Designer Sees a Shift in Shirts
Tanks, tees and beaters have been riding high with the denim wave, but designer Isabel Sokiryansky is putting her stock in blouses.
The Russian-born designer, who is now based in Garland, Texas, last season launched Bella Pelle, consisting mainly of blouses. She said it’s the right niche to home in on, given the onslaught of T-shirts on the market.
“With blouses, you can dress up or down. You can wear them with denim or with black pants. But there’s always a touch of femininity, of romanticism,” said Sokiryansky, who sells the line in the Sharon Koshet Sales showroom in the California Market Center in Los Angeles.
Bella Pelle features about 30 pieces wholesale priced from $59 to $74. The shirtings complement Sokiryansky’s 20-year-old line Isabel, featuring denim and leather.
Bella Pelle’s blouses are made with European fabrics with touches of Lycra, voile and viscose. “It has to have a great feel,” said Sokiryansky.
Within the collection is a series of all-white shirts, as well as colored and striped shirts and wraps, all featuring some type of embellished trim lace, crochet, embroidery or Swarovski crystals.
Nordstrom and Dillard’s have picked up the line. Sokiryansky is targeting the over-35 customer, which is becoming a key segment of the market. According to Port Washington, N.Y.–based market research firm NPD Group, those consumers now account for half of the $102 billion market.
Sokiryansky believes she knows this consumer segment better than most because she herself is part of it. “Nobody wants to look their age,” she said. “I’m trying to help women with that with style and fit with this collection.”
Koshet said the line has had an auspicious start. “Isabel’s designs have put me in the finest stores [such as] Marshall Russo, Champagne and Ritzy Rags,” Koshet said.
For more information, call (213) 623-6501. —Robert McAllister
