Buyer's Delight

What’s in store for fall? We asked globetrotting buyers and savvy boutique owners at seven of our favorite SF neighborhood haunts for their fashion picks and pans.

Uncommon Grounds Owner Gus Harput and co-buyer Zana Bayne, of Harputs Market (1525 Fillmore St., 415-922-9644), are more interested in avant-garde fashion than what’s on-trend. This philosophy is evident when you walk into the lofty store in the Western Addition: Racks of painstakingly edited pieces picked up in Rome, Paris and Tokyo from such cutting-edge designers as Junya Watanabe, Sara Lanzi and Comme des Garçons neatly line the walls. “We don’t have what’s popular or trendy,” says Harput. “It has to be special. We’ll never be that store with the best selection of hoodies or jeans. We take risks in what we buy. Sometimes our customers understand it, sometimes they don’t.”   Hot labels: Hussein Chalayan, Jeremy Scott, Y’s for Men by Yohji Yamamoto Designer discovery: “Anuschka Hoevener from Germany,” says Bayne. “She makes these hand-knit yarn-ball necklaces and headpieces that are sculptural art pieces.” Women’s fall craving: “A Sara Lanzi black-wool convertible dress [$600] that can be worn six different ways,” says Bayne. “The best is when a customer comes in and tries it and teaches us a new way to wear it.” Men’s fall craving: “We love all the jackets by Comme des Garçons. The materials, craftsmanship and design are timeless.” On SF style: “It’s scattered, with so many styles,” Harput says. “It’s very individual.”   Must-have accessory: “Jasmin et Cigarette perfume by Etat Libre d’Orange—The Freestate of Orange [$120],” Harput says. “You can actually smell the tobacco in it.”

Buddy System Jenny Klowden (left) and Jennifer Jones, longtime friends and co-owners of CandyStore (3153 16th St., 415-863-8143), are at the forefront of finding the best of indie Bay Area fashion. The two-year-old Mission boutique carries the work of more than 40 small designers, much of which consists of pieces from independent SF labels that are “made with love and care, says Klowden.” But make no mistake—the sweet shop is not a kitschy catch-all. “Everything is beautifully made and not mass-produced,” she adds. “We feel proud when every now and again a small designer we’ve found has pieces pop up in L.A.’s Fred Segal. The days of ‘Aw, isn’t SF fashion so cute?’ are so over.”   Hot labels: Del Forte Denim, Black Label San Francisco, She-bible, Nisa SF Last-season keeper: “Coats of all kinds,” says Jones, who’s also a design director at Pottery Barn Teen. “Every collection we saw for men and women in L.A. and New York has amazing outerwear.” Last-season loser: “Distressed jeans,” says Jones. “Denim will be in stronger, cleaner lines.” Designer discovery: “Samantha Pleet,” Klowden says. “Her fall collection was inspired by English dandies. It’s sophisticated, and yet you could see a Brooklyn hipster wearing her.”   Fall craving: “The Trovata silk Olivia dress [$298] in Broadway Blue. The rich jewel tone is incredible, and it has beautiful flowing lines,” Klowden says. “The color makes it spectacular.”

Jean Pool Elke Chamberlain, general manager at Dress (2271 Chestnut St., 415-440-3737), is tall, blond, always on-trend and “lives and breathes fashion.” For fall, she’s stocking the compact shop in the Marina with billowing full-length trench coats, sexy cocktail frocks and at least 10 premium denim lines in rotation, catering to that “casual, trendy SF client who can take a T-shirt and jeans and make it into a look.”   Hot labels: Vena Cava, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Development, Gryphon Last-season keeper: “Skinny jeans. Update them with a voluminous blouse and a wide belt. Add a jacket, a cashmere scarf, gloves and a colorful embossed croc bag for that rich, layered, cozy fall look.” Last-season loser: “Store away those leggings. Trade them in for a skinny dark jean or a dark straight-leg pant.” Trend forecast: “Peep-toe platform pumps and colored denim will be big. Go bold in red or purple. Or try a beautiful Rich and Skinny white jean lined with silk—a throwback to the ’80s for the fashiony girl.”   Fall craving: “A Vena Cava olive-green silk off-the-shoulder Albuquerque dress [$430]. It’s great over skinny pants or worn alone as a cocktail dress.”

