California Apparel News

Walk through any mall or retail street—some of the most prominent shops are mono-brand stores that sell a wide variety of basics from a single fashion label. Lauren Goldstein and Samera Arkel are providing an alternative.

Earlier this month, they opened a boutique devoted to tops, T-shirts and cashmere from a diversity of labels. The multi-brand store, Cashmere N Tee, quietly opened at 409 E. Woodbury Road in Altadena, Calif., located only a few minutes’ drive from Pasadena, Calif.

The 1,100-square-foot store divides half of its selling space into high-end women’s T-shirts. The other half features cashmere sweaters, tops and scarves.

In addition to working as a design assistant and sales rep, Arkel has owned fashion boutiques. Goldstein’s career has included working as a stylist for cable network MTV as well as for personal clients. She also has worked as a retail consultant with the Tucci Boutique in the San Diego area and Madison, the prominent fashion boutique run by her cousin Mark Goldstein.

Personal shopping with a forte of stylists such as Goldstein will be offered as a service by Cashmere N Tee. Some of the inspiration for the store’s concept came from insights from her previous stylist gigs.

“When I pulled clothes for clients, I would post pictures [of T-shirts and cashmere], and they would buy it,” Goldstein said. “These are core essentials. They are the most worn items in a women’s wardrobe. They are classic.”

As one of the most popular categories she has seen in her career, more than 30 percent of her business came from tees and cashmere. Demand rarely declines, she said. Whenever she goes through clients’ wardrobes, she always sees stacks of T-shirts piled high—but there always seems to be room for one more.

Brands currently stocked at the shop are Sundry, Monrow, LNA Clothing, Stateside and 143. Featured cashmere brands include Minnie Rose, 27 Miles and Brazeau Tricot. Price points range from $100 to $400 for cashmere. The store also sells dresses, sweaters and track pants. A specialty of the store is new brands, Goldstein said.

“We like to discover new and emerging talent, designers people have not seen. It keeps things fresh,” she said. Eventually, Cashmere N Tee will offer men’s and children’s styles. It also will focus on the e-boutique cashmerentee.com, which is scheduled to launch before the end of the year.

Currently, Arkel and Goldstein consider Cashmere N Tee to be a destination boutique. Arkel forecasts that Altadena will be a retail neighborhood. Residents of the city are well off, and Altadena is surrounded by the affluent enclaves of San Marino and La Cañada Flintridge. But Arkel said that Altadena is under-retailed. No fashion boutiques do business on the same street as Cashmere N Tee. However, the boutique is located a half-mile from Zagat-rated hipster café Lincoln Pasadena.

Behind the store, there’s a 1,500-square-foot enclosed patio where the duo will host events and Arkel will sell unique and vintage furniture.

When Arkel crafted the interior design of Cashmere N Tee, she strove for a clean, minimalist look, similar to the clothes the store sells. The store’s interior includes bay windows, custom-made shelving that scales the store’s walls like ladders, and its wood flooring extends up the back wall. Goldstein hopes the store offers a relaxing milieu. “We hope it feels like someone’s living room,” she said.