Right before heading out to Japan I was invited to attend the grand opening of J. Colleen Boutique in Lafayette on Saturday, September 7th. The invite promised a fashion show, movie screenings, and of course snacks. It was hard to not attend despite preparing to take a trip out of the country.
When I arrived, there were the usual amenities for a store opening. In this case wine, served here by The Wine Thieves, and sushi, from Serika of Orinda, were on the menu before the start of the fashion show. Before the show started I went into the store and took a peek at the merchandise inside. J. Colleen Boutique, or JCB, features an array of goodies that I could only describe as a mix of upscale and contemporary. The store has some unique features, such as the mirror below, that came from Jessica McClintock’s former showroom. The owner of the boutique, Julie Rubio, shows her amazing taste with the art decor and displays of Chanel Bags (not for sale) on near the merchandise. The boutique also features items being sold on consignment, further illustrating Julie’s great taste in clothes.
Before the beginning of the show, we had a performance titled “Life’s About Individuality” by Elijah Stavena. He is Julie’s son and I thought it was an interesting way of starting off the show. Already the show didn’t necessarily make sense to me since most shows I’ve attended tend to focus solely on the clothes. Things started to make less sense when the models walked up on the stage with some outdated dresses from the eighties. It wasn’t until one women took out some scissors from her bosom and began cutting off her dress that things started to come together.
I learned the women cutting up the dresses before our eyes was local designer Lucid Dawn. She had one of the most creative outfits in the mix, and I learned that the dresses being cut up and tossed away would be upcycled into different clothes. Below are some of my favorite dresses from the “transformation” portion of the show and swimsuit outfits.
The fashion show ended with Julie cutting the ribbon to commemorate the grand opening of the boutique. Movie screenings and were scheduled after a quick intermission, but my sister and I had to leave since we still needed to prepare for our trip.
Before leaving for the night I had to thank JCB’s Assistant Manager, Jacquelin Everhart, for inviting me to the event. The event was really fun and the store is definitely worth checking out if you are ever in Lafayette. J. Colleen Boutique is located at 261 Lafayette Circle and it is open Tuesdays – Fridays from 10 am – 5 pm and on Saturdays from 11 am – 6 pm.
Thanks for reading and until next time,
Brandy