Lynn Girard
California Market Center Suite C585 (213) 625-3341
Change is sometimes good, according to Lynn Girard. After 27 years of selling clothes on the third floor of the California Market Center, Girard has taken up residence in a prime corner of the C building’s fifth floor, close to the heavy hitters of the contemporary market.
“My customers have been asking me to move here. It seems like I was their only stop on the third floor, so it made sense,” she said.
Girard’s lines are mostly contemporary, a contrast from the misses and updated offerings of the third floor, she said. The more refined and polished halls of 5C lend themselves to presenting the lines better, she added.
Girard represents a mix of local, East Coast and international labels: Los Angeles–based Fabrizio Gianni, a line of contemporary stretch pants and denim (from $70 wholesale); Aftershock, a contemporary collection of hand-beaded and sequined silk tops from London (from $49); Yansi Fugel, a New York–based contemporary sportswear line ($50 to $200); Metric, a New York–based contemporary knitwear line ($39 to $89); Gigi Clark, a Santa Monica, Calif.–based collection of coordinates (from $60); and Buttercup, a Los Angeles label specializing in lace items ($28 to $60). The showroom also sells Spanx underwear.
Hot items include a sexy lace-up bustier from Aftershock and a military-style knit jacket from Metric.
Girard’s formula has been to carry products that complement each other as well as appeal to her and her associates’ tastes. Add in a strong commitment to customer service, and that is what has kept her in business for nearly three decades, she said. She has 400 or so specialty store accounts that cater to 25- to 50-year-old consumers.
Girard’s showroom is a work in progress that should be complete for the October market, but the space will be open Aug. 12–16 for the Los Angeles Fashion Market.
“We’ll have lots of floor space because I like to show clothes on the floor,” Girard said. “We will also have dark wood furniture with ultra-suede cushions and poof chairs. It will kind of have a Zen appeal.”
—Robert McAllister
