California Apparel News

Its namesake is the cowboy country of Montana, but there may be no retail district in Los Angeles more dedicated to the flowery and the feminine than Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, Calif.

To wit, there are more than 36 boutiques selling women’s clothing on Montana, and its retail makeup reflects a clientele of upscale moms, according to veteran real estate agent Vince Muselli. Indeed, blocks of the thoroughfare could be considered a baby-stroller zone.

“Moms hook up with other moms and walk up and down the street with their baby strollers. You don’t get that in a lot of other places in Los Angeles,” said Muselli, president of Santa Monica–based Muselli Commercial Realtors.

The street may be a mom magnet because it’s the location of two preschools and a couple of elementary schools. For moms-to-be, it’s a convenient place to shop for maternity clothes at such stores as Mom’s the Word and Babystyle. Yet consumers may have a tougher time shopping here if they want to buy a beat-up motorcycle jacket or men’s board shorts.

Only two Montana Avenue stores, Weathervane for Men and Sean, are dedicated to menswear, and they mostly deal in upscale clothes. Other boutiques, such as Citron, Planet Blue and Patrick Reid, reserve some of their floor space for clothes for the guys.

A high percentage of the consumer traffic on Montana are well-off women from the California communities of Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Malibu and Santa Monica, according to Jane Walker, chairwoman of the Montana Avenue Merchants Association. “They’re looking for something sleek and feminine,” she said. “But you also get people from everywhere coming here.”

Women’s fashion boutiques have dominated Montana since the late 1970s, and the stores must have been good for real estate value. Muselli said it’s the second-most-expensive commercial area in Santa Monica; Third Street Promenade commands the highest prices. A square foot of commercial real estate on Montana is $5–$7.50. A square foot of commercial space on Main Street, Santa Monica’s third-most-expensive address, is $4–$5.

Fashion on Montana ranges from frilly dress boutiques such as Leona Edmiston to Planet Blue, with its mix of streetwear and casual contemporary. Liseth Wesley, a manager at Planet Blue’s Montana Avenue location, said the menswear-inspired “Spoken Word” trouser by Los Angeles–based Joie has been a top seller. This peat-moss-colored trouser costs $220 and looks like a feminine version of what the average guy would have worn in 1948.

Jeans are very popular at Planet Blue. The store sells more than 40 pairs of jeans from Los Angeles– based Yanuk each week. The $174 six-pocket style is a favorite. The $297 “Laurel Canyon” jean by Los Angeles–based Paige Denim is also a crowd pleaser. The $231 “Courtney” jean by Taverniti So is another top seller.

Favorite shirts at Planet Blue include a $308 peasant-inspired shirt with a floral pattern from See by Chloe. There’s a $112 wrap shirt with a plunging V-neck from Love From Ya-Ya. Another popular covering is a long, thick wrap sweater by Missoni for $985.

Jeans are also big in the small department for men at Planet Blue. The section takes up about 20 percent of the store. The top-selling jeans brands are Chip & Pepper, at $176–$250, Rock & Republic and AG, all based in Los Angeles.

Wesley said the most popular Rock & Republic jeans are the simple models such as the “Henley,” which sells for $198 and features button-free back pockets.

Best-selling tops at Planet Blue’s men’s section include basic T-shirts by Los Angeles’ Velvet, with prices of $44–$70, and rock ’n’ roll–inspired Ts by Morphine Generation for $84.

Boho chic reigns at such stores as Jane Smith. One top that has been a popular seller is a tunic produced by Jenny Han. The $138 tunic is constructed of sheer silk and features embroidered hearts and flowers.

Los Angeles–based Johnny Was makes a long embroidered jacket that’s also been selling well. The $360 jacket features floral embroidery.

Montana Avenue boutique Barkley Hope does well with sweaters by Los Angeles–based labels such as One Girl Who, with price points of $130–$200; Grass denim pants, $150–$190; and English label Emerge, whose sweat pants are inspired by the 1980s, with price points of $98–$103.

Simple, elegant and feminine are the order of the day at Fiori. A best-selling top is New York–based Jill Stewart’s “Audrey” shirt. The $210 shirt has a dusty pink color, a lace texture and velvet trim.

Mason by Michelle Mason makes a shrunken, fitted blazer that’s also been selling well there. The $400 blazer is made of a cotton velvet material and has puffy, Victorian- style sleeves.

New York’s Daryl K makes Fiori’s popular cropped shawl-collar jacket. The $560 jacket is constructed from a plaid flannel material. The label also makes a $395 knit minidress in lambswool with an African tribal-inspired design.

Los Angeles–based Clu produces T-shirts that sell well at Fiori. They cost $140 and bear details such as a patchwork design and rhinestones.

Fiori co-owner Linda Park opened the boutique four years ago. In August, she opened the PerLei boutique in Thousand Oaks, Calif. She said that, although the street’s business remains robust, she’s noticed a slight dip in pedestrian traffic in the last 18 months, a drop-off she credits to increased competition from the burgeoning pedestrian shopping districts of Main Street, and Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach, Calif. “There’s more places to shop in this area,” Park said. “But Montana Avenue remains a special place. It has an intimate, neighborhood feel.”