California Apparel News

Elisabeth Weinstock’s line of cozy cotton sleepwear, Coton Blanc, is making a comeback. At its peak, Weinstock’s sleepwear line had $5 million in annual sales and was shipping to Fred Segal, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York and hundreds of specialty stores. Weinstock shelved her 9-year-old label in 2000 after a “snowball” effect of “too many problems at one time.” Now, after an eight-year hiatus, Weinstock relaunches Coton Blanc this year.

Weinstock first created Coton Blanc on a lark in her early 20s and was a self-taught entrepreneur who got ahead by “just asking a ton of questions.” Trevor Riewer, a veteran of the lingerie industry who used to represent the line, said Weinstock’s fresh 20-something-year-old outlook on ultra-comfy cotton sleepwear gained a robust following during the 1990s.

“It had its own point of view,” Riewer said. “It was different for the time. It was nice, comfortable, priced well for the time. It just fit. It’s about making all those things come together and being aware in the marketplace of what’s going on.”

The rebirth of Coton Blanc traces over the same footsteps of familiar bodies in neutral colors such as nightshirts, pants, chemises, wrap robes, tanks and panties in the softest cotton voile, cotton/rayon jersey, cotton gauze and pointelle Supima cotton/Modal.

“If you look around at most of the lines, they are pretty much for a certain genre,” said Weinstock of niche sleepwear brands. “I see a lot of these lines a lot of people can’t wear.” Weinstock’s “twist on the basic” school of thought, in contrast, casts a wide net that’s inclusive to generations of women. In addition to the relaunch of Coton Blanc, Weinstock also runs a furniture and interior-design business that shares an overlapping philosophy with her loungewear, which is “strictly out for comfort.” She booked her first dozen interior-design clients from friends and acquaintances who visited Weinstock’s home and wanted the designer to duplicate its welcoming energy in their own abodes.

“I’ll design a house and I’ll put many couches and sitting areas in the rooms. There’s a couch in one of my houses that’s in one of my kitchens. I’m more the woman that’s going to design the home that’s cozy and warm and people want to come hang out,” Weinstock said. “And then maybe they can lay on their couch in one of my robes.”

Coton Blanc has been sold to stores such as Intima Lingerie in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and Ella’s Room in Boise, Idaho. Wholesale price points range from $16 for a pointelle Supima/Modal panty and $38 for a cotton/rayon jersey sleep shirt up to $124 for a cotton cashmere robe. For more information, contact the Kris Mesner Showroom, located in suite A1033 of the California Market Center, at (213) 623-7890. —Rhea Cortado