While you’re in France, Carolina Herrera fêted the opening of her newest boutique in Bal Harbour as Floridian fans swarmed the event. The designer hosted the celebration along with Maria Celeste Arraras and Lourdes Fanjul. The Bal Harbor shop is the fourth Carolina Herrera store to open in the United States, and now we have one more vacation spot where we can peruse Herrera’s confections post sunbathing.

Did you make it DKNY’s Madison Avenue boutique last night, where Coco Rocha danced a jig with her Irish dance troupe from Vancouver? Consider this shot your vicarious experience of the late-night affair, which began at 9 after an appearance by Karolina Kurkova to kick off the launch of The Observer Playground.

Wow. Tod’s chairman and president Diego Della Valle got his shoe shine skills on last night at the brand’s Madison Avenue flagship. For FNO, Tod’s hosted a demonstration of the creation of the driving shoe by company artisans, who flew in from the factory in Italy.

Add some fall staples to your wardrobe with a trip to the Julie Haus Pop-Up Store, which is open through October 4th on 93 Mercer Street. The pop-up shop will serve as the locale for Haus’ Spring 2010 runway show on September 10th, during Fashion’s Night Out. The show, presented by Beauty.com, will be styled by Elle girl Kate Lanphear. During the FNO event, the customers will be invited inside the doors from 8-11pm to shop and chat with Julie Haus. Add this to Thursday’s laundry list, and plan on popping in.

If you’ve haven’t been to visit Paris’ iconic Printemps store in a while, you might not recognize it; the department store is about halfway through a $100 million renovation that it hopes to finish by 2010. Mais ne vous inquietez-pas, darlings (don’t worry!)–the delicious store is still open for business and lovelier than ever. Yabu Pushelberg, the Canadian architectural firm behind the Lane Crawford Home store in Hong Kong, is spearheading the renovation, so look for original mosaic signs, gold-leaf trims, and other (naturally) luxurious touches. What better way to accent all that mode?

Rock aficianado John Varvatos may have turned the defunct CBGB into a retail phenomenon, but he’s not done yet. Come September, the designer will open a second Bowery NY concept store at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. “Beyond my vision of fashion, I feel like we’re also bringing a unique bit of rock ‘n’ roll culture to Las Vegas,” said Varvatos, who will showcase vintage vinyl, guitars, and audio equipment along with his eponymous line at the new store. “We’ll be hosting great events like live concerts, record release parties and live broadcasts of my “Born in Detroit” show on Sirius, so it will be a gathering place for both fans and artists.

How does Givenchy seduce male Paris-based editors into buying the new collection? Well, they send out a very mysterious black van that escorts the potential buyers into their headquarters and then voilà: the Spring 2010 is there for the taking. That is, if you’re willing to give your corporate AmEx a serious workout… (more…)

Chic Report’s favorite new reason to chill in Hawaii: how about the the addition of Dior Homme at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu? The 500 square foot retailer will officially open on Wednesday, and the finishing touches of black carpet and lacquered walls are still in progress. Think Kris Van Assche will head to the islands for the celebration?

Katy Perry’s obsession with The Blonds continues unabated. The songstress wore this red Vegas-y confection on Today this morning. (Yes, really.) A little spangled for 8 a.m., non?

Parisians who are constantly craving Prada are in luck. The mega-brand is opening a pop-up location in the City of Lights in the winter. The boutique will be located at Place Beauvau 92 and designed by Roberto Baciocchi to resemble the famous Mirabel Bridge. (more…)