Mrs. Cox's Neighborhood
“Here’s my girls,” Eva Cox said as she hugged four women stepping out of the midmorning heat into her high-end contemporary casual boutique, Kate Daniels, in Seal Beach, Calif.
The warm greeting could be easily interpreted as a shopkeeper’s friendly banter but not at Kate Daniels. Cox opened the 750- square-foot boutique two years ago to create a place where women can sip martinis and purchase jeans by designers on the verge of becoming the next big thing.
Cox said the biggest-selling item of the past week has been Sacred Blue jeans, a Los Angeles–based high-end denim line with vintage rock ’n’ roll style. Price points for Sacred Blue range from $170 to $188.
The pants are forcing Cox to change her ways.
“I reorder them every week,” Cox said. “I never reorder anything.”
Cox said her customers love Sacred Blue’s fit and think the label’s vintage look is exquisite. Best of all, Sacred Blue isn’t sold at every boutique—yet.
Kate Daniels’ customers also have been buying denim by Notify; denim and tees by Rogan NYC; jackets by New York–based Cynthia Rose, whose jackets made from Chanel fabrics retail for $1,495; and tops by Miguelina that retail for $275.
Salesperson Stephanie Purdue said one of the store’s missions is to balance the aesthetic of neighborhood casual with designer glitz.
“We’re fashionable moms,” Purdue said. “We wear flip-flops, tennis shoes and sassy shirts. It’s livable clothes.” —Andrew Asch