Feminine Mystique “Our ladies have hot bods, and we love to help them show off!” says Doretta Boehm, the exuberant owner of Bettina (3615 Sacramento St., 415-563-8002), which originally opened in 1989 as a lingerie shop in Marin named after her younger sister. Now with a second location, in Laurel Heights, Bettina has grown into a women’s-wear boutique packed with flirty lines that Boehm handpicks from L.A. to Bangkok. Her coolest international find? A little-known Thai label, Ziroco, which is debuting for fall a beautiful collection of inventive, feminine silhouettes with precious details.   Hot labels: Ziroco, Genetic Denim, Shaka London Last-season keepers: “Straight-waist shift dresses; baggy, pleated boyfriend trousers; tunics.” Last-season loser: “Status handbags from huge design houses! Don’t get me wrong—I own a couple myself. But there are tons of bags out there from smaller vendors that are unique and much cooler.” Must-have accessory: “A bold bracelet or chunky cuff, like the ones by local jewelry designer Isharya. She makes big, beautiful jewelry.” Trend Forecast: “Metallic accents on clothing, especially in more oxidized, industrialized-looking sequins and paillettes.” Fall craving: “A Ziroco ruched chiffon cocktail dress in lavender [$810]. The proportion is so modern. The chiffon organza, the silk-georgette roses, it’s hard to put into words—incredible.”

Suitable Alternative Ben and Chris Ospital, co-owners of M.A.C.—Modern Appealing Clothing (387 Grove St., 415-863-3011), are considered by many fashion circles to be leaders of the SF pack. Each season, the sister-and-brother team brings off-the-runway fashion from Paris and Milan to their Hayes Valley store—from a thorough selection of trim Lanvin suits to faux-fur women’s coats from Japanese design house Zucca. “We try to be eclectic and free-wheeling in range,” says Chris Ospital. “It’s about having the meat and potatoes always, but also trying to be exciting, enticing and new.”   Hot labels: Dries Van Noten, Martin Margiela, Lanvin, Walter Van Beirendonck Designer discovery: “Sophia Kokosalaki is head designer for the House of Vionnet,” says Ben. “She’s an up-and-comer who makes sexy dresses that are all about the bizarre drape of silk with twisted hand-sewn seams. They are awe-inspiring confections.” Must-have accessory: “It’s the year of the great scarf,” says Ben. “New York is about knowing where your wallet is. San Francisco is about knowing where your scarf is.” On SF style: “It’s authentic. People buy clothes here like they buy food at the Ferry Building,” says Ben. “People care where their clothes came from.”   Fall craving: “A Martin Margiela wool geometric cape [$1,395] with a sleeveless leather cowl dress [$1,195],” Ben says. “His collection was an investigation of geometry and silhouettes; it’s gentle but still has an air of power.”

Atlantic Crossing At Cielo (2225 Fillmore St., 415-776-0641), general manager Bessie Lee has a discerning eye for adventurous European designers, noting that fashion is about creating your own point of view. “Clothes should be like a second skin,” says Lee, who has worked for the Pac Heights shop’s husband-and-wife owners, Mehri and Jasi Jaiswal, for 14 years. “You connect with clothes when you put them on, try them and feel them. What we wear each day is a form of self-expression.”   Hot labels: Anne Valérie Hash, Ann Demeulemeester, Yohji Yamamoto Last-season keeper: “Anything in a bubble shape. For fall, pair a top as a layering piece under an angular Thierry Mugler jacket, so there’s a soft flounce that creates interest.” Last-season loser: “Baby-doll tops. Not because they don’t work, but because the market is so saturated.” On SF style: “Women here are independent thinkers. Sometimes we’re misrepresented as being behind the fashion. I disagree. We wear what we feel, and it’s not about displaying our goods.”   Fall craving: “An Anne Valérie Hash three-quarter-length coat with a bubble hemline [$1,845]. The fabric looks like Persian lamb, but it’s wool, with a wide belt at the waist. It gives a great definition, like a cummerbund. We can never have too many coats.”

Urban Studies Metier (355 Sutter St., 415-989-5395), near Union Square, regularly graces the pages of national fashion publications, thanks to the eye of owner Sheri Evans. The breezy boutique attracts an artsy professional customer with its harder-to-find New York and L.A. brands, such as Mayle, Zero Maria Cornejo and Alexander Wang. The selection of edgy pieces always in store reflects Evans’ personal style: “mix-it-up, slightly bohemian, tossed-off chic.”   Hot labels: Lutz & Patmos, Trelise Cooper, Neal Sperling, 3.1 Phillip Lim Last-season keeper: “Menswear-influenced pieces that were introduced this spring, particularly the vests and the borrowed-from-the-boys shrunken blazers. Layer the vest over a beautiful Rag and Bone blouse tucked into the new trouser jean from Acne and wear with heels for a sexy, rock-and-roll look.” Last-season loser: “Blousy tops. For fall, everything is getting tailored and cleaned up. We’re tucking shirts in again.” Must-have accessory: “A belt! We are using belts on everything from knits to dresses. Jeans look fresh with something tucked in and belted. Voluminous dresses get belted and draw attention to the waist again. Even boots have buckles and belt details.”   Fall craving: “The 3.1 Phillip Lim plaid three-quarter-dolman-sleeve day dress [$474] is great with a big belt. Plaids look very new this season in subtle colors.”

