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Preen featured Darth Vader on dresses and shirts for fall in London on February 16, 2014

BEN A. PRUCHNIE, GETTY IMAGES

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away

Our inner geek was delighted when not one but two fall/winter collections turned imagery from “Star Wars” into prints.

During New York Fashion Week earlier this month, sisters Kate and Lauren Mulleavy, the designers of Rodarte, placed photographs from the original trilogy on the skirts of soft and graceful gowns. The photos included images of Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, C-3PO and R2-D2 also on the desert planet, the Death Star, Yoda (probably on Dagobah) and Tatooine's twin moons.

At the recent London Fashion Week, a black and white image of Darth Vader popped up against on the top half of geometric-printed dresses and on white shirts designed by Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton for Preen. (For more on London, see our Fashion Week story on page 6).

The two interpretations couldn't be more different – one was a lyrical homage, the other, a quirky tribute. A mini-trend? We'd like to think it's the power of the Force.

- Lisa Liddane, Style Writer

New stores in works

A host of new style-laden boutiques have just opened or are coming to Orange County: At Fashion Island, TravisMathew, a men's sportswear and golf clothing line headquartered in Huntington Beach, will launch a store in May, and Letarte, a Maui-based swimwear line, is slated to open this spring. The addition of Letarte to a roster that already includes SeaFolly, San Lorenzo Bikinis and Swimspot makes the shopping center a hub for some serious swimwear shopping.

Brooks Brothers returned to Fashion Island this month after being away for 14 years. The company shuttered its Newport Beach boutique in 2000. It moved to South Coast Plaza, but closed its doors there last year.

That Brooks Brothers space in Carousel Court will be occupied in June by a much bigger Zara, which will nearly double its space to 17,000 square feet. The new Zara boutique will offer men's and women's lines and offer for the first time the children's line, which is currently available in Orange County only at the Shops at Mission Viejo location.

Also at South Coast Plaza, Scotch & Soda, headquartered in Amsterdam, will open its first Orange County boutique in May and offer Maison Scotch (women's), Scott R'Belle (girls) and Scotch Shrunk (boys); and Tokyo-based Uniqlo, which is opening 11 stores across the U.S. this year, will debut its first Southern California store in the fall.

- Lisa Liddane, Style Writer

Getting personal

Bottega Veneta's intreciatto nappa leather goods are the Italian design house's most recognizable signature. Now, some of these woven items can be monogrammed through its South Coast Plaza location. The initials program, which the company launched two years ago, was one of the new additions on display at a private reception hosted by Elizabeth Segerstrom, Keiko Sakamoto and Elizabeth An on Thursday at the remodeled Bottega Veneta boutique.

The monogram service underscores the company's slogan, “when your own initials are enough.” Once you choose the bag, the letters and colors, artisans handpaint the monogram and make it look seamless across the woven leather surface.

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