They know what girls like.? And they deliver big time.?
If you don?t like to sample fine wines and designer fashions, go on to the next story.
Now that we?re all here, we can groove into a truly unique Girls Night Out.? It?s the work of Fashion Co-Op, where discriminating shoppers can meet and buy directly from up-and-coming designers for up to 80% off retail.
The main attraction is the awesome selection of discounted designer delights, items you have not seen in every mall on every gal.? If you need more than retail therapy to cure a stressful week, quit whining and have some wine.?
That?s what hundreds of LA women did on Friday, July 27, descending upon the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to enjoy the sweet treats of Fashion Co-Op?s Girls Night Out.
It?s a shopping extravaganza and so much more.? They hand you a wine glass as soon as you walk in the door — a clear hint that your admission ticket is an all-access pass to sumptuous pleasure.? Once inside, you?ll find:
- Wine and champagne tasting from more than 10 wineries
- Choctal single-origin chocolate and vanilla ice creams
- Dessert and treat sampling
- Kiwiberri frozen yogurt sampling
- Complimentary eyebrow threading and eyelash applications
- Free gifts from Cozmocard and Smartsco
- Go Girl Energy Shots
- Metromint Refreshers
- Complimentary massages courtesy of Mar Vista
These temptations were set up in a separate room, nicely dividing the space between the shop girls and the party girls.
If your mission is strictly shopping, opt for the Saturday daytime sale after the Friday Girls Night Out.?
At Fashion Co-Op, the main shopping area looks like a sample sale.? There are booths where vendors sell clothing, handbags, jewelry, and other specialty goods and services.
But, the similarity ends there.? If sample sales tend to be crowded and claustrophobic ? sometimes to the point that you can?t even get to the goods ? Fashion Co-Op provides a lot more breathing room.? There were some bottlenecks that were hard to navigate, but it was much less challenging than the typical sample sale.
What?s for sale is not only samples. Designers also have selections of their regular merchandise in assorted sizes. In the case of handbags, they may have more than one of a given color or style. It?s not a one-shot deal here at this ?designer flea market.?
The most unique feature is the genuinely personal service. The designers themselves are there to fit and advise you, showing you how to tie the straps on this halter dress and where to wear the belt on that shirtdress.? They?ll tell you if you?re eyeing their bestseller and they?ll dig through their stock to find your size and/or a freshly-wrapped item for you to buy, so you?re not always stuck with the sample off the racks.
The event creates a sense of community that serves the interests of both shoppers and designers.? Fashionable consumers can access emerging, just-under-the-radar designs without trekking from door to door in the garment district or researching obscure warehouse sales.
There?s the supreme satisfaction of knowing you?re wearing something unique from a label that few have heard of.? When you get complemented, you can nonchalantly tell how the designer personally insisted that you buy it.??
Designers get to see how real-life shop girls study, fondle, inspect and try on their creations.? They have an instant focus group of shoppers to question and observe in their native habitat.
Fashion Co-Op?s next sale is December 7-8, 2007.? Girls Night Out tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door.? Discounted tickets are available through Goldstar Events and by joining the Fashion Co-Op mailing list.? General admission to the Saturday sale is $3 in advance and $5 at the door.
