Vera Wang Salon to open

If you've always dreamed of getting married in a Vera Wang wedding dress, now you don't have to leave the Triangle to buy one -- or practically anything else by Vera Wang.

Alexia's Bridal Boutique, a couture bridal salon in Cary, is opening a Vera Wang Salon today next to the bridal store, offering a selection of Vera Wang's more exclusive products -- from wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses to crystal and thank you notes.

Store owner Alexia Joyce said she wanted to open the store after so many brides came into the store looking to buy Vera Wang wedding dresses. Two years ago, she established herself as a leader in the state selling Vera Wang bridesmaids dresses, which outsold all other bridesmaid lines at the store.

"The Vera Wang name was so well recognized that it seemed like the next step to begin carrying the bridal line," she said.

The salon also will carry Vera Wang cocktail dresses, lingerie, fragrance and home items, including frames, gifts and vases, as well as fine papers, such as stationery and place cards.

Brides who want complete sets of Vera Wang china and crystal can order them through the store.

The store, the only one of its kind in the South, outside of Florida, is at 1051 Darrington Drive in Cary.

Heels for healing

Shoe shopping is always fun. But this promises even more fun: Shoe shopping at lunch, getting a free makeover and leaving with a free gift -- including gift certificates from Blue Water Spa and Bobbi Brown samples.

And it's all for a good cause.

The first A Pair to Remember on Oct. 5 is designed to let women get a little pampered while raising money to benefit Wake Teen Medical Services, a group that provides affordable and accessible medical and mental health services to teens and young adults.

The event starts at 11 a.m., when shoes from Aerosoles, Birkenstock, Comfortable Soles, Firefly, Foot Solutions, Mobley's Children's Shoes and Richey & Co., go up for auction as they're carried around on silver platters by male models.

But it isn't all about shoes. Look for a Bobbi Brown cosmetic team doing makeovers and massages by local massage therapists.

The event will be at Delightful Inspirations at 5511 Avent Ferry Road in Raleigh.

Tickets cost $50 each, which includes a lunch, gift bags, hand treatments, mini massages, makeup applications and the silent auction.

To buy tickets or to find out more, go to www.apairto remember.org or call Wake Teen at 828-0035.

Fashion happenings

It's the season of fashion shows and trunk shows. Here's some of what's happening around the area this week:

At Main & Taylor in Cameron Village on Thursday, a Cole Haan representative will have a trunk show from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Customers can pick from a wide selection of shoes and handbags and place orders for fall. On Friday, the store will have one of the first-ever Prevata trunk shows, offering shoes in slims, narrows and mediums in sizes 4 through 12. Prevata is an exclusive line in the Triangle at Main & Taylor.

Over at Fleur in Cameron Village, Calypso will return for a weeklong trunk show Sept. 25-30. Included in the trunk: the popular Julia dress (above), one of the summer's more popular wrap dresses, which sold out early at the store. The fall version of the dress is just as feminine. It has long sleeves and comes in heavier fabrics for fall.