California Apparel News

Basics or classics?

Both monikers could be used to properly describe plain but stylish T-shirts, according to James Perse. He should know, because as chief executive of his self-named company, the 35-year-old designer is building a lifestyle brand on basics. The new James Perse flagship opened on Sept. 15 at 357 N. Canon Drive in Beverly Hills.

At 4,500 square feet, the James Perse flagship will be the biggest of the burgeoning fleet of eight boutiques owned by the Los Angeles–based design company. The flagship will debut new James Perse products in categories different from his “Standard” T-shirt, which he debuted in 1996.

When it opened last week, the flagship debuted Perse’s accessories line of belts and bags, as well as an intimates line of underwear and loungewear, and a homeware line, which features bedding such as cashmere blankets, which retail for $1,200. Retail price points will range from $40 for T-shirts to $1,400 for a cashmere robe.

Perse said that the flagship will also serve as the hub of his children’s line, which will get its own 500-square-foot space within the new store.

The location of the flagship store is off the beaten path for apparel retailers. The other James Perse stores have typically opened in already-popular retail locations such as the Malibu Country Mart in Malibu, Calif., and The Forum Shops in Las Vegas. However, Canon Drive, currently best known as a restaurant street, is located a block away from established retail thoroughfares such as Rodeo Drive and Beverly Drive.

Yet Canon might prove to be the best choice. The street stands to see an increase in tourist foot traffic next year when the exclusive Montage Beverly Hills hotel opens. The hotel will be located between Beverly Boulevard and Canon Drive.

The luxury hotel is expected to attract a new wave of very wealthy tourists to Beverly Hills, and adjacent stores are anticipating the new group of shoppers, according to Alan Au, vice president of Jimmy Au’s For Men 5’8” and Under. It is located at 9408 Brighton Way, which is just around the corner from North Canon Drive. He also expects the James Perse store to attract a crowd of 20-somethings to the street, which has been dominated by people in their mid-30s and up.

“It looks like a shop that belongs on Robertson Boulevard or Melrose Avenue,” Au said. “I like the fact that it belongs on Canon. It will draw folks up to the street.” Perse said that he might build up to 25 boutiques in the United States. He declined to state his company’s earnings.

The new flagship store might even boost sales for retailers already selling James Perse, said Kathy Shawver, partner and buyer for the influential Diane Merrick fashion boutique located at 7407 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles. It is a few miles away from Beverly Hills.

James Perse is one of the most popular brands at Diane Merrick. The higher profile created by the flagship might attract more women to her store, said Shawver, who described the James Perse customers as women who want styles that could be worn doing laundry or to a restaurant but still look sexy.

“It’s different. James Perse is sexy,” she said of the brand.

When Perse started designing T-shirts, he wanted something that could be worn everyday, such as a Hanes T-shirt, yet it would aspire to the sophistication of a Jil SanderT-shirt. The result was the “James Perse Standard” style. “I’m always in the middle,” he said. While he tweaks his staple tees from season to season, he does have some guidelines in shaping his brand’s overall look.

“If you bring too much fashion into it, it won’t be something you wear every day,” Perse said. “If you don’t wear it every day, it doesn’t qualify as a basic.” —Andrew Asch