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Fashion
Factory Boutique
The stretch of Beverly Blvd. between San Vicente and La
Cienega that used to look up to the Beverly Center, the Hotel Sofitel, and the
old Hard Rock Café with its iconic – and impaled – classic car, may soon have
another landmark on its hands. At a modest 2 stories, it certainly is dwarfed
by its behemoth neighbors, but in the eyes of bargain hunters with a passion
for high-end designer clothing, it will definitely loom large.
The Fashion Factory Boutique is a brand
new, first of its kind shopping destination for Los Angeles, offering designer men’s and
women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories at 40 to 80% below suggested retail.
Yes, you read that correctly: 40 to 80% off! And trust me, this is not
your run-of-the-mill “outlet” store with mismatched clothes strewn about and
lousy service. This is first and foremost a boutique that just happens to have
fabulous, continuous sales.
At the grand opening held earlier this
month, we were treated to a red carpet outside and, once inside, a huge round
display of Valentino shoes in the center of this open, airy store. Off to the
right, hardwood floors and shelves were dotted with bags, belts, and more shoes
from the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Chloe, Etro, and more. To the left,
colorful suits, coats, dress shirts and sweaters awaited the men. For the more
casual guys, there were also plenty of print t-shirts and jeans.
The staircase in the middle of the store
led us up to even more deals for women – blouses, jackets, denim, dresses,
t-shirts, and more shoes and accessories – and quite a wide selection of kids’
clothes.
On this night, celebrities such as Rex
Lee and Tracey Bingham and Monarchy designer Eric Kim showed up to shop, mingle,
nibble hors d’oevres, indulge in the chocolate fountain and to bob their heads to
the dj spinning great tunes. Lee paused to reflect how he used to work across
the street at the Beverly
Center when he was
younger – my, look at him now! Bingham looked like a very happy kid in a candy
store as she raced around, scooping up several choice pieces for herself. Kim
proclaimed that this is a prime time for a high-end, classy discount store, for
during these particularly rough economic times, even the more well-off will
begin to feel the effects and perhaps need a place to go to begin doing more
bargain shopping than ever before, adding that it’s very cool to have a ton of
amazing designers under one roof.
One more lap around the Fashion Factory
Boutique before leaving proved that, alas, one needn’t be “well off” to shop here.
The prices are well within range of the masses and thus are encouraged to drop
by and experience this truly unique place. If you’ve had your eye on a Just
Cavalli tank top that you spotted in a magazine or a some True Religion jeans
that you may have seen at another retailer that were a bit too much for your
budget, I urge you to check this place out. The great atmostphere, ideal
location, helpful salespeople – and, of course, the amazing deals – will knock
your (designer) socks off.
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