Columnist Muriel Stevens: Celebrating diversion of shopping

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 | 8:25 a.m.

The International Council of Shopping Centers convention will be over today, but the impact of the panels and the seminars will affect all of us who love to shop.

Shopping has become another form of entertainment for visitors. And we have a terrific variety of malls to keep them happy. Who ever thought that dining and shopping would be at the top of the list along with gaming and entertainment as prime diversions for tourists?

Sunset Canyon debuts new collection: Premium Western wear designer Manuel will have much to celebrate at tonight's "Academy of Country Music Awards" telecast at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Some of his high-powered clients will be performing, and it's a sure bet that some of the dazzling attire in the audience was designed by Manuel. Manuel will, of course, be wearing one of his own designs.

Manuel is about to launch his new ready-to-wear collection in his just-opened Sunset Canyon store at Fashion Show mall. This group of designs is available in Las Vegas for the first time. When you visit the store check out the cases filled with the splendiferous Manuel Limited Edition Collection for men and women. Limited it is, to just 100 pieces of each design. When those are gone, it's back to the drawing board for the prolific delineator.

Alexander Perfumes & Cosmetics at Lake Las Vegas: Filled with pizzazz and style, Alexander Perfumes & Cosmetics shop has opened at MonteLago Village at Lake Las Vegas. I visited this jewel box of a store the night the casino opened and was beguiled by the selection and the friendly owners and staff.

Cosmetics and skin care products have become part of the American lifestyle for men and women. The Bende family, which owns Alexander's, features many fine lines.

"We focus our inventory on product quality rather than quantity," said co-owner and manager Saskia Bende. "We choose some of the more unusual or hard-to-find lines that aren't mass produced or mass marketed. These are smaller lines of top-quality products that are not typically found in department stores."

Metropolitan Museum of Art Store: There are so many wonderful stores in Desert Passage at the Aladdin. Among my favorites are The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store, where the most beautiful antique jewelry reproductions, scarves and other interesting items can be purchased for modest amounts of moolah. The Quing Tree scarf ($38), with its colors and images taken from an 18th century Chinese Quing Dynasty porcelain bowl in the museum's collection, is a gorgeous reminder of the last imperial dynasty in China.

Sur La Table, with its vast collection of cookware, accessories, gadgets, linens, cookbooks, serving pieces, gourmet products and so much more, is irresistible. And is there anything cooler than the funky attire and stuff at Betsey Johnson's? I get happy just looking in the windows.

Zio Salon under new management: Zio Salon in the Sunset Pecos Plaza at 3460 E. Sunset Road is now owned and operated by Las Vegans Val and Soheila Ebrahimi. This full-service salon for men and women (children, too) is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call 434-0400 for more info.