Homebuying in Lake Forest and Foothill Ranch ZIP codes in 2017’s first three months could not keep pace with countywide sales gains.

How did the local residential real estate market start the year? Using CoreLogic data, we compared homebuying patterns from January to March from this year and 2016.

Sales in the area fell as 187 residences sold in the past 12 months vs. 200 a year ago.

That’s a loss of 6.5 percent vs. a 3.5 percent increase countywide.

Neighborhood trends in Foothill Ranch from the report:

Foothill Ranch ZIP code 92833 — 110 homes sold in the latest period vs. 137 one year ago. That’s a sales loss of 19.7 percent. Median selling price of $541,000 vs. $515,000 last year, a gain of 5 percent.

Lake Forest ZIP 92835 — 77 homes sold in the latest period vs. 63 one year ago. That’s a sales gain of 22.2 percent. Median of $675,000 vs. $ 620,000 last year, a gain of 8.9 percent.

Note: Portola Hills is tracked in a distinct ZIP, 92679, that runs along the foothills through Trabuco Canyon to Wagon Wheel. In this period in 92679, 152 homes sold vs. 137 a year ago, a gain of 11 percent. Median selling price this year of $789,500 vs. $800,000 in 2016, a decline of 1.3 percent.

And here are four countywide trends to ponder in the period vs. 2016:

1. By neighborhood, prices rose in 66 of 83 Orange County ZIP codes; sales rose in 50 ZIPs.

2. In the 27 least expensive ZIPs — where the highest median home price was $588,000 — 2,423 homes sold, up 5 percent. Sales rose in 70 percent of these ZIPs.

3. In the 27 priciest ZIPs — where the medians start at $742,000 — 2,630 homes sold, up 7.2 percent. Sales rose in 59 percent of these ZIPs.

4. Million-dollar ZIPs: 9 with 551 sales, up 13 percent vs. 10 million-dollar ZIPs a year ago.

DID YOU MISS? 1-in-5 Orange County home sales tops $1 million

The Nicole Miller girl exudes an edgy vibe, and for resort this was no exception. The designer added ruffles to her collection, but she toughened them with angular lines and graphic prints.
“I pleated a lot of ruffles to make them harder. I’m not really a girly girl type of designer at all. I’m trying to make them look tougher and cooler,” she explained. Another foil to sweetness was shredded denim applied on black lace pieces. Miller’s preview location in Brooklyn, a vintage carousel encaged in glass, telegraphed the juxtaposition of whimsical and a harder, industrial feel.
Great nightlife numbers included a brocade minidress with matching trucker-style jacket, a great black-and-white striped dress and an organza dress with star appliqué. Outside of party attire there were athletic-inspired separates, such as silky pants with ankle drawstrings paired with an updated bomber with floral embroidery and metal grommets. Such details kept the balance right between tough of tender.
See More From the 2018 Resort Collections:
Sandy Liang Resort 2018: The overall tone was noticeably quieter, more relaxed, but retained that playful dose of subversion to keep things modern.
Brock Collection Resort 2018: Laura Vassar and Kristopher Brock brought fairytale romance into modern reality.
Pamella Roland Resort 2018: Pamella Roland’s starting point for her

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Known as an art lover and avid collector, Erdem Moralioglu used the works of some of his favorite female artists as the primary reference point for his latest resort collection.
From the surrealist paintings of Sylvia Fein to the abstract collages of the German Dada artist Hannah Höch, Moralioglu was drawn to the odd, clashing motifs that defined the artists’ works.
He adopted the same surrealist approach when it came to the fabrics he developed for his latest outing; a striking, visually impactful mix of floral jacquards, hand-embroidered brocades and chiffons. Among the highlights was a digitally painted velvet fabric that incorporated the designer’s signature floral patterns with large bird motifs and mirrored Hoch’s famous collages.
He was also drawn to the colorful yet undone way women like Höch and Fein used to dress and sought to create a tension in the collection between the rich, heavily embellished fabrics and the silhouettes, which were loosened up here with a focus on fluid, bias-cut dresses.
The contrasts continued throughout the collection adding a touch of modernity to the range: androgynous tailoring was done in dark floral jacquards, eveningwear was matched to laid-back flat mules and quirky details such as an oversize chiffon bow were added