photography by Stefanie Michejda

Uncommon Grounds Owner Gus Harput and co-buyer Zana Bayne, of Harputs Market (1525 Fillmore St., 415-922-9644), are more interested in avant-garde fashion than what’s on-trend. This philosophy is evident when you walk into the lofty store in the Western Addition: Racks of painstakingly edited pieces picked up in Rome, Paris and Tokyo from such cutting-edge designers as Junya Watanabe, Sara Lanzi and Comme des Garçons neatly line the walls. “We don’t have what’s popular or trendy,” says Harput. “It has to be special. We’ll never be that store with the best selection of hoodies or jeans. We take risks in what we buy. Sometimes our customers understand it, sometimes they don’t.”   Hot labels: Hussein Chalayan, Jeremy Scott, Y’s for Men by Yohji Yamamoto Designer discovery: “Anuschka Hoevener from Germany,” says Bayne. “She makes these hand-knit yarn-ball necklaces and headpieces that are sculptural art pieces.” Women’s fall craving: “A Sara Lanzi black-wool convertible dress [$600] that can be worn six different ways,” says Bayne. “The best is when a customer comes in and tries it and teaches us a new way to wear it.” Men’s fall craving: “We love all the jackets by Comme des Garçons. The materials, craftsmanship and design are timeless.” On SF style: “It’s scattered, with so many styles,” Harput says. “It’s very individual.”   Must-have accessory: “Jasmin et Cigarette perfume by Etat Libre d’Orange—The Freestate of Orange [$120],” Harput says. “You can actually smell the tobacco in it.”

Buddy System Jenny Klowden (left) and Jennifer Jones, longtime friends and co-owners of CandyStore (3153 16th St., 415-863-8143), are at the forefront of finding the best of indie Bay Area fashion. The two-year-old Mission boutique carries the work of more than 40 small designers, much of which consists of pieces from independent SF labels that are “made with love and care, says Klowden.” But make no mistake—the sweet shop is not a kitschy catch-all. “Everything is beautifully made and not mass-produced,” she adds. “We feel proud when every now and again a small designer we’ve found has pieces pop up in L.A.’s Fred Segal. The days of ‘Aw, isn’t SF fashion so cute?’ are so over.”   Hot labels: Del Forte Denim, Black Label San Francisco, She-bible, Nisa SF Last-season keeper: “Coats of all kinds,” says Jones, who’s also a design director at Pottery Barn Teen. “Every collection we saw for men and women in L.A. and New York has amazing outerwear.” Last-season loser: “Distressed jeans,” says Jones. “Denim will be in stronger, cleaner lines.” Designer discovery: “Samantha Pleet,” Klowden says. “Her fall collection was inspired by English dandies. It’s sophisticated, and yet you could see a Brooklyn hipster wearing her.”   Fall craving: “The Trovata silk Olivia dress [$298] in Broadway Blue. The rich jewel tone is incredible, and it has beautiful flowing lines,” Klowden says. “The color makes it spectacular.”

Jean Pool Elke Chamberlain, general manager at Dress (2271 Chestnut St., 415-440-3737), is tall, blond, always on-trend and “lives and breathes fashion.” For fall, she’s stocking the compact shop in the Marina with billowing full-length trench coats, sexy cocktail frocks and at least 10 premium denim lines in rotation, catering to that “casual, trendy SF client who can take a T-shirt and jeans and make it into a look.”   Hot labels: Vena Cava, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Development, Gryphon Last-season keeper: “Skinny jeans. Update them with a voluminous blouse and a wide belt. Add a jacket, a cashmere scarf, gloves and a colorful embossed croc bag for that rich, layered, cozy fall look.” Last-season loser: “Store away those leggings. Trade them in for a skinny dark jean or a dark straight-leg pant.” Trend forecast: “Peep-toe platform pumps and colored denim will be big. Go bold in red or purple. Or try a beautiful Rich and Skinny white jean lined with silk—a throwback to the ’80s for the fashiony girl.”   Fall craving: “A Vena Cava olive-green silk off-the-shoulder Albuquerque dress [$430]. It’s great over skinny pants or worn alone as a cocktail dress.”

Feminine Mystique “Our ladies have hot bods, and we love to help them show off!” says Doretta Boehm, the exuberant owner of Bettina (3615 Sacramento St., 415-563-8002), which originally opened in 1989 as a lingerie shop in Marin named after her younger sister. Now with a second location, in Laurel Heights, Bettina has grown into a women’s-wear boutique packed with flirty lines that Boehm handpicks from L.A. to Bangkok. Her coolest international find? A little-known Thai label, Ziroco, which is debuting for fall a beautiful collection of inventive, feminine silhouettes with precious details.   Hot labels: Ziroco, Genetic Denim, Shaka London Last-season keepers: “Straight-waist shift dresses; baggy, pleated boyfriend trousers; tunics.” Last-season loser: “Status handbags from huge design houses! Don’t get me wrong—I own a couple myself. But there are tons of bags out there from smaller vendors that are unique and much cooler.” Must-have accessory: “A bold bracelet or chunky cuff, like the ones by local jewelry designer Isharya. She makes big, beautiful jewelry.” Trend Forecