California Apparel News

Chan Luu, the Vietnam-born designer living for some time now in Los Angeles, started her collection 14 years ago with just jewelry. Later she expanded to accessories and ready-to-wear.

Now there’s a new addition to her stable of labels, the Georgie pant line, which the designer bought a year and a half ago. Known for its classically chic, great-fitting pants, Georgie was launched in 2004 by designer Julia Chase under the name Gavin. Luu said she bought pieces from the line prior to buying the company from Chase and was intrigued by the concept of a pant collection.

“I think the concept is fantastic,” Luu said. “I’m a working girl. I have to go from early on until into the evening, and I need comfortable pants. It’s very hard to get a nice-fitting pant,” she explained.

The collection toes the line between tailored and relaxed with a hippie-chic flair. Carried by retailers such as Ron Herman, Fred Segal and Henri Bendel, the collection has been popular at retail because of its consistent fits and ongoing availability, according to Chase, who continues to design Georgie. “We never drop a body that’s retailing,” she said. “[Retailers] want to be safe. They can make money with the collection and just keep running with it.”

Each season, the line is updated with new styles and fabrications. Popular styles include a chic boot pant, made from a cashmere-feel ponte knit that is machine washable and dryable, and a slouchy boyfriend pant that can be worn during the day with tennis shoes or dressed up for work with heels and a jacket. Other styles include a popular super-flared silhouette and the top-selling “St. Bart” drawstring pant, which has been a staple in the collection. Details such as pleats at the knee, a diamond-shaped pocket and curved side seam that creates a flowing effect add a subtle edge to the line. Pants are made with European fabrics and are crafted with open seams, hand-stitched hems and couture construction. “We’re offering a couture pant at a contemporary price point—that’s our whole vibe,” Chase said.

The Georgie line is known for its pants, but it also includes key items such as blazers and shorts. In addition, the line has expanded to include items such as 1970s-inspired novelty shirts and suede vests—a look inspired by Chase’s teen-age years shopping London’s Portobello Road and working for the iconic British label Biba.

For Fall, the collection has a sharp, tailored menswear-inspired look made with herringbone, tweed and plaid suiting fabrics. A feminine mix of silk chiffon blouses adds a 1970s vintage feel. There are also faux-fur vests and a jacket and hipster pant made in a zigzag Missoni-inspired knit. Brand-building

Georgie joins the Chan Luu coterie of collections, which ranges from trendy to classic, covering a wide range of customers from contemporary to misses. Chan Luu is currently carried in 1,500 boutiques and better department stores worldwide. According to Luu, the company saw a double-digit increase last year and was recently featured on Good Morning America Now.

Luu has an eye for color and a multicultural look inspired by street fashion and her travels around the world.

A strong celebrity following has helped raise the profile of the Chan Luu brand and sparked trends such as the skinny scarf decorated with beaded fringe and a shell necklace worn by Jennifer Aniston. Currently, Luu’s vibrantly colored cashmere and silk woven scarf and wrap bracelets are hot items at retail. “The wrap bracelet is, like, so iconic right now,” she said. “I can’t sell enough of it because all the celebrities are wearing it,” she said.

The designer has a flair for combining colors and creating unusual embellishments. There is an element of surprise to everything. “I have a different eye for color that’s not like the normal way that people do it. [It’s] very unique, and that’s what people come to me for,” Luu said.

The collection is manufactured in Los Angeles, as well as overseas in India and Vietnam. Luu said she finds inspiration in the craftwork of various countries. Beaded necklaces are made with vibrantly colored vintage saris, purses have extra-long fringe, and T-shirts are decorated with beadwork and embroidery. “We jewel it up. We jewel up everything,” Luu said.

The designer considers her ready-to-wear line, with its intricate embellishments, to be an extension of her accessories collection. In a way, her pieces “accessorize” other collections.

Luu discovered her love of accessories and items working as a retail buyer. “I always wanted that fun item,” she said. “After you buy all the collections, you think, ’Where are those fun items that make my collection look fun, that make my store look fun?’”

Accessories are also somewhat recession-proof, according to the designer, who said stores are now buying smaller quantities but ordering more frequently. Adding a scarf, a handbag or a new piece of jewelry can quickly update a wardrobe.

“Fashion is not such a serious thing,” Luu said. “It’s art. You like to have fun wearing it.”

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