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American abstract expressionist artist Helen Frankenthaler inspired Zac Posen this season, not only her work but photographs of her — specifically a shot of her in a red Windbreaker, sitting seaside in Stamford, Conn. That photo and the soft, warm colors for which Frankenthaler was known helped Posen paint a feminine, nautically influenced picture for Brooks Brothers resort. There were neat sailor paints, nautical striped knit dresses and sweaters, a lace-up white shirt and plenty of navy-and-white pattern play, as well as pink- and purple-laced floral motifs.
No matter the seasonal influence, the real framework for a Brooks Brothers’ collection is the brand’s own iconic all-American, office-appropriate attire. Posen works well within it, offering a mix of plucky classics and more sober fare. Updates on the classic Fun Shirt came in mixed BB1 stripes and gingham prints, the latter one of the lineup’s big messages, done in black, peach and navy on a jacket and matching miniskirts and sheath dresses. Shirtdresses came in antique wallpaper florals, one of them featuring a mini hula dancer if you looked up close.
See More From the 2018 Resort Collections:
Sandy Liang Resort 2018: The overall tone was noticeably quieter, more relaxed, but retained that playful dose of subversion to

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A sense of relaxed, effortless elegance was infused into the Erika Cavallini resort collection.
 The designer embraced a sartorial approach to deliver a rage of suits and mannish outerwear pieces, such as trenches and capes, featuring soft constructions. The focus was on the waist enhanced by the maxi belts of wide-leg pants and flared midi skirts, as well as by the laced-up corsets drawing hourglass silhouettes.
Traditional men’s suiting patterns, such as checks and Prince of Wales, were juxtaposed in the collection to a more feminine floral motif in delicate, Provence-inspired tones. This was splashed for example on a fluid tunic dress matched with a coordinated kimono-like robe coat. 
See More From the 2018 Resort Collections:
Sandy Liang Resort 2018: The overall tone was noticeably quieter, more relaxed, but retained that playful dose of subversion to keep things modern.
Brock Collection Resort 2018: Laura Vassar and Kristopher Brock brought fairytale romance into modern reality.
Pamella Roland Resort 2018: Pamella Roland’s starting point for her newest collection took place in her own backyard.
Redemption Resort 2018: The inspiration for the collection is “aristocratic grunge.”
Rodebjer Resort 2018: The designer offered up a lot of layers to transition from party to street, strict to mildly wild.
Sonia Rykiel Resort 2018: The Sonia Rykiel girl took a

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Pringle took a poetic turn with a collection inspired by Virginia Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse,” that was filled with quirky nautical touches and sophisticated knit work.
A small and subtle sailboat pattern sailed across a red sweater with a polo collar, while a chunky hand-knitted sailor collar adorned the neckline of a cotton coat — the only woven in the collection.
Other sailor collars, done in jersey, were slipped around the necks of striped sweaters or peacoats, while the unzipped hood on a navy sweater revealed a similar nautical square.
A whiff of salt air also came from lightweight cashmere Breton sweaters with multicolored stripes, and the delicate rope belts that twisted around the waists of navy blue tailored jogging-style pants.
Nicosia, who works closely with the Pringle knitwear technicians in Scotland, loves experimenting with old and new techniques, and this season set his mind to making aged and distressed-looking knits — as if they’d been dug out of a sailor’s trunk.
One cotton linen sweater looked as if it was made from bits of fraying rope, while another, abstract fisherman knit sweater had pixelated stitches and patches here and there, as if it had been darned multiple times over the years.
Among the standouts of

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PHOTO OP: Berlin’s top concept-shop man and the earlier curator of the city’s Museum of Things, Andreas Murkudis has lately turned auctioneer. To celebrate the relaunch of Andreasmurkudis.com, which will turn into an online shop come September, as well as his playful new logo designed by Norwegian artist Olav Christopher Jenssen, Murkudis delved into his personal archives for a selection of design and fashion related items not usually to be found for sale.
“I don’t particularly like online shops, but then I thought we could do this ironically and sell stuff you couldn’t normally buy,” the retailer explained. Such as fashion show invites like Jean Paul Gaultier’s oversize Adam & Eve fold-out from 1991, or an issue of Comme des Garçons Six magazine from 1990 — rare mementos from a time when only a very limited crowd had access to fashion’s  goings-on. More about sharing than spring cleaning, he said the purpose of the auctions is “to animate old objects with new stories” for a new generation.
Two auctions later, Murkudis is now gearing up for his third, which will start June 16 and end July 9 at 6 p.m. CET. In his view, Auction III is “the most important.” While beautiful books

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BACK IN FLORENCE: Paul Smith is returning to Pitti Uomo for a second season to present the spring 2018 collection of PS by Paul Smith, his secondary label that was first launched in the Florence trade fair last January.
The designer said the big variety of brands and industry professionals Pitti Uomo draws together was one of the main reasons he decided to accept Pitti chief executive officer Raffaello Napoleone’s invitation to participate in the event for a second time: “Pitti is a great platform because it has such diversity both in terms of the brands presented and the people who attend from all over the world. Wandering around the Fortezza you can see everything from beautiful classic shoes to more directional and contemporary fashion.”
The new line continues to build on the contemporary, sporty aesthetic established during the brand’s first outing, with a focus on functional clothes that “people can really live their lives in.” There are plenty of striped jersey knits and track suit bottoms which reference Smith’s love of cycling, as well as windproof jackets and every-day sneakers. For spring, the designer also added more denim styles, as well as playful prints, which are featured all over messenger bags,

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SURPRISE STOPOVER: The Duchess of Cambridge visited victims of the London terror attack at King’s College Hospital yesterday.
After meeting patients, HRH sat with Dr. Malcolm Tunnicliff, who explained how important the psychological support offered to staff and patients is. pic.twitter.com/JZpvTenMIu
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 12, 2017
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Her impromptu arrival surprised staff members, who were not notified ahead of time. She met with the survivors as well as hospital workers and volunteers and took in a tour of the grounds.

HRH meets some of the doctors, nurses and support staff who describe their experiences to the Duchess. pic.twitter.com/Su3dTrtKic
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 12, 2017
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Kate Middleton wore a navy tweed Rebecca Taylor skirt suit. She previously wore the ensemble during a royal tour to Australia in 2014.

The most recent incident saw three terrorists drive a car into bystanders on London Bridge before attacking a crowd with knives, leaving eight people dead and 48 injured. The attackers were shot down by the police.
The royal family continues to support the victims affected by the recent attacks in the U.K. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall headed to the Royal Hospital to visit patients after the London Bridge attack. Following the Manchester bombing at

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LONDON — After years of catering to a wealthy neighborhood clientele near Sloane Square, Chloé is planting another flag on New Bond Street with a 2,906-square-foot store in the former Ralph Lauren Kids location.
The new boutique, at 143 New Bond Street, marks the arrival of yet another Compagnie Financière Richemont brand on the street: As reported, Azzedine Alaïa is to open at No. 139 on the street, where brands including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and IWC Schaffhausen have been longstanding residents.
“It’s a very different client on New Bond – it’s a very vibrant and more international than Sloane, and there probably won’t be a crossover between the two,” said Geoffroye de la Bourdonnaye, Chloé’s chief executive officer.
He said the opening was part of the brand’s efforts to increase its footprint internationally and “a great boost” for the brand. “We were missing not being on Bond Street, but our pace of openings is steady and we have ambitious plans to catch up to our competitors,” he noted.
With 80 stores worldwide, the brand has plans to open two more stores in Tokyo and 2-3 additional ones in China this year. It has just opened a new unit in Singapore.

Inside the new Chloé boutique

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