Fashion’s Night Out: Teens flock to the Beverly Center

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Teens were by far the most well-represented age group at the Beverly Center on Friday during Fashion’s Night Out.

‘I really, really, really like fashion,’ said Jean Fuentes, a 16-year-old from Fairfax High School. ‘I want a high-waisted skirt that I’ve seen at H&M,’ she said.

Fuentes was wearing her highest heels and had brought three friends with her. When asked why she wore such uncomfortable shoes, she said, ‘Beauty is pain and pain is beauty,’ words she said she was forced to live by ‘because we have to look good in this industry.’

Fuentes hopes to be a designer one day, which is why she came to the Fashion’s Night Out events, which included a runway show, music and shopping, shopping, shopping. Her friend Orit Metusal had no idea that this was going to be such a shopping spree. ‘I want to see Justin Bieber,’ she said --- who wasn’t appearing.

The mall was transformed into a fair with DJs packing in crowds at Armani Exchange and Steve Madden, live models drawing attention to Traffic, Skechers and Everything But Water, and hosts standing outside stores personally welcoming shoppers to partake of their sales for the night. There were even shoppers munching on cotton candy.

Behind the scenes, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa entertained private guests and the owners of many of the Beverly Center stores in the VIP lounge.

Bill Taubman, chief operating officer of Taubman, the company that owns the Beverly Center, said what they really wanted from the evening was ‘to elevate the Beverly Center brand, putting it front and center and hopefully getting the people to come who hadn’t been here in a while to see all the great new stores that we have opened.’

-- Raha Lewis

Fashion’s Night Out: Beverly Center photo gallery