2 Finds in One Mall Worth Checking Out

IT’S A MALL WORLD AFTER ALL: While cruising the Santa Monica Place mall the other day, we discovered two relatively new stores worth checking out. One is Jumping Dog, which carries an eclectic mix of arty T-shirts with great graphics, one-of-a-kind jewelry and such home accessories as candles and candleholders, handmade note paper, etched glass coasters and picture frames. It’s the kind of stuff we’d stock if we owned a store. Pictured above are an “ART” T-shirt ($25), tapestry shoulder bag ($20), Mango Tango bracelet ($40) and earrings ($20) and a lobster napkin ring ($5).

We stopped by the store bebe the day before it opened and had to press our nose against the window to check out the sophisticated European-style jackets, skirts, blouses, pants, bustiers and flirty mini-dresses in mid-range prices (about $180-$250 for jackets, $80 to $100 for blouses). We went back a few days after it opened and found the store was part of a chain that carries its own label clothes, plus those great Rachel London 3-D silk flower-studded creations. There are also a few innerwear-outerwear lingerie items and jewelry. Plus, the salespeople were friendly and helpful. Gee--could this be a retail trend ?

BUNNY ALERT: If you’re not sure that the Easter Bunny is going to make it to your house--and you don’t think the sassy Energizer rabbit quite fits the holiday spirit--you can always sew your own stuffed animals. McCall’s offers two new groups of outfits for their toy rabbits, designed by Faye Wine. To complement her standard bunny pattern 3760 are the rabbit wardrobes, featured in McCall’s April, 1991, catalogue. Pattern 5282 has clothes for country rabbits, including overalls and dresses with aprons. Pattern 5339 has a nautical-theme jumpsuit, a dress with bloomers and a ballerina-style dress. They retail from $5.95 to $6.95.

YET ANOTHER CATALOGUE: We know your mailboxes are already crammed with catalogues, and your Visa card is probably so maxed it’ll take you until 2025 to pay it off, but the entire Anne Klein II collection is now available by--you guessed it--catalogue. To get a free mailer, call (800) 729-0500. And don’t blame us. You’re the ones who are supposed to be practicing self-control.