Cover Up
Neely Shearer knows sexy often means covering up rather than baring all. That’s her explanation for why customers made Ashley Paige swimwear the top seller last week at her Los Angeles boutique, Xin.
Instead of opting for risqueacute; high-cut bikini bottoms, Xin shoppers chose Paige’s suits with boy-cut bottoms, according to Shearer.
“It’s the 1960s ’Beach Blanket Bingo’ kind of sexy,” she said. “You’re covered, but you see a little cheek. So it’s flattering for girls of all body types.”
Shearer said her customers also favored Ashley Paige because of the swimwear’s unique knitted fabric and designs, ranging from naughty pot-leaf patterns to the macrameacute; knot style featured on a best-selling one-piece. Retail price points range from $218 to $288.
Other top sellers include the tube dresses manufactured by Xin’s private label, Issho. The 100 percent silk dresses, which retail for $289, each feature polka dots and hot-pink or limegreen trim. Shearer said she believes these trims hold the key for predicting what’s next in color.
“I’m getting the feeling that pink is oversaturated,” she said. “The overall trend in this store is green.”
Color has been a significant part of Shearer’s life since she opened Xin with business partner Gordon H. Morikawa in 2000. Works of up-and-coming artists hang on the boutique’s walls, and Shearer has been instrumental in pumping color into her already lively stretch of Melrose Avenue.
She and neighbor Adrienne Weller, director of communications for Fornarina, are putting together the Melrose Heights Merchants’ Association, a group of casual contemporary boutiques that will occasionally host block parties, publish maps to neighborhood boutiques and work with Los Angeles City Hall for new signage in the area. More than 11 shops, including Betsey Johnson and Madison, will participate in the group’s next block party, set for Aug. 16, 7–10 p.m.
For more information, call Xin at (323) 653-2188. —Andrew Asch
