NOVEMBER 2009: "Shop Talk: Bend It Like Bendel". Have you heard? Shopping is fun again. New York landmark Henri Bendel opens in South Coast Plaza November 6, a decadent candy box inviting women to romp and shop. "This is a girls' playground," says Ed Bucciarelli, president and CEO of the accessories chain, which recently expanded from its flagship on Fifth Avenue to 10 sites around the country. The store's icon is the Bendel girl, a tousle-haired lover of parties, puppies and powder puffs, now discovering the West Coast. "We find that the Bendel girl can be lots of ages," he says. "She doesn't just live in the city but she thinks that way." Each store carries a mix of Bendel-branded merchandise from charm bracelets to chocolate bars. And, the store may collaborate in the future with Orange Country designers on exclusive collections. "You'll find something here you won't find anywhere else," Bucciarelli promises. Get ready, girls.