Going Beyond Basics

Granted, not everyone loves the Westside Pavilion, the Disneyesque mall on Pico Boulevard that brought shop ‘till you drop to Westwood.

Mall mavens say the center, owned by Bermuda-based Westfield International Group Ltd., is too folksy and conservative. The exception, they say, is tony Nordstrom.

Blockbuster movie fans complain about the family-oriented cinema fare. Foodies are unhappy about concessions that lack variety and close at 9:30 p.m., too early for their taste.

Shoppers grumble about the lack of parking, eased recently by 1,000 spaces in the new expansion (known as Westside Too to a few insiders). Tenants grumble that trade has been terrible since the October expansion opening--because of rain and promos that focused only on parking and the bridge to Nordstrom, not the shops.

But when all is said and done, who couldn’t have a little like for a comfortable, laid-back mall that coddles kids and satiates back-to-basics enthusiasts?

Children are embraced in a bonanza of third-floor shops including Gap Kids, Muppet Stuff, Waldenkids and Gymboree. I Wish caters to stylish boys and girls with perky cotton casuals by Dugan & Bob ($9 to $40) and whimsical party clothing. Bergstroms--an old-fashioned mini-department store--is crammed with everything from dresses and dungarees to cribs and pacifiers.

Kids also get their kicks at the flicks. David Swanson, vice president of marketing for the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre Group, says that, because of large family population in the area, the four-screen complex regularly runs animated films--and makes a profit. Its recent screenings of Walt Disney’s “Peter Pan” and “The Rescuers” drew the biggest crowds in the nation.

Mille Petites Fleurs, a temporary tenant and therefore unlisted in the mall directory, is on the second floor. The cozy, attractive store is dedicated to pretty floral and striped children’s clothing ($36 to $72) by L.A. designer Lynn Fink.

Grown-up basics--like the perfect T-shirt, turtlenecks, jeans, khaki trousers, linen blazers, shorts, Windbreakers, parkas, sweat pants and running shoes--can be found in every corner of the mall, in stores such as the Gap, Limited, Oshman’s, Aca Joe, Footlocker and Aeropostale.

There is an enormous Express, known for European-influenced casual clothing, in Westside Too (and a smaller one in Westside I). It is part of an imposing three-store combination, owned by the Limited, that includes Structure--a menswear store stocked with sophisticated basics, such as reversible outerwear jackets in striking color combinations, on sale recently for $69.

In the main mall, Wet Seal for women offers jazzier versions of the essentials, including floral camp shirts ($22), colorful cropped cotton sweaters ($19) and well-styled denim car coats ($49).

There are great buys on jazzy women’s shoes at Precis. Sale prices are as low as $12, and the average ticket on a trendy shoe is $39.

Oaktree specializes in classic menswear with a twist. Button-down, long-sleeved linen shirts ($49) come in upbeat light purple and pink. And it only takes $99, plus tax, to walk out with a yuppie-perfect jacket, shirt and pants in the store’s Suit Yourself promotion.

As for Pavilion frills and thrills, management spends more than $100,000 a year just to polish the brass every night. And the mall gets its share of celebrity swells, including Meryl Streep, Valerie Bertinelli, Paula Abdul, Bruce Willis and Charlie Sheen.

The interior of the original mall was designed by Los Angeles architect Jon Jerde to resemble a Parisian arcade. In the expansion, he went for a European-style plaza and views of the surrounding landscape from a glass-enclosed bridge above Westwood Boulevard.

Thanks to the bridge and the expansion, rock-solid Nordstrom now faces rock ‘n’ roll Boogies Diner--a hip clothing store with an indoor-outdoor eatery and a Las Vegas, night-owl atmosphere. There are good deals (less than $30) on trendy men’s ties, belts and vests.

Neighboring Bebe offers Euro-style private-label women’s wear made in Los Angeles. Displays promote distinctive wardrobe concepts, such as a multi-zippered pink wool-crepe jacket ($169) over a long, black halter-top sheath ($79). Bargains include long-sleeved T-shirts in white or black mini-mesh ($28) and a braid-decorated white bustier ($34).

Up the escalator of Westside Too (or up the glass-brass outdoor elevator, if you prefer) is Boy London. Like its Melrose Avenue counterpart, the store stocks only street-inspired fashions from England. And despite the name, everything from $20 copyright T-shirts to $1,000 metal-trimmed leather jackets is unisex.

In Rachel Perry’s skin-care and makeup boutique (recently relocated from Brentwood), enticing scents, such as freshly cut grass, Calcutta cucumber and Punjab patchouli, attract “a lot of flower children from the ‘60s,” says cosmetologist Teressa Hill. A giant wall menu lists more than 100 scents for custom-blended body lotions, shower and bath gels, priced at $12.50 for two bottles.

At Bath & Body Works, a charming, country-style store that belongs to the Limited trio, the scents are already blended into potpourri, soaps, shower gels, body lotions, colognes and lotions.

Back at Westside I, delicious aromas waft from Cook Works, a store specializing in gourmet coffees ($8.75 a pound for regular, $9.75 for decaffeinated), kitchen wares and decorative, practical gourds ($58 to $186).

At Wood of a Kind, gift items made in Los Angeles of exotic imports, such as zebrawood, bubinga and cocabola, , are priced from $9 for a business-card holder to $172 for a two-tiered jewelry box.

The store, another temporary tenant, is on the first floor near Nordstrom. It has been a favorite with Japanese and French tourists, manager Melody Buchanan says. And with Charlie Sheen, whose Christmas list included heart-shaped puzzle boxes ($39 to $51).

Impostors lives up to its name with good copies of Bulgari, Cartier, Tiffany and Barbara Bush’s three-strand pearl necklace ($70 when the popular item is in stock). Assistant manager Michael Talley says customers include “a lot of Beverly Hills ladies. Once they’ve been robbed, they don’t want to have the real thing again.”

Some of the real thing is missing from Everything But Water, a sleek swimsuit store catering to starlets who want G-string bikinis, teeny-boppers who want slightly more coverage and grandmothers “who want the Esther Williams look,” says manager Jill Bopf . The staff once wore swimsuits on the job. Now they don’t. But the selection is as impressive as ever: more than 2,000 styles, sizes 5 to 24, priced $40 to $300.