LOS ANGELES — Zoe Shaeffer and Renee Roman Klein, who were trained to foresee trends, relied on both research and instincts in deciding to launch a designer boutique.
The two friends, who worked at national magazines such as Seventeen, Self and Cosmopolitan in addition to the Doneger Group consulting firm, became convinced that a boutique specializing in timeless-feeling designer apparel could succeed.
Presse, the 1,300-square-foot shop they opened last week on La Brea Avenue here, is the result of the partners’ education in retailing.
“There seemed to be a resurgence in the popularity of boutique shopping,” Klein said. “In department stores, the intimacy, the customer service and the selection is missing. The bigger guys are trying to please too many people.”
The mandate for Presse is personalized shopping. “It’s important for us not to try to please every customer,” Klein said. “We’re not for everyone.”
The target demographic for Presse ranges from 25 to 55 years old, and the apparel selection represents different aesthetic sensibilities — from classic to sporty to street-inspired and even avant-garde.
The store carries pieces from designer labels such as Vera Wang, Doo.Ri, and Azzedine Alaïa. Less pricy lines include dresses and separates from Joseph and Alicia Levine, which retail for about $200, and jeans from brands like Habitual and Acne that range from $150 to just over $200.
The pair said they hope to keep prices under $3,500 for top-tier items, including gowns and outerwear. That’s steep for the district, home to denim-driven store American Rag Cie as well as year-old designer specialty boutique Iconology, which has been favoring less expensive brands after sensing some price resistance to top-tier labels.
Shaeffer designed the store’s ladylike-meets-downtown decor with a team of consultants, including her mother, an interior decorator in New York.
An overstuffed salmon-colored silk velvet couch is the centerpiece for the white-walled, open space, featuring 12-foot ceilings. Leather and canvas bags from Devi Kroell and British label Jos M.B. sit inside vintage-inspired custom-made shelves. Jewelry, clutches and wallets from designers such as Vera Wang and Lara Bohinc are arranged inside elegant vitrines Shaeffer picked up at an antique store in Atlanta.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
The store’s back wall, which will soon be home to a 400-pound mirror, is sheathed in custom silk wallpaper depicting a vintage-looking design of birds frolicking amongst fruit trees. Large cowhides splattered with gold paint, à la Jackson Pollack, cover portions of the unpainted concrete floor. “We were going for a glam, eclectic living room feeling,” Shaeffer said. “We wanted it to be a little unexpected.”