Sunday's Fashion Frenzy

Pop-up stores point the way to high style.

Carolyn Patten Fashion Week El Paseo

More than 15 fine designers and retailers set up one-day-only pop-up stores in the tent adjacent to the Toscana Country Club Runway Tent, giving attendees the chance to try on and purchase their newest spring styles.

Among the local retailers were Just Fabulous, from the Palm Springs Uptown Design District, which offered retro gifts, cards, and books and BG’s Eclectic, with colorful resort-oriented tops, skirts, and shorts. She She Clothing Boutique brought racks of frilly pink dresses and accessories for little girls, as well as an edited selection of romantic-hippie dresses and tops for the grownups.

From Los Angeles, Vilaiwan Fine Jewelry showcased the ultimate statement necklaces, earrings, and cuffs by artist/designer Joe Polthakorn Viboonviriyawong, a second-generation jeweler whose unmistakable glittering adornments are sold in museum shops and at trunk shows for retailers such as Neiman Marcus. “A very plain black dress and this [piece of Vilaiwan’s jewelry] — that is all you need,” said one admiring shopper.

Dicker and Dicker of Beverly Hills brought racks of light, pastel leather and fur pieces, using dying and shearing techniques to create jackets and accessories that looked and felt practically weightless.

Also on display were the latest pieces from Grayse, the new fashion venture from Marie and Kelly Gray, co-founder and former CEO of St. John. The line is a bit edgier and aimed at the woman who is likely to wear a heavily embellished jacket or top with denim jeans.
    
Midway through the day, the pop-up designers brought their work to the adjacent Toscana Country Club Runway Tent, showing the crowd how the silk, crystal, knitwear, and furs should be worn — with the sass and confidence that comes from looking beautiful and on-trend.

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