Show booms business

Customers at Intermix, a trendy fashion boutique at South Coast Plaza, have been buzzing about the ’80s-inspired Herve Leger dresses since two cast members from “The Real Housewives of Orange County” visited the store in a recent episode and scooped up a couple of the garments for about $1,200 apiece.

“That curiosity has them come in and they decide they really do like the store,” said Intermix manager Brandy Billings.

Billings helped “Housewives” cast members Gretchen Rossi, an attractive young woman who is engaged to a wealthy man twice her age, and Lynne Curtin, an athletic but aging housewife who dreads growing old, comb through the store’s designer duds in a recent episode.

The cameo appearance has been good for business, Billing said.

“I just never knew how popular the show was until they came here. It’s taken on a life of its own,” she said.

South Coast Plaza has an agreement with the producers of the hit cable television reality series to film at stores and restaurants at the center. Several episodes of the current season, which airs Tuesday nights on Bravo, have featured scenes filmed at South Coast Plaza.

Cast members from the show have visited Intermix twice this season.

“We had one customer come in and say, ‘Are they really like that in person?’ ” Billing said. “I don’t know what that means. They’re really people and they happen to be on a TV show — both Gretchen and Lynne are very nice. You can tell they have good hearts and they like to have fun.”

What better place for an Orange County housewife than the lush recesses of South Coast Plaza, where labels like Chanel and Dior beckon, said Debra Gunn Downing, executive director of marketing for South Coast Plaza.

“The women on the show love fashion and love to shop and it translates well to have it filmed at a shopping center,” Downing said.

Now in its fourth season, the show follows the lives of a group of wealthy, attractive women living in Orange County as they shop for designer clothing and jewelry, eat at upscale restaurants and gossip.

“It’s a lifestyle thing — people sort of live vicariously through some of these characters,” Browning said.

The show’s national audience continues to grow, averaging 1.21 million viewers each episode this season, according to Bravo.

“It’s very appealing to a retailer to be able to be seen on a program like that,” Browning said.

Typically, the “Housewives” producers choose what stores and restaurants they want to film at ahead of time and South Coast Plaza executives work to get approval from the businesses, Downing said.

Cast members Rossi and Curtin also recently ate at Marche Modern at South Coast Plaza, where they enjoyed the lobster salad, said restaurant owner and chef Florent Marneau.

Marneau was reticent to let the show film at his upscale eatery at first.

“I guess we were a little skeptical at first, those shows can be a little crazy, but it turned out to be really mellow,” he said. “We do get a lot of people who say, ‘Oh yeah, funny to see your restaurant on there,’ but it’s been fun, and good for business.”

Talks are under way to begin filming scenes from season five at South Coast Plaza, Downing said.

The housewives have visited stores such as MAC Cosmetics, Diesel, Miss Sixty and Bulgari at South Coast Plaza.

Cast members also have dined at Charlie Palmer in Bloomingdale’s at the shopping center this season.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.