California Apparel News

Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, Calif., was hit particularly hard during the depth of the recession. More than 27 fashion stores shuttered between 2008 and 2009, but Stella Shirman decided that the worst was over for this block and that it was a perfect place to open a boutique in June.

“North of Montana, [the neighborhood] is quite wealthy. [Montana] has good tourism. I love the sense of community here. It just felt right,” said Shirman, whose Estell Boutique is located at 908 Montana Ave.

More than eight fashion stores have opened in the past year on Montana, which has had a reputation since the 1970s as a street for women’s fashions.

Veteran retailer Julien Heart is among the wave of entrepreneurs taking a new look at Montana. In 2009, she took ownership of Weathervane for Women. The store, located at 1209 Montana Ave., has been in business since 1971. Heart said the mass shuttering of Montana boutiques should be considered a market correction. Only the tough, veteran retailers were left standing on the street. This correction left a lot of opportunity to improve a street, which saw its popularity crest during the 1980s, according to Heart. “Better businesses and shops will come here,” she said.

Weathervane for Women offers a focus on designer lines such as Anne Demuelemeester, Dries Van Noten and Rick Owens. But its top-selling item is a cashmere cardigan sweater from its own private label, Weathervane. “Everyone understands it,” said Barbara Wilk, a manager at the store. “It went across age groups and sizes.”

Accessories are a good sell for someone who cannot afford to buy clothes, but they’re also good for another category for the Montana customer. “For someone who has everything? What do you buy them?” Heart said. She suggested vintage jewelry or knee socks from Japanese label Antipast.

The Purple Poppy boutique, located at 1329 Montana Ave., also does big business in gifts and accessories. Rachel Sheff opened the store in June after managing the now-shuttered Jane Smith boutique on Montana Avenue.

The Purple Poppy focuses on fashionable and affordable women’s clothes made in the United States. Sheff said her store’s “bread and butter” are Lycra tank tops designed by Los Angeles–based brand Nikibiki, which are popular for yoga and Pilates. “It’s very green here,” she said of the tastes of Montana shoppers. “They don’t want chemicals. They want cruelty-free clothes.”

Also popular are linen and organic-cotton pants from Los Angeles–based Green Dragon Pink Lotus, a velvet motorcycle jacket from BB Dakota and wrap sweaters from the Los Angeles–based Sisters brand.

Estell Boutique offers a focus on contemporary fashions made in Bulgaria and Turkey. Shirman, Estell’s owner, said Turkish and Bulgarian manufacturers make clothes with a European style. However, they typically wholesale clothes two times lower than French and Italian brands.

Top-selling items at Estell include a long cardigan-style wrap from Turkish brand First Orme; a knit dress from another Turkish brand, My Dress Line; and black pants cut like jeans by Turkish brand Wampum.

The boutique Aura has been located at 1528 Montana Ave. since 2006 and has offered a designer presence on the street. Top-selling items are a black moto jacket from the Isabel Marant label and day dresses from the Zac Posen label, according to store manager Stacy Scott.

Strong sellers at Estell Boutique:

Sweaters by Turkish brand First Orme ($69). These long cardigan-style sweaters are made out of a thin cotton knit. $95 knit dresses by ABC, also based in Turkey. These tight-fitting dresses are made out of a light, elastic cotton and fall to the knee. But the sleeves range from full length to sleeveless.

Cotton/Lycra pants cut like jeans ($95 - $125) by Turkish line Wampum. The silhouettes range from high to medium waists. The jeans sport a plain look, but some come with light sequins and stitching. Top-sellers at Purple Poppy:

Lycra tank tops designed by Los Angeles–based brand Nikibiki ($10.99). The plain, Lycra tops come with spaghetti straps or cap sleeves. The tops are long and fall below the hips.

Organic-cotton pants from Los Angeles–based Green Dragon Pink Lotus ($70 to $80). These ankle-length pants are baggy, wide-legged and feature a draw- string waistband.

A velvet motorcycle jacket from BB Dakota ($110).

Wrap sweaters from the Los Angeles–based Sisters brand ($58).What’s checking at Weathervane for Women:

A cashmere cardigan sweater from the Weathervane private-label line ($325).

Knee-socks ($38) from Japanese label Antipast. Fashion hits at Aura:

A black moto jacket from Isabel Marant ($2,300).

Day dresses by Zac Posen ($1,295). The most-popular Posen day dress is a gray jersey number with light beige flounce and bracelet-length sleeves. The dress also has diagonal stitching across seams.