Weddington Way offers special-occasion dresses; Aussie-style showcase pops up at Westfield Century City

Weddington Way might have originally started off for brides and bridesmaids. With affordable prices and flattering silhouettes, the label is now increasingly sought after, especially after the November launch of its tulle collection, by those in need of a gown for a night out.

“We were finding that more and more women were coming in for special-occasion dresses,” founder Ilana Stern said. “They are standalone pieces.”

The brand, which has a presence within Banana Republic in Santa Monica and at South Coast Plaza, bills itself as a place for “affordable luxury,” Stern said. Selections from the tulle collection, priced from $195 to $225, come in colors such as plum and cabernet. Sizing runs up to an 18, and some dresses go up to size 30.

“It’s squarely for the millennial female,” Stern said, adding that most dresses come with pockets for the wearer to stash a cellphone or another modern-day essential.

Weddington Way, www.weddingtonway.com

Allume

Allume wants to make a personal stylist accessible to almost anyone. The service, which launched online in October, pairs clients with a stylist who scours the internet looking for the right pieces for a flat $20 fee.

Mauria Finley, Allume’s founder and chief executive, said she was motivated to create the company because she occasionally felt insecure when dressing for an important occasion.

“What I really wanted was someone to give me that sense of feeling put together,” she said.

Stylists have a background in design or merchandising and they are hired for their keen eye. Using text or email, a client shares information about budget, body type, lifestyle and color preferences. Pieces selected by the stylist arrive on the client’s doorstep from different brands. The $20 fee is applied toward those purchased items.

Allume, allume.co

Aussie Collective pop-up

Australian style is the focus of a new pop-up store at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. The Aussie Collective is in a 1,000-square-foot temporary space in the shopping center, and it’s a showcase for 11 brands across fashion, accessories, wellness and interior design, curated by G’Day USA, a U.S. company that arranges events to strengthen U.S. and Australian ties. Participating brands include Gorman (known for its art-inspired clothing); Vie Active (activewear); and Kirrikin (think handmade silk and cashmere scarves and neckties).

Prices range from $4.89 for Elyptol’s natural hand-sanitizer spray to $899 for a made-to-measure suit from MJ Bale. Furniture from Incy Interiors starts at $450.

Aussie Collective at Westfield Century City, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., the Atrium, Level 1, Los Angeles, Friday to Jan. 28, www.westfield.com

Outdoor Voices

Tyler Haney, founder of activewear brand Outdoor Voices, describes the new Los Angeles boutique as “a gem store meets a Runyon Canyon hike. It’s our most colorful store.”

The 2,300-square-foot space opened in early December, joining other boutiques in Austin, Texas; New York; Dallas; Aspen, Colo.; and San Francisco. Haney said the brand is a fit for “the girl who is super active but is not an athlete.”

Instead, the pieces are designed to be thrown on in the morning and left on all day, without tons of logos or neon markings like traditional performance activewear. The latest women’s collection was inspired by Sequoia National Park, and is predicated on “mineral, earthy colors like desert, light yellow and misty blue,” Haney said. For 2018, the brand will offer specific collections for different activities, including golfing and tennis, and prices ranges from $35 for a tee to $135 for outerwear. (The label also sells clothing and footwear options for men.)

Outdoor Voices, 8425 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, www.outdoorvoices.com