California Apparel News

Jill Bronstein was recently named in-store stylist for boutique chain Madison, and when she puts together wardrobes for women in Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades neighborhood, she follows one directive: Keep it casual.

quot;The lifestyle is more casual than in Hollywood and Brentwood; people don't dress up so much,quot; said Bronstein, a Palisades resident who is headquartered in Madison's Palisades boutique, located at 1017 Swarthmore Ave.

Keep it casual might be guiding words for the other boutiques in the mostly residential neighborhood, located adjacent to Santa Monica and Malibu. Veteran Palisades boutique Boca Man, located at 1020 Swarthmore Ave., stopped selling suits years ago even though many Palisades residents make their livings from the fashion-obsessed entertainment industry, said men's store manager Will Mangimelli.

quot;There are a lot of writers in this town. Their office is Starbucks,quot; Mangimelli said, pointing to the popular cafeacute; across the street from his boutique. quot;You don't have to dress up for that.quot;

Still, many fashion boutiques thrive in the wealthy Palisades neighborhood by finding casual styles with a fashion edge.

At Madison, women are finding that balance between casual and fashion with items such as J. Brand's quot;Houlihanquot; low-rise skinny cargo. quot;They are doing exceptionally well. Everyone wants them in army green,quot; Bronstein said. They retail for $243 at Madison.

T-shirts by Alexander Wang also sell well at Madison. Styles for the plain T-shirts range from $75 to $100.

Cashmere sweater line Minnie Rose is a year-round favorite at Madison. In spring, women favor cardigans. In fall, they're looking for pullovers. Retail price points range from $200 to $300.

Also popular are loose-fitting silk pants designed by the label Maggie Ward. Retail price points are $200.

Selling casual fashion does not mean taking it easy at Boca Man and its adjacent sister store, Boca. Boutique owners Mike and Denise Mangimelli produce events to keep their clients engaged with local events and larger trends.

On June 5, Boca Man will produce a trunk show for Agave. At the trunk show, attendees can take a drive in electric-powered sports cars from car company Tesla. Boca recently produced a window display devoted to the quot;Third Annual Love Walk,quot; which is scheduled for June 6. The 5K walk raises funds for the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, which supports breast-cancer research.

Boca Man's big-selling items include Agave's quot;Gringoquot; jeans, which retail for $215. Also popular is the AG Adriano Goldschmied brand's quot;Proteacute;geacute;quot; jean, which costs $178. Also selling well are T-shirts from Red Jacket. The tees, bearing vintage sports-team logos, retail for $40. Also popular are $75 polo shirts by Converse by John Varvatos.

At Boca, popular women's fashions include AG's skinny jean with an elastic waistband, which retails for $128. Also popular are T-shirts from Splendid and Velvet. A Splendid tank retails for more than $40. A T-shirt for Velvet retails for more than $55.

Casual is key at Happy LA, located at 541frac12; Palisades Drive. With celebrity clients such as Giada De Laurentiis, Happy LA co-owners Dawn Baker and Lori Bzura will put their own stamp on casual looks when they start the Happy LA line of women's clothing this summer. The line will feature warmly colored stripes on collars and clothing labels. The Happy LA-brand poncho is already available at the store for $98.

Also selling well is the Brochuu Walker racer-back slub tank, which retails for $143. Shirtdresses by label Marie Eiffel retail well for $128.

Women shopping at Elyse Walker, located at 15306 Antioch St., emphasize fashion when they are looking for casual clothes. The most popular selling items include tops from heritage brand Givenchy. The chiffon tops retail for more than $1,000.

Also popular are leather motorcycle jackets from Balenciaga. Retail price points for the jacket are $2,595. However, the tide of casual clothing is too powerful to hold back at the store. One of the most popular items at Elyse Walker is J. Brand's quot;Houlihanquot; low-rise skinny cargo. quot;Anything army and cargo is selling,quot; said boutique founder Elyse Walker.

Philanthropy also is very important at Elyse Walker. Annually, the boutique produces the Pink Party, which has raised more than $4 million for research on breast and other gynecologic cancers. The quot;Sixth Annual Pink Partyquot; is scheduled for Sept. 25 at Drai's restaurant in West Hollywood, Calif. For more information, call Beth Whiffen at (310) 230-8882, Ext. 27.