Clothes

Jenna Bordelon BURBANK -- The Burbank Recycle Center would like residents to think twice before throwing out that old pair of shoes. The fourth annual "Second Chance Week" will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the center, 500 S. Flower St. Residents are asked to haul their unwanted clothes to the center for donation to Goodwill rather than simply throwing them...

Laura Sturza Shoppers hunting for gold leather bell bottoms from NBC's wardrobe department, faux "Monopoly"-printed jeans hailing from the Warner Bros. lot or a Tommy Bahama silk jacket worn on "CSI: Miami" need look no further. These items all sell for about 50% off retail prices at "it's a Wrap!" -- which consigns clothes from major East and West Coast studios. But the allure of wearing a dress from the back of "Charmed" star Rose McGowan is not what pulls most shoppers into the store at 3315 W. Magnolia Blvd.

Eight-year-old Dakota Jones was one of 23 kids who got to shop till they dropped Saturday at the 16th annual Mervyns Back to School ChildSpree. ?Have you seen my Incredible Hulk shirt?? Dakota said as he reached into the depths of his blue Mervyns shopping bag. ?I?ve gotten so many cool clothes for school.? The event, co-sponsored by the Burbank Jaycees, gives underprivileged kids a $100 gift card to shop for new dresses, shirts, shoes and other school clothes. The Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and the Burbank Temporary Aid Center chose the 23 participants.

Despite many a mother’s wish, no child stays little forever. Children grow up fast, and Aura Veliz, owner of Wear it Once, Wear it Twice on West Verdugo Avenue, is taking advantage of the adage. Her used clothing boutique, which opened on Nov. 16, carries only children’s garments, an idea that has been brewing in Veliz’s head for years. “Well, my whole life I have been around kids,” she said. “And I could see the kids grow so fast, and they leave the clothes in good condition.

WEST BURBANK — A Bloomingdale's sales assistant who made children's clothes for her granddaughter in her spare time is now set to see her designs featured at the upscale store where she works. The development is a dramatic reversal of fortunes for Linda Legorreta, 43, who said she didn't know where the next meal was coming from just 18 months ago. It was low point for someone who had owned two women's clothing stores with 16 employees. But her monthly lease exposed her business to a decision to tear down the shopping center.

Ben Godar The trial of an alleged male prostitute accused of strangling a Burbank man and then setting fire to his apartment more than two years ago could begin as early as Tuesday. Juan Carlos Martinez, a 20-year-old transient, is accused in the Sept. 5, 2001, slaying of 62-year-old Charles Rivas of Burbank. Rivas was found dead in the bathroom of his studio apartment in the 1000 block of North Glenoaks Boulevard, police said. Martinez was brought to the apartment by Rivas, and the two men argued over money, sex and an insult about Martinez's mother before Martinez followed Rivas into the bathroom and strangled him, police said.

Rima Shah Hollywood's stars may be out of reach, but the avid fan can at least get a memento of their idols at a local store specializing in movie wardrobes. It's a Wrap! Production Wardrobe Sales on Magnolia Boulevard liquidates the wardrobes used in films and television shows. Movie and TV studios send the clothes to the store when production is finished. The studio keeps a percentage of the sales while the rest goes to the store, Dominic Nappi, the store's general manager, said.

ANNE LOUISE Maybe it's me ... but why is doing the laundry such a problem? Now I know some of you are thinking, "How can she write an entire article on laundry?" Quite honestly, I didn't think I could. But look, here it is, so let's just go with it. In theory, washing clothes is a simple and fairly easy process. Put the clothes in the washer. Add soap. Turn on the washer. Walk away (I love that part). Then, you come back whenever you want, but hopefully before it starts to smell like a family of chipmunks drowned in there.

Ryan Carter When Patricia Hackett was looking for a name for her new children's clothing business on Magnolia Boulevard, she didn't have to go far. Hackett was always into colorful clothes, and said she used to playfully call her now 12-year-old daughter, Jessica, a "spoiled brat." And just like that, Spoiled Bratz -- home to colorful clothes and accessories for children -- was born. Hackett opened the business in July and has found that her 600-square-foot store -- full of Hello Kitty backpacks, trendy, casual and dressy clothing for girls and boys, accessories, and toys -- has attracted a fairly healthy volume of foot traffic since it opened.

Rima Shah The perfect dance routine includes not just the graceful pirouette, the high leap and the energetic turns, but also the best-fitting shoes and comfortable costumes. Lori Binkly, owner of Karabel Dancewear on Magnolia Boulevard, aims to make a dancer's life easier by providing the shoes and costumes that make dancing comfortable. Karabel Dancewear, in Burbank for the past 16 years, moved from its store on Burbank Boulevard to its present, larger space in early January, Binkly said.

