L.A.'s hottest arrivals in shopping, nightlife, dining, entertainment, attractions, museums, theater, culture, sports and recreation. MAPS of Los Angeles

sHOPPING
Camper Lands at Farmers Market
Mallorca, Spain-based Camper has opened a sleek, light-filled boutique at the Farmers Market for its comfortable yet trendy footwear. The boutique’s design—featuring a wall covered in bunches of red fabric to resemble roses in bloom—is a collaboration with Japanese artist Tokujin Yoshioka. 6333 W. 3rd St., L.A., 323.634.0360

sHOPPING
Bohemian French Boutique Vanessa Bruno Opens On Melrose
Paris-based Vanessa Bruno—the womenswear designer whose clothing exudes bohemian French cool—has unveiled a 2,700-square-foot flagship store on trendy Melrose Avenue. Described as a contemporary boudoir, the space features a carefully curated assortment of vintage furniture and is offset by a giant mural of model Lou Doillon. (It’s actually a film still from a collaboration with director Stephanie Di Giusto, available on the designer’s website.) In addition to offerings from the Vanessa Bruno fall/winter collection and popular, less expensive diffusion line Vanessa Bruno Athé, fans like actresses Rachel Bilson, Kirsten Dunst and Cate Blanchett find a range of shoes and accessories. The boutique also offers variations of Bruno’s much-imitated Cabas bag, a simple tote embellished with sequins or grommets. 8448 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323.655.5300

sHOPPING
Intimacy Lingerie Boutique Offers a Flawless Fit
Could you be one of the 85% of women who (supposedly) wears the wrong-size bra? Shape up at lingerie boutique Intimacy, which has arrived at Westfield Century City. It was founded by Susan Nethero, aka “The Bra Whisperer,” said to have been trained under the Queen of England’s bra fitter (seriously) and frequent guest on style and talk shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show for her bra-fit know-how. The store is known for its revelatory, 30-minute “holistic” bra fittings (sans tape measure) from trained bra-fit “stylists” in luxe, feminine dressing rooms. The boutique’s gilded drawers open to reveal underwear and shapewear plus bras (sport, lace, T-shirt, the works) in 90 sizes—from A cup through K! If a style doesn’t fit just right or becomes stretched out from wear, Intimacy provides free custom alterations for the life of the bra. High-end lingerie brands offered include Aubade, La Perla, Hanky Panky, Eberjey, Chantelle and Le Mystère.

DINING
Dining Deck at Santa Monica Place
Those trolling the glittering new Santa Monica Place mall shouldn’t forget about its fabulous third-floor Dining Deck, with six restaurants and an upscale food court. So, where to dine post-retail therapy? First up is Xino Restaurant + Lounge, a sexy Chinese eatery. Feast on dim sum and Kung Pao chicken lollipops on the outdoor patio at a cabana or table—it has the best view of bustling Third Street Promenade below. Restaurateur Richard Sandoval, a Bon Appétit Restaurateur of the Year, teamed with opera star Plácido Domingo to create Zengo, a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant. Try the Peking duck daikon tacos with the Cucumber-Serrano Martini. Adjacent, Sandoval’s La Sandía Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar offers more traditional Mexican cooking. Taquería-style tacos come with a variety of fillings, like adobo-marinated pork; the tequila bar carries more than 250 tequilas and mezcals. Dine on the covered patio, which has a retractable glass ceiling for temperate weather. At contemporary pizzeria Pizza Antica—fun but sophisticated, with black-and-white tile decor—try the delicious pie topped with heirloom potato, caramelized onion and white truffle oil, or some of the simple salads and pastas. Sonoma Wine Garden is described as a “hybrid wine bar and beer garden,” focusing on small plates. Order a charcuterie plate with Fra’Mani and La Quercia cured meats or Kumamoto oysters and Baja prawns from the raw bar. Japanese restaurant Ozumo boasts a sake lounge and sushi bar. There’s also a selection of robata (grilled skewers of vegetables and meats). Finally, the indoor-outdoor food court (psst: the outdoor cabanas have prime views of Santa Monica State Beach) offers fast-casual options including outposts of L.A.-based eateries Sushi Itto and Stefano’s Pizza.

