Vintage Retailer Offers Own Line of Classics
Last June, Shareen Mitchell, owner of vintage treasure trove Shareen Downtown, decided to make a classic shirtdress to entice her loyal vintage shoppers.
“I forced them into it,” joked the designer, who before getting into fashion worked in the fashion departments of Vogue and Mademoiselle, scouted models for Elite Model Management and tried her hand at acting.
The simple eyelet dress, called “Ducky” after Mitchell’s mother, flew off the rack in the Vernon, Calif., warehouse that now acts as her shop, showroom and studio. “It did well, so I designed a second and a third,” she said. The Shareen line grew gradually as Mitchell found inspiration. “The line I’m showing now is my first full collection.”
The line of pretty dresses and sportswear is sweet and sexy, a la Sophia Loren. “I think she’s the epitome of quintessential glamour, but tasteful,” Mitchell said. Shareen definitely shows its vintage-inspired pedigree, with touches that include faceted-glass buttons, pockets in full skirts, demure silhouettes and classic workmanship. Cut from silk jersey, chiffon, cotton, silk georgette and rayon, the pieces wholesale for an average of $200, though a couture bustle dress wholesales for nearly $300.
“I like to flatter a woman’s body,” Mitchell said. A strapless party dress with a plaid silk bubble skirt filled with tulle and lined in linen makes legs look long and slender. A corseted cotton dress that zips up the front flatters any bust line. Jersey goddess dresses and a palazzo jumpsuit are slinky in that Studio 54–esque manner. A pinup ensemble includes a silky halter top and tiny shorts for girls in search of a Bettie Page moment. A heavy cotton mini-dress features two oversize bows and a peekaboo bodice.
For all of its vintage allusions, Mitchell hesitates to call the line vintage-inspired. “What isn’t inspired by what came before? The line is not retro, in the same way girls who love vintage are not retro. They’re very forward thinking and modern. Shareen is a line of modern classics.”
Now producing upward of 130 of each dress in Los Angeles, Mitchell finds herself scrambling to keep up with the demand for Shareen. Sold in Henri Bendel in New York, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, Curtsy Bella in Seattle, and Flair Fred Segal, Diavolina and Tracey Ross in Los Angeles, the line is enjoying strong sales.
Mitchell, however, is preparing a surprise for her clients. “Fall/Winter 2007 will be a big deal,” she teases.
For more information, call (323) 264-3294. —Erin Barajas
