Ellie Frank Showroom
Ellie Frank Showroom
Gerry Building
Suite 708
(213) 627-2457
Walk past the Ellie Frank Showroom and you might be blinded by the amount of bling radiating from the 1,200-square-foot accessories showroom.
Belts studded with Swarovski crystals the size of small rocks are the hallmark of the B.B. Simon collection.
Silver-plated aluminum necklaces and bracelets adorned with Swarovski crystals and other stones are a popular look with jewelry by Jeff Lieb Designs.
Whimsically beaded handbags in various shapes, from turtles to gingerbread houses, are the signature look of the purses designed by Mary Frances Shaffer under her Mary Frances label.
These are just some of the lines that Frank carries in the seventh-floor showroom she opened more than two years ago in the Gerry Building after leaving a showroom she maintained in the California Market Center for 25 years.
Her new space, with its large windows and bright light, is perfect for displaying the artistic accessories arranged around the showroom. “It is airy and bright here,” Frank said.
The Mary Frances handbags capture everyone’s attention when they first walk in. Mary Frances Shaffer, who lives in Lafayette, Calif., turns ordinary purses into art objects. There are beaded bags shaped like pumpkin carriages for the Cinderella in all of us. Or purses transformed into a studded guitar. A standout beaded handbag is shaped like a Chinese pagoda dangling from beaded straps. The bags are handmade in the Philippines and wholesale for $59 to $125.
Frank also carries an über-artistic collection of jewelry designed by Thai artist Polthakorn Viboonviriyawong, a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising whose necklaces, bracelets and earrings under the Vilaiwan label are frequently used by Los Angeles designer Sue Wong to accent her embellished gowns on the runway. “He is very dramatic,” Frank said, describing the necklaces and earrings made of abalone, mother of pearl, jade and ruby stones. His pieces, which are manufactured in Thailand, wholesale for $45 to $220.
Frank will soon be carrying a new line of jewelry, called Lafonn, a collection of simulated diamond pieces set in sterling silver that wholesale for $25 to $125.—Deborah Belgum
