California Apparel News

Stewart Weitzman and Louis Vuitton both recently announced that they will be opening boutiques in El Paseo Shopping District in Palm Desert, Calif.—a sign that the desert destination’s sartorial tastes are changing, according to the city’s veteran retailers.

Since recent memory, Palm Desert has been a place where the fashion is more casual than a surf town. But in the past few years, younger, more fashion-savvy people have moved to Palm Desert, according to Susan Stein, the fashion editor of Palm Springs Life magazine, which covers the more than 300 businesses on El Paseo.

This new crowd’s arrival was literally given the red-carpet treatment at the most recent Fashion Week El Paseo, held March 23–29. “There were crowds of younger people all dressed to the nines,” she said of the audiences at the runway shows and after parties, which celebrated designers such as Juan Carlos Obando and Jade Howe and fashion labels such as Issho. “Everyone cared about fashion,” she said.

El Paseo retailers said the town may not be as fashion forward as the designer boutiques of West Hollywood’s Melrose Avenue—yet. They also have to cater to different groups, such as the spring-break college crowd, which descends on Palm Desert for big parties each year. Another important shopper is the baby boomer woman, said Elyssa Goldberg, owner of B.G.’s Eclectic, located at 73-130 El Paseo. “My customer is hip and fit. She doesn’t want to look too young or too old,” Goldberg said.

Half of Palm Desert’s homes are vacation houses owned by wealthy people who have primary residences all over the United States. El Paseo retailers must think carefully about what to buy for this consumer, said Trish McFarlane, the owner of BB One fashion boutique, which is located at 73-515 El Paseo. “The customer here is very privileged. They want to come to a store and find things they have never seen before,” McFarlane said.

BB One aims to have something unique for all of its patrons, who include women age 18 to 80. One best-selling brand is Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, with price points ranging from $129 to $139. Another top-selling brand is Denim of Virtue. The label’s “Boyfriend” jean retails for $210.

Other popular items are T-shirts from Michael Stars; its long cotton tiered skirt retails for $88. T-shirts by label Peter & Greta retail for $59.

At the Mister Marcus boutique, located at 73-540 El Paseo, best-selling brands include Clu, a Los Angeles–based fashion-forward collection of cottons and silks with a sculpted look. Items from the brand’s collection range from $150 to $250. Also popular is Denmark-based Kristensen Du Nord. Price points for its sweaters range from $400 to $700, and price points for its dresses range from $600 to $700.

Another popular label at Mister Marcus is Italian brand Twin Set. Price points range from $200 to $300 for its knit tops.

At B.G.’s Eclectic, top-selling brands include cotton stretch pants by Equestrian, which is based near Santa Barbara, Calif. Price points range from $150 to $175. Another popular label is GWheels, based in New York. Tops by GWheels command price points from $100, said Goldberg, the boutique owner.