Nightlife
Fresh Cocktails at Villains Tavern
It feels good to be bad at Villains Tavern, a stylish new cocktail bar tucked into downtown’s Arts District. A Gothic church window frames the main bar in the moody, steampunk-influenced venue, decked out with vintage chandeliers and walls lined with antique apothecary bottles. Bartenders serve up artfully prepared cocktails with “squeezed-to-order” fresh juices, like the Bella Donna (shaved ice, Maker’s Mark, mint, citrus and crushed blackberries) and the Stan Lee (gin-infused hibiscus sour). A second alfresco bar serves 28 beers paired to flavor-profile-matched shots. 1356 Palmetto St., downtown, 213.613.0766

beauty
Spa Week in L.A.
At luxury spas and salons, the price of beauty can be steep indeed. Enter L.A. Spa Week, Sept. 13–19, during which more than 40 of the area’s top pampering places offer selected treatments—which normally run between $100 and $450—for just $50. Pop into any one of the participating venues listed at spaweek.com for a discounted indulgence. Standouts include Jurlique (1230 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, 310.899.1923), LuxLash lash-extension salon (9640 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.273.5274) and Clarins Skin Spa (Nordstrom, 21725 Victory Blvd., Canoga Park, 818.884.7900). SpaFinder Deal Days, Sept. 20–26, offers treatments plus yoga and pilates classes at half off or for $50. Participating venues include Murad Inclusive Health Spa (2141 Rosecrans Ave., El Segundo, 310.726.0470) and Tikkun Holistic Spa (1460 4th St., Santa Monica, 310.319.1111). Go to spafinder.com/dealdays to find out more.

Beauty
New L.A. Spas
Another chic and easy blow-dry salon has opened, this one in Beverly Hills. Offering strictly blowouts, MyBlow L.A. shampoos and styles customers in a mere 30 minutes. Choose from five blowouts on the “menu,” including the Perfect Blow (straight, with body), Romantic Affair (loose curls) and Slick Lick (stick straight). Each session is just $35. Preteens and men are $25 and $20, respectively. 419 N. Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.278.4600. The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles downtown has unveiled its sparkling new spa, an 8,000-square-foot venue with a design inspired by the theme “champagne and shimmer.” The minimalist, light-colored décor features gold, silver, crystal and mirror accents to recall an effervescent glass of champagne. Guests can unwind in two relaxation lounges and nine treatment rooms. Spa-goers linger in supersize steam rooms in the men’s and women’s lounges, or at the rooftop swimming pool with sweeping skyline views. Signature treatments include the Champagne and Shimmer Ultimate Manicure & Pedicure—with a paraffin wax mask and a glass of champagne to imbibe— and the Glowing Gold Facial, which imparts a tingling feeling to the skin with galvanic current, for lifting and toning facial muscles. 900 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown, 213.763.4400

opera
LA Opera Performs Il Postino
Los Angeles Opera rings in the 2010/2011 season with eagerly anticipated new opera Il Postino, from composer and librettist Daniel Catán. Plácido Domingo (right), L.A. Opera’s Eli and Edythe Broad general director, sings the leading role of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda in performances on Sept. 23 and 29. Based on the Academy Award-winning 1994 Italian film of the same name and on the 1985 novel Ardiente Paciencia by Antonio Skármeta, Il Postino tells the story of a shy postman in an Italian fishing village who finds the courage to pursue his dreams through his daily deliveries to Neruda.

theater
Leap of Faith Premieres at the Ahmanson
Leap at the opportunity to see the world premiere musical Leap of Faith, opening at downtown’s Ahmanson Theatre on Sept. 11. Based on the Steve Martin movie and featuring a score by eight-time Academy Award-winner Alan Menken, it stars four-time Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza and Golden Globe Award nominee Brooke Shields. The plot entails a con artist named Jonas (Esparza), whose traveling ministry breaks down in a small Kansas town. The flimflam man immediately pitches a tent and invites the locals to a revival. The sheriff is determined to stop Jonas from separating the townspeople from their money, but Jonas’ real challenge arises when he falls for pretty waitress Marva (Shields).

Film
Downtown Film Festival
The third time’s a charm—and we’re charmed by the offerings at the third annual Downtown Film Festival, Sept. 8–12, which offers up screenings of 200 narrative and documentary features and shorts, plus a variety of events programming. Addressing the theme of “Urban Wildlife,” films on deck include those of silent filmmaker Alice Guy Blanché and a free outdoor screening of Roman Polanski’s Chinatown. Event highlights include Digital Art L.A. at ArtWalk (Sept. 9), a showcase of digital shorts during the popular Downtown ArtWalk, and Taco Cinema (Sept. 11), a gourmet street food and film fest. The center of the action is at L.A. Center Studios, with other events taking place at venues such as the Los Angeles Center for Digital Arts and the Grammy Museum.