French Coat Makes the English-Style Boutique
Sammie Rawjee is serious about offering a bit of London fashion in Beverly Hills. She typically travels to the British capital one week each month to find new merchandise for her shop, Sammie LA London. It opened June 4 at 9609 Santa Monica Blvd. One surprise for the British fashion–savvy Sammie (she prefers to go by one name) is that her shop’s top-selling item is French.
The best-selling piece at her 800-square-foot boutique is a plaid jacket with ruffled lapels by Paris-based label Jeff Gallano. The coat retails for $395. “It’s feminine but practical,” Sammie said. The plaid jacket comes in several different colorways such as a black-and-purple design.
Sammie also sells fashions under her own label, which shares the name of the store. One of the brand’s popular items is a sheer, ruffled blouse, which retails for $179. Sammie, who also has worked as an interior decorator and a retailer at other boutiques, hopes to wholesale her label in the future.
Like many other boutique owners, she is judging how to best navigate the difficult economy, which has also taken a toll on Beverly Hills. “Girls are walking in here with Hermegrave;s handbags and asking for discounts,” she said. However, Sammie seems to have her own retail therapy. It’s called traveling to London. —Andrew Asch
