Valley Boutiques Selling City Styles

Now that the Southern California Valley Girl of 1980s lore has grown up, she has taken her latest shopping exploits east of Encino and onto a segment of Ventura Boulevard between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Boulevard in Studio City where numerous fashion boutiques have sprouted.

The one-mile stretch in the San Fernando Valley consists of a blend of chain stores ranging from anchors Gap, Banana Republic and Pier 1 Imports to nearly a dozen coffeehouses to a string of gift stores. In the past few years, high-end clothing boutiques have also come aboard, eager to cash in on the area’s strong demographics and residents’ desire to avoid commuting to Los Angeles.

With the addition of new stores, some retailers voice their concerns about the direction Ventura Boulevard is headed. They say boutiques such as Paris Outlet and Silhouette, which offer trendy-looking clothes without the designer price tags, may set a different tone for the area.

“We’re trying to figure out if we’re more Robertson Boulevard or Melrose Avenue [located in Los Angeles],” said Melanie Shatner Gretsch, owner of the Dari boutique.

Others take a more pragmatic approach to the issue.

“I don’t think there has to be some uniformity effort to have a personality on the street,” said Fred Levine, co-owner of the 13-year-old M. Frederic boutique. “If retailers do a bang-up job at what they do, people will go there and the street will be successful.”

Gretsch took the plunge in the underserved valley two years ago with her 1,500-square-foot boutique.

The store’s high-end, trendy looks by Miguelina, Free People and Diane von Furstenberg and its staff’s practice of encouraging customers to hang out helped ring up $1.1 million in sales last year in spite of a withering economy and the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Denim is still the fashion draw of the moment, she said, although sales of basic denim are slowing down. Gretsch noted that shoppers are having a tougher time justifying why they’re buying another $100-plus pair of jeans, but certain brands remain unaffected.

Juicy and Seven are still no-brainers for us and so is Paper Denim & Cloth,” she said. Higher-end denim by Loba is the next frontier. The steeper price tag of $246 hasn’t stopped shoppers from buying the denim capris with leather belt loops. Customers have also been going for the $202 dark denim jeans slit at the bottom.

Nearby Lisa Angel, which strives to offer a more classic collection of clothing, has benefited from its studio business, which has led to clothing placements on “Providence,” “Will & Grace” and “My Wife and Kids.”

And a celebrity clientele “helped keep sales up when times were rough following 9/11,” said current co-owner Cha Cha Weinstein, who runs the store with her sister, Lisa Angel.

Weinstein said that Trina Turk is the No. 1 line at the store. The designer’s pants, which range from cotton capris to long, wide-cuffed looks in twill fabrics, are especially popular. “It’s basic but trendy, so you can buy it and keep it for four years rather than getting rid of it after a season,” she said.

The soft dressing from the Los Angeles-based line Black Halo is also checking, especially the mid-length jersey skirts with asymmetrical hems.

According to owner Stacey Feldman, the Stacey Todd boutique just west of Coldwater Canyon more than doubled her expectations by bringing in nearly $1 million last year.

The Hamptons-style boutique, which focuses on more casual clothing driven by separates, also does well with unusual designers. Store manager Mikela Walter said the Loy and Ford line of reconstructed shirts has nearly sold out.

They’ve paired the tops with Seven jeans, along with SBU’s high-end line of relaxed-cut, cuffed jeans, Walter said.

Also selling are the casual vintage army pants by Great China Wall and Riley matched with white peasant tops by Beautiful People and Joseph.

“People like to wear these pants big and low-slung on the hips,” said Walter.

Veteran M. Frederic, whose sales year-to-date are up 20 percent, has seen dramatic sell-throughs with athletic wear. Riley fitted knit pants accented with denim jean pockets and waistbands “are flying out,” said Levine, who has locations in six Los Angeles-area communities, including nearby Encino.

“They contour it, make it fit and it’s a flattering look,” he said.

The looks of Sandra McCray—a higher-priced Los Angles-based activewear label—are selling strong, Levine said. Navy blue, taupe and other neutral tones are the favored shades for the knit sets that sport rollover waists.

Levine said tops are a key category at the store. Customers are appreciating the feminine looks of Ashley O’Rourke, whose bell-sleeve ruffle tops are the store’s rising star.