California Apparel News

Car travel is required in Los Angeles’ sprawling San Fernando Valley, but Studio City remains an intriguing exception to the rule. Various stretches of Ventura Boulevard support a pedestrian traffic, which may be one reason why Studio City is a boutique neighborhood.
High-fashion and contemporary fashion stores Sy Devore and Stacey Todd run boutiques on Ventura Boulevard, and they are joined by contemporary chains M.Fredric, Wasteland and Jill Roberts as well as independent, contemporary boutiques with a neighborhood feel, such as Dari and Faire Frou Frou.

DARI
For more than a decade, Dari, located at 12184 Ventura Blvd., offered eclectic women’s fashion. Brooke Fisher and Leah Segall took over the boutique in 2009, and the boutique’s longevity has helped business. “We’re a place everyone knows,” Fisher said. “It’s a destination point as well as a neighborhood stomping ground.”
Dari’s customers have been buying a silk blouse from Los Angeles–based Equipment. It retails for $250. “It’s classic. It fits all body types. A woman can wear it on a date and to the office,” Fisher said.
Wildfox’s “Lennon” sweater also is popular. It retails for $238. Along with a comfortable, loose fit, the sweater also features novelty graphics and slogans, Segall said. “There’s something about it which makes you smile,” she said. “There are hearts all over it.”
Sure, Studio City is the place where the entertainment industry puts down stakes to live a suburban lifestyle.But remember, there’s a heavy contingent of entertainment-industry people here, and they often need to dress up to the proverbial nines. The Gryphon New York label outfits this cocktail crowd with the “Knotty Maxi” dress, which sells for $470. It sells well because the dress is simple but projects a unique look, Fisher said.

M.FREDRIC
Store parties can turn into events at M.Fredric, located at 12124 Ventura Blvd. Pop star Adam Levine of Maroon 5 occasionally pops into the parties to visit his dad, M.Fredric founder Fred Levine. It makes sense that clothes with a rock ’n’ roll edge are popular at the store.
Hudson’s waxed “Krista” jean looks like leather and retails for $194.
A vintage-style tee from the Chaser label retails for $58 and features a graphic of classic rock vocalist Janis Joplin and her band, Big Brother and the Holding Co.
There has been a heat wave for the past few weeks, but sweaters sell well at M.Fredric.Fred Levine said sweaters for the Acrobat label are top sellers. The sweater from the Elan label also sells well. It retails for $68.

JILL ROBERTS
Jill Roberts runs popular, self-named Southern California boutiques in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, and, since June, a Studio City store, located at 12053 Ventura Place. Some of the most popular items at the store are cashmere sweaters by Seaton, a label designed by Jill Roberts.
The seahorse graphics are just part of the sweaters’ fun. Cashmere is an important part of a Los Angeles wardrobe, said Marie Kesler of Jill Roberts. “It’s beachy. But it’s cold at the beach after 7 p.m.,” she said. The sweater retails for $426 at the boutique.
Also popular is a top from the label Clu, which retails for $254. “It’s a different take on your favorite sweatshirt,” Kesler said. “It adds an extra with lace, satin and silk.”

FAIRE FROU FROU
There are plenty of Neiman Marcus customers in Studio City, but many of them don’t want to drive far to Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, so they look for alternatives in their neighborhood, said Alison Rubke, co-owner of Faire Frou Frou, located at 13017A Ventura Blvd.
If they’re looking for lingerie, they often visit Faire Frou Frou.A top-selling item is the Marlies Dekkers bras that have straps across the front. “It is a bra easy to show off without being too provocative,” Rubke said.It retails for $99.
Other top sellers include bras by Mimi Holiday, which retail for $96. Bordelle is another big seller. The bras retail for $175, and they were inspired by S&M chic, which was inspired by the publishing hit “50 Shades of Gray.” “There are definitely a lot of ‘50 Shades of Gray’ people—average women that you wouldn’t think twice about,” Rubke said.

SY DEVORE
The Sy Devore shop sells men’s suits at 12930 Ventura Blvd., and one of the most popular suits is made by Italian menswear house Isaia. Sy Devore owner Danny Marsh said Isaia’s basic suits are selling well because the suits, made by tailors from Naples, Italy, are crafted with style and comfort in mind. “The fit is immaculate. Neapolitans are best at executing a shoulder and an armhole that allows not only the perfect fit but also maintains the ultimate mobility,” he said.

The clothier Sy Devore outfitted the likes of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Duke Ellington and Elvis Presley, so it only fits that his namesake store manufactured a Rat Pack–style suit, Marsh said.The suit, called the “Sy Devore,” retails for $995 to $1,395. “There’s history and heritage with the suit,” Marsh said. “I took the classic Rat Pack look and reinterpreted it to make it current.” It was a lot of work, and “narrow” seemed to be the key word here. Marsh made the lapels and shoulders narrower as he did with the pants’ calf, bottom and thigh areas. ●

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