenderness—red meats in butter, lamb in olive oil and pork in bacon fat.Cocoa Couture11513 South Dixie Hwy.(305) 238-4009

Let’s say you’re in Miami. It’s lovely out, not a hurricane in sight. And, let’s say, somehow you have managed to forget to bring a slew of pretty, breezy dresses so as to complement your pretty, breezy surroundings. Or, let’s say, you did and the airline lost your bag. Quick, hot shot. What do you do? You go see Marcella Prieto at her shop, Cocoa Couture.

Don’t let the lofty name scare you. The Pinecrest shop, named after Prieto’s beloved hound, has a great recession-proof game plan. A former buyer for department stores and, later, boutiques, Prieto now presides over Cocoa Couture and a great selection of affordable, colorful, cute styles that are oh-so-Miami.

“We do well with a skate brand called Elwood, which has hooded dresses made out of bamboo cotton. Other popular brands include Bianca Colletti, a local designer; Hot&Delicious; Flying Tomato; and Lush, to name a few. At the moment we are doing extremely well with long summer dresses in floral and paisley prints and jumpsuits-shorts and pants,” Prieto said.

Updated weekly, the clothing in Prieto’s store is all less than $100, which makes it wallet-friendly and leaves plenty of cash to buy those absurdly over-priced but tropically delicious cocktails by the pool.LAS VEGAS

T&TLuxor Hotel & Casino(702) 262-5225

T&T, short for Tacos & Tequila, gives Mexican food the Las Vegas treatment. Showcasing restaurateur/chef Richard Sandoval’s culinary stylings in an environment that combines traditional and modern Mexican style with rock ’n’ roll edge, T&T opened in December. “This is not your grandma’s cantina—think Pink Taco meets Coyote Ugly interpreted by Quentin Tarantino,” said owner Michael Frey.

The cavernous 8,000-square-foot restaurant is dominated by a tooled, architectural tin roof and minimalist polished concrete floors and walls. Elements of traditional Mexican culture find their way into the deacute;cor, as well, with the sombrero, the shot glass, the bullfight, skeletons and seductive women all included in the design concept.

If the deacute;cor doesn’t get you, the booze and food will. An extensive collection of tequila, infused tequila and specialty cocktails complement T&T’s take on traditional Mexican cuisine. For the more adventurous, a falafel taco or Maine-lobster taco might do the trick. Traditionalists might find the chile relleno, ceviche, adobo shrimp quesadillas, fajitas and sabana de pollo to be the perfect dishes to fortify them for a night out on the Strip.C Level750 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite 15(702) 933-6867

Retailer Edith Castillo loves to shop. She also loves the nightlife. With her boutique, C Level, she combines the two. Selling flirty women’s contemporary and designer brands— such as 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent, Geren Ford, Catherine Malandrino, Robert Rodriguez, Sass & Bide and more—Castillo decorated her space to look like the sort of place where dancing on table-tops might be the norm.

“I wanted C Level to look like a cool lounge. We serve complimentary cocktails, and we have a pool table, a PlayStation and a TV. It looks and feels like a place where you can hang out and have a good time,” Castillo said.

Architectural touches and specially fabricated furnishings keep the sexy nightlife theme going. Three glass dressing rooms allow for total privacy or none at all, depending on the shopper’s level of exhibitionism. Padded walls, mirrored walls, a black Murano-glass chandelier and plasma-screen TVs set the scene for shopping and perhaps a nice little pre-party.