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  • Julianne and George Argyros Plaza

    Julianne and George Argyros Plaza

  • White Lilac at South Coast Plaza

    White Lilac at South Coast Plaza

  • The limited-edition Sylvie top handle bag, created for Gucci's South...

    The limited-edition Sylvie top handle bag, created for Gucci's South Coast Plaza reopening

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Groundbreaking
We know Segerstrom Center for the Arts as Orange County’s cultural hub. We also know the plaza between the center’s two performance halls as a stately but, let’s be honest, sterile space.

That’s about to change big-time as construction begins this month on what will be called the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza. The Newport Beach philanthropic couple, who donated $13.5 million, will be on hand for a private groundbreaking event on January 11.

Segerstrom patrons should expect to see fencing and some minor detours into the performance halls as work continues through the fall.

When it’s done, the space will be transformed with a white circular entryway into the original Segerstrom Hall, an outdoor stage, and shaded and landscaped public areas. The project also includes a new Center for Dance and Innovation, featuring the new Judy Morr Theater, as well as upgrades to the center’s rehearsal studios.

Expect curtain up on the refreshed plaza when the 2017-18 season kicks off in September.

White Lilac’s Blooming Boutique
Envy no more. Now that White Lilac has opened a boutique at South Coast Plaza, that Mongolian white fur bench can be yours without going through your interior designer. Brainchild of founder and CEO Sunny Ravanbach, White Lilac has evolved from a premier design and events company – serving clients like Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Orange County Museum of Art – into a full-fledged boutique featuring year-round gifts, home furnishings and accessories. Expect to find everything from glassware to art-inspired modern rugs – and even midcentury modern velvet pieces for designing daredevils.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to able to share this atmosphere with the retail shopper who can now experience the mood that can be set by carefully curating decorative items and furniture,” Ravanbach said.

So go ahead, grab that French 1940s marble-top table. Or then again, maybe text a shot of it to your designer first, just in case.

Gucci reopens with style
In February Gucci will unveil a new store design by creative director Alessandro Michele. To highlight the boutique’s reopening and to celebrate South Coast Plaza’s 50th anniversary, Gucci will release a limited-edition Sylvie top handle bag ($2,890). Only 25 purses were created for the South Coast Plaza reopening.

The shop’s décor features velvet armchairs, ornate oriental rugs, tufted wall panels juxtaposed with marble polychrome display cases. The boutique’s new esthetic and the limited-edition Sylvie reflect Michele’s love of opulent patterns and gold finishes. The Sylvie is expected to sell out before the doors open. True Gucci collectors are in luck. Those in the know may preorder the bag in January by contacting Gucci at South Coast Plaza.

A safer online shopping choice
Online shopping in the luxury realm has been tricky. Familiar high-end makers of apparel, bags, jewelry, shoes and watches are earning significant revenue from the internet, but the risk to the consumer of receiving fake goods is high. Enter Reebonz.com, an integrated platform for online luxury shopping. It’s the only online luxury retailer that guarantees the quality of new, pre-owned and vintage items through a stringent authentication and certification process. Thriving in Southeast Asia, the site has recently set its sights on the U.S. market. It carries more than 550 brands, many of them world-famous: Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermès.