San Francisco's Noe Valley
It’s easy to see why Noe Valley is one of San Francisco’s most coveted neighborhoods, what with its stunning Victorian houses, quiet streets and more sun than fog. Locals see the area as a kind of suburban oasis, although its fashion sense remains assuredly cosmopolitan. The area is centered around an ample retail district along 24th Street that’s consistently jammed with well-dressed young couples pushing strollers while gabbing on cellular phones.
Interspersed among the coffeehouses, health food stores and sushi bars are a wide variety of chic boutiques that cater to all types—from postgraduates to older residents who’ve lived in the city for decades.
One of the most popular women’s apparel stores is A Girl And Her Dog, named after owner Annette Hickey and her Yorkshire terrier Bronte, who occasionally scampers out of the shop to chase after passing dogs.
The shop is popular with women in their late twenties to mid-thirties who are looking for avant-garde clothing from up-and-coming designers, according to Hickey, who said she never re-orders, thus allowing her to concentrate on the most current styles.
“My customers know that if they see something they like, they won’t see it everywhere else,” she said. “And if they don’t buy it, they know they’ll find something just as cute the next time they come in.”
Hickey said denim jeans were selling well, particularly five-pocket bootleg Juicy Jeans in dark stretch and dirty denim. Also checking were Chaiken oxford dresses inspired by men’s dress shirts, tied loosely at the waist with a navy-and-red canvas military belt. Additionally, Diane Von Furstenberg silk-wrap dresses with ’70s-inspired designs were consistently selling well.
Many customers were buying vintage belts to wear with denim jeans, including Beth Frank belts with handmade buckles and studded, hip-hugging belts from Hollywood Trading Co.
Across the street, the boutique Joshua Simon is more inclusive, saleswoman Vicki Stehn said, because it caters to older women who appreciate the selection of“generous cuts.”
“Not many people that come in here could buy anything at A Girl And Her Dog,” Stehn said.
Some of the most popular pieces were those with Far East influences, especially linen or silk Citron blouses, tank sun dresses, dresses with mandarin collars and short-sleeve dresses, all in Asian-patterned motifs.
Best-selling casual items were 3 Dot traditional knit shirts and Blue Dot loose cotton and denim pants, especially in black, khaki and chartreuse. Summer in San Francisco is often chilly, which may explain why so many locals are buying W2W washable suede and black leather motorcycle jackets, Stehn said.
Crinkly polyester full-length skirts in teal, aqua and sage from Babette, a San Francisco Bay area designer, were also checking.
“It’s the ultimate travel garment,” Stehn said.
One of the oldest apparel shops in the area is Designers’ Club, which attracts many local professional women and even some tourists. The shop’s contemporary collection offers elegant and fun separates from designers ranging from Nicole Miller to Mica.
Saleswoman Gale Trent said all types of dresses were checking, from Summer styles to full dresses to designs with a retro flair. One of the big sellers was a silk ’50s-style red floral-print dress cut below the knee by Muse. Elegant Nicole Miller silk dresses with fanciful sequins also were selling well.
Top casual separates were C.C. Outlaw orange tanks with exotic silk-screen floral motifs and Kamellia rayon capri pants in purple paisley designs.
One of the area’s newer apparel stores is also one of the most unique in Noe Valley. GetUps is aimed at the young, urban crowd and offers a hodgepodge of separates, mostly new and some vintage.
Generation X pop culture is the store’s obvious theme, with big sales of colorful men’s and women’s Junk Food t-shirts with iron-on decals depicting everything from cartoon characters including Casper the Friendly Ghost to junk food including Hot Tamales candy.
Owner Miles Barry continues the Americana theme with impeccable displays that include boxes of Tide detergent and Betty Crocker cake mixes among the apparel.
“Everybody can find something here,” Barry said. “Sixteen-year-old girls shop in here with their mothers. I call it mini-Disneyland.”
Some of the hottest items were Krizia D floral summer-print capris embossed in studs, Silver raw-denim capris and Mingle ’70s-inspired full-length black- and sand-colored dusters.
GetUps also has a wide selection of accessories that were checking—unisex bucket hats, Coleman and Yak Pak over-the-shoulder bags, and rhinestone bracelets (“It’s a Madonna thing,” Barry said).
Vintage coats remain popular, even in the early summer, especially leather and suede jackets from the ’70s and ’80s, Barry said. A late-70s Jordache faux fur, full-length and in hot pink, was especially eye-catching.
“Where else can you get it?” Barry implored an ultimately unconvinced female shopper. “At $48, it’s a bargain. Come on.”
