For the past 20 years, Venezuela native Carolina Herrera dressed a who's-who list of Manhattan society. Then she came west to tend to LA's own gilded set.

"The most important accessory a woman can have is a full-length mirror," Carolina Herrera writes in her eponymous coffee-table book. When wearing one of the designer's elegant wedding gowns, immaculately detailed dresses or ultra-flattering suits, any woman bedecked in Carolina Herrera will want the full-length view. Her new Melrose Place boutique is a chocolate-colored gallery split in two adjoining sections. One section is devoted primarily to bridal wear; the other houses her current collection, her line of fragrances, eyewear and her accessory collaborations with Manolo Blahnik and Judith Leiber. Fall's standout pieces include luxuriously soft fur boleros, intricately beaded cocktail dresses and Herrera's signature collared, button-down blouses. Offering a refreshing departure from the West Coast uniform of denim and jersey, Carolina Herrera will always find fans among LA women wanting a luxe view from their reflection. —Enid Portuguez