The stars get ready to 'Shop Small' in West Hollywood, Lacoste heads to the locker room in Beverly Hills

By Kavita Daswani

Nov. 22, 2017 5 AM PT

The “Shop Small” movement comes to West Hollywood the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Now known as “Small Business Saturday,” it encourages shoppers to show a little love to independent local boutiques. Organized by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, WeHo’s event will include stores such as Beauty Collection West Hollywood, Cheryl Saban Designs, menswear retailer LASC, B2V Salon and Vanity Girl Hollywood.

Television anchors Wendy Burch and Sharon Tay, actor/writer Bruce Vilanch and Wendi McLendon-Covey of “The Goldbergs”are scheduled to make personal appearances at some of the venues, which will offer deals, treats and mimosas. A portion of sales generated during the day will go to Stories: The Aids Monument, which is planned to go up in West Hollywood.

Stars Shop Small for WeHo, November 25, various locations around West Hollywood.

Cult Gaia

If your holiday plans include heading to some tropical locale, consider stopping by the Cult Gaia pop-up shop on Melrose Place. That’s because designer Jasmin Larian’s bag and accessories label, which includes the top-selling Ark bag, recently expanded into ready-to-wear offerings. Many of the pieces in the pop-up, which runs through Dec. 31, are aimed toward the “luxury holiday client,” Larian said.

“So much of our brand is built around vacation-holidays, special places, special people,” she said. “Every piece we make is something that is attention-grabbing but in a subtle way. Nothing is overdone.” Standouts from the 88-piece Fall 2017 collection, which ranges from $198 to $998, include a trapeze dress with an open back and low front. “You can wear it after having a big meal but it’s cinched from the inside so there’s still structure,” she said. The floor-length evening dress in silk georgette “will make you feel like you are going to the Oscars.”

Cult Gaia, 8441 Melrose Place, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 31.

Creatures of Comfort

Among the latest additions to the flourishing retail landscape: multi-brand retailer Creatures of Comfort, which opened a boutique in Silver Lake in October, with the idea to focus on itsown ready-to-wear offerings.

“Our brand is known for good basics every season,” said Jade Lai, creative director and designer of the brand, which has its flagship store in New York. Other brands offered by the retailer include French label Lemaire and Italian designer Laura Urbinati.

The 800-square-foot Los Angeles outpost will carry pieces from other brands in its beauty, jewelry and lingerie selections, but ready-to-wear (priced from $90 to $790) will be predicated on its own output. These include the Maison pant — a high-waisted flared model in denim and cotton twill, or the shrunken sweatshirt, which Lai said is among its most popular styles.

“It’s still important for people to be able to walk into a store and have that tactile sense of discovery,” she said.

Creatures of Comfort, 3902 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, Monday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Lacoste

Sporty French brand Lacoste might be best-known for its green crocodile logo and pastel-hued polo shirts, but it’s also now the among the coolest new concept stores in Beverly Hills. Earlier this month, the label, which has been around since 1933, unveiled a top-to-bottom redesign of its 1,900-square-foot Rodeo Drive boutique.

“The store was nice, but it had no identity,” Lacoste’s chief executive Thierry Guibert told us. “My goal was to change the concept so when a customer walks in, it should feel like a true Lacoste boutique.” The space, dubbed “Le Club,” is inspired by the locker room of brand founder and tennis champion René Lacoste. It features a facade modeled after a tennis court - green concrete and natural wood; stacks of shirts in dozens of colors; and Beverly Hills must-haves such as a dedicated VIP room and customization stations.

Another draw?The brand’s footwear, which had been produced by a licensee, has been brought back in-houseand the current focus is on trendy sneakers.

“It has always been an affordable brand, and that has not changed,” said Guibert. The polo shirts are typically less than $100, and sneakers are around $115.

Lacoste Beverly Hills, 447 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.