Two Arleta men were arrested Saturday after they allegedly stole women's clothing from Sears in Burbank and returned to the store, police said. The men -- Richard Munje, 46, and Paul Rey, 30 -- reportedly stuffed a yellow plastic bag with women's shorts, pants and a denim top, and left the store to place the bag in their Buick sedan, said Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn. The pair then returned to the store -- located at 111 East Magnolia Blvd. -- just before 8 p.m., where they were contacted by police in the lingerie department.

View Larger Map A 47-year-old Burbank woman was arrested outside Macy's Monday after allegedly trying to steal eight pieces of clothing that were on top of her granddaughter's stroller, police said. The woman, Debbie Marlow, was shopping at Macy's just after 1 p.m. with her 2-year-old granddaughter and a small dog when she paid for one item and allegedly attempted to leave with eight other items on the stroller, said Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn. Marlow - a pet trainer, according to police records - was detained by loss prevention employees before police arrived and arrested her on suspicion of burglary.

There is no better way to get into the holiday spirit than attending the Holiday Program presented by BCR "a place to grow. " BCR provides program services for children and adults with developmental disabilities that enable them to achieve their individual potentials and become increasingly self-reliant, well-integrated and contributing members of their families and communities, according to its mission statement. The program, celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, is a success.

It takes the average healthy adult 16 seconds to walk across an intersection, but Burbank police on Wednesday were more interested in how long it takes a driver to stop. Beginning at 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning, police officers conducted a pedestrian enforcement operation at the intersection of West Magnolia Boulevard and North Parish Place and issued dozens of tickets. Dressed in plain clothes with a non-descript sweatshirt and a beanie, police Det. Paul Orlowski set up a video camera on the southwest corner to document violations as he walked across the street about 100 times over the course of 11/2 hours as vehicles sped by. “It takes about 16 seconds for the average person to walk across the street,” said police Sgt. Kelly Frank after timing Orlowski on his stopwatch.

Flair Cleaners in Burbank has over the past year successfully asked customers to get their clothes naked — that is without all the plastic wrapping and other packaging. In an effort to reduce waste, more than 30% of the customers at Flair now ask for their clothes naked, said store manager Ron Roscoe. Flair Cleaners at 337 N. Pass Ave. already uses biodegradable plastic bags to hang freshly cleaned garments, but it wants customers to ditch plastic completely. Last week the store gave away a free reusable dry-cleaning bag to everyone who came in with two or more items to be cleaned.

WEST BURBANK — A Bloomingdale's sales assistant who made children's clothes for her granddaughter in her spare time is now set to see her designs featured at the upscale store where she works. The development is a dramatic reversal of fortunes for Linda Legorreta, 43, who said she didn't know where the next meal was coming from just 18 months ago. It was low point for someone who had owned two women's clothing stores with 16 employees. But her monthly lease exposed her business to a decision to tear down the shopping center.

Forget your old acquaintances, as the song goes, and pay them no mind. Or at least that’s what I thought “Auld Lang Syne” meant when I was in the fourth grade. When I announced this opinion on the “should auld acquaintance be forgot” line to the class during a lesson about the song, my teacher straightened me out with a confused look and quickly moved on to the smarter, more musically gifted children in class. The first time, but oddly not the last, that I would be put in my place by a woman playing the autoharp.

While Wasteland debuted mid-summer in Burbank, the secondhand clothing store has been undergoing a soft opening ever since, said store Manager Atom Whitman. “We’re just getting an idea of what the raw foot traffic would be like in the community,” Whitman said. The Burbank store, at 325 N. San Fernando Road, is Wasteland’s fourth location, after stores in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and San Francisco, and sells mostly secondhand clothing from vintage and high-end designers.

AIRPORT DISTRICT — Discount retailer T.J. Maxx opened its doors at the Empire Center over the weekend, filling one of the property’s major vacancies and hoping to capitalize on increased consumer interest in savings during the recession. The store, which offers discounted items from designer brands, filled a 24,400-square-foot space left behind by Shoe Pavilion, although a space formerly occupied by Linens N’ Things remains vacant. The store’s offerings will not only give Burbank shoppers more options, but will be an attractive choice for consumers who have grown conscious of their purchasing habits during the economic downturn, said Mary Hamzoian, Burbank’s economic development manager “It definitely helps fill up one of the vacant spots, but it also is a good price point for the city,” Hamzoian said.

Halloween often means going to parties, balls or masquerades. People dress up in their finest costumes, hoping to outdo one another. Unique Vintage in Burbank, at 2013 W. Magnolia Blvd., is the place to go for those looking to dress in clothing from the 1920s to the ’60s — such as a 1920s-style neon pink and black fringe flapper dress, an authentic vintage white eyelet over pink swing dress, or a 1940s-style queen of Heartz eggplant satin cocktail dress, including quinceañera dresses and bridesmaid dresses.