GREER’S BEST BUYS:H&M;’s spring line takes its inspiration from ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s

Now Orange County boasts a trio of H&M; (Hennes & Mauritz) stores.

The Swedish giant apparel company H&M; is filled with fashion trends for men, women and children. Two H&M; stores opened yesterday at South Coast Plaza. The larger Crate and Barrel and Macy’s Home Store Wing carries apparel for women, men, teen boys and girls, and children. The second location (in the future Bloomingdales wing) offers ladies concepts and accessories.

Today H&M; opens at the Irvine Spectrum Center offering apparel for women, men and teen girls.

Collections at H&M; offer looks for everyone. Its latest M by Madonna features a kimono dress $69.90. A leather weekend bag is $129. The company’s spring fashion trends are influenced from styles of the ‘50s, ‘60s, and even the ‘70s.

More excitement continues with H&M;’s opening day offer, which includes specially priced apparel from the spring collection.

The new store at 99 Fortune Drive in Irvine is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, (949) 754-0681. The stores at South Coast Plaza are open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. To contact the Bristol Street store call (714) 557-0362. For the Bear Street store, call (714) 966-1745. The company website is www.hm.com .

Factory delight

The Wonderland Bakery in Newport Beach is Orange County’s version of Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, with fanciful treats that taste as good as they look.

Owned by a mother-and-daughter team, Sondra and Chef Allyson Ames, the Wonderland Bakery is a fairy-tale inspired store. It’s a great place to pick up award-winning over-sized cookies, cookie bouquets, French pastries, cakes, cupcakes, brownies, triple chocolate toffee bars, and more.

Chocolate and caramel fountains are there for Granny Smith apples, long-stemmed strawberries and pretzels waiting to be dipped. Wonderland offers more than 700 shapes for custom cookies. Cookies can be personalized for individuals and companies with coordinating colors and decor.

Wonderland is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The Bluffs Shopping Center, 1314 Bison Ave., Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 640-9095 or visit www.wonderlandbakery.com .

Organic options

In one fell swoop you can buy a great pair of limited edition Italian jeans and stay green.

Just shop at Replay at South Coast Plaza and pick out a pair of new Replay Organic Blue Jeans for men and women. Even the tiniest details of these jeans are green. From the vegetable-tanned leather buttons hand-attached with rough twine, the organic bartack threads, and, yes, organic pocket liners. The denim was hand-treated with abrasive stones, washed with Marseille soap and rinsed in essential oils infused with flowers.

Replay offers a complete collection of casual wear, denim and accessories for men and women, and children. Denim lines include We R denim a high-end collection; Replay, a mid-priced collection; and Replay and Sons for kids.

Replay is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Replay is on Level 3 of the Crate and Barrel Wing at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. For details, call (714) 754-0085 or go to www.replaybluejeans.com .

Fundraising

Attend a fun evening of wine tasting for a good cause from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Winestyles in Costa Mesa. The Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter’s inaugural fundraising event includes wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres for $35 per person. There will be opportunity drawings for prizes, too. It costs $35 per person.

The Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter is a homeless shelter that is designed to change the lives of homeless families by providing them with the encouragement and the tools for achieving self-sufficiency.

Winestyles is at 270 E. 17th St. in Costa Mesa. For information, call (949) 631-6627. www.ocinterfaithshelter.org .

writes Best Buys, which runs Fridays. She’s founder and president of www.greersoc.com , a free daily e-mail service that provides the latest in Orange County fashion, dining and trends.