Shop of the Week: Alice + Olivia

Although Fashion Week will no longer call Bryant Park home, fashionistas will still have a reason to visit, thanks to the new mod-style Alice + Olivia store, which boasts a view of the park. The expansive white space, decked out with sparkling black chandeliers and bright-yellow accents, is lined with the store's eponymous line of skirts, dresses, pants and shirts, rounded out with bags and belts by British designer Angel Jackson and shoes by Scoop. Five years ago, owner and designer Stacy Bendet, a Chappaqua native, made her first pair of pants when she realized she was bored with always having to wear jeans. Known for forming the best backsides, her pants caught on quickly. After teaming up with Theory's Andrew Rosen, Bendet first opened Alice + Olivia in East Hampton, then Los Angeles, and most recently in Manhattan this past fall. The clothes, which range in price from $84 to $440, are aimed at the younger, more relaxed women of the corporate world. The clothes walk a narrow line between flirty and sophisticated, with styles ranging from a brown, polka-dot, ruffle-lined dress perfect for a daytime event in the Hamptons (or even the stands of the Kentucky Derby) to a flashy goldenrod minidress that looks as if it was found on a banquette after a star-studded night at Studio 54. Also on the racks are more casual pairs of shorts, flowing knit tops and the store's signature wide-waist pants. There are a few misses -- like a bright-yellow T-shirt with puffy sheer cap sleeves -- but with a tower of Dylan's Candy Bar treats for sale, Alice + Olivia is bound to sweeten up any working girl's day. 80 W. 40th St., (212) 840-0887.