Peasant Blouses on a Tear at Sara
The comfort and ease of peasant blouses are catching the eye of shoppers at the Sara boutique on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, Calif.
Most notably, the Spring designs from Tamara Catz are flying off the racks. “Two shipments have sold in the last week,” said Nicole Wachs, owner of Sara, who recently sold her nearby Malibu store to a private investor. “Consumers are seeing them in magazines and are coming in looking for them.”
The button-back Catz tops, made of cotton voile and rayon, have three-quarter-length sleeves cuffed with elastic. The shirts’ front darts create a slimming fit compared to the traditional, fuller peasant blouse.
Based in Hawaii on the island of Maui, Catz’s 2-year-old line incorporates a range of colors and styles inspired by the local scenery as well as the designer’s travels with her husband, Francisco Goya, a world-champion windsurfer. Ribbed cotton tanks with hand-sequined palm trees, cotton blouses with eyelet ruffles, flowing peasant skirts and low-rise pants with open cutwork are a few of the line’s highlights.
With another Southern California store at the Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach, Wachs said business has been on an upswing due to the unseasonably warm weather. “People are gearing up to transition their wardrobes accordingly,” she said. In addition to the Catz pieces, Sara also carries Earl Jean, Seven, Joe’s Jeans, Paper Denim & Cloth and a wide assortment of Michael Stars T-shirts. —Nola Sarkisian-Miller
