I'm sure many of you heard of the store (if not, you need to hear) - here is a rare interview and some pix from jcreport.com
As If
New York
If Boutique dresses down through the decades
Over 25 years ago, in the early days of New York's If Boutique, brands such as Azzedine Alaia, Claude Montana and Thierry Mugler were doing brisk business at the SoHo store (another, older branch is in Lebanon). Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, and later Martin Margiela, Dries van Noten, and others came to rely on the boutique for a steady stream of loyal customers who were not afraid to experiment with their
not-overtly sexy clothes. The Japanese and Belgian designers defined the store by the end of the '80s and since then, it has
stuck to this dressed-down luxury formula, even when tastes veered toward the ostentatious. Owner Jeanette Bird spoke to us
about her notion of dressed-down luxury and what she's learned from customers at her long-standing boutique.
JCR:Break down the If Boutique aesthetic.
JB:If's
aesthetic comes from my personal taste, and the store environment was
created to foster approachability to the aesthetic,
so that the designers in the boutique can be clearly read without
intimidation. We also adopted the feeling of a person's
wardrobe, nuanced to permit ease of dressing.
JCR:Who is the customer that goes for your dressed-down luxury?
JB:The customer that appreciates discreet luxury identifies him/herself as already self-prescribed, having a natural sense of
self and an appreciation for the unusual and unique. This client experiments with proportion and color to create an intimate
statement of his/herself from a subtle, and at times, bold point of view.
JCR:Carpe
Diem, Dries van Noten, and others have been staple dressed-down luxury
brands in the store. What are the next-generation
labels trading on the aesthetic?
JB:Paul Harnden, Casey Vidalenc, Christian Peau, and Gary Graham are on the next wave.
JCR:Why has this low-key luxury persisted while other trends come and go, some in a single season?
JB:Low-key luxury has persisted for the reason that it is low-key. Sometimes a forced and present image or style tends to fall
quickly into the line of the over-exposed and easily recognized. For many clients, a cherished sensibility to a garment can
bring a longevity that speaks beyond a trend.
JCR:Much of the innovation in the dressed-down luxury concept surrounds the use of complex textiles; tell us about some of the
new fabrications.
JB:Some fabrications for fall are heavily treated or deconstructed. There are treated washed leathers, reversed leathers, lurex
wool, and lots of dyeing.
JCR:Where is the sex appeal in the dressed-down luxury idea?
JB:Sex appeal is not necessarily the aim of dressed-down luxury. For women, the styles tend to be confidently feminine without
the need to be revealing.
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