Five Style Tips From BCBGeneration Creative Director Joyce Azria

LOS ANGELES–BCBGeneration, the sister brand to BCBG aimed at a younger, hipper audience, celebrated the grand opening of its first LA boutique at the Century City mall on Sunday afternoon.

The brightly lit store reflects the energetic, savvy vibe of the brand, something that creative director, Joyce Azria says was their main goal in designing the free-standing boutiques. “Our vision for the store was to design something really uplifting and bright. It’s a feel good brand at the end of the day, so we wanted something that illuminates people, so there’s a lot of light, and a lot of white.”

The latest collection includes great nighttime options (we spied a ton of sequins), neutral basics like slouchy sweaters, and in keeping with the BCBG spirit, killer cocktail dresses and stand-out accessories. In particular, we thought the word bracelets featuring popular ’90s phrases like “dude,” “psych” and “righteous” were pretty awesome.

Proving to be the true embodiment of the brand, Azria was on hand all afternoon greeting fans and doling out styling advice. We picked her brain for the top five tips she thinks every girl should know right now:

1. “My number one tip is always self confidence. Whatever makes you feel good is what you should wear.”

2. “Invest in a good leather piece for fall because I think leather is a timeless fabric. Whether it’s a great leather jacket or a leather legging, I think it’s really important to have in your closet.”

3. “When it comes to shoes, go for a wedge because they are a good mile shoe. It’s something you can really walk in and be comfortable in, but it’s very, very fashionable and really forward right now.”

4. “A denim shirt paired with leather leggings is an amazing look because it dresses everything down. I also love the idea of wearing one of your more dressy dresses and then throwing a little denim shirt on over it. That’s a really casual way to approach fall.”

5. “A great military looking coat with great buttons can definitely add more personality to any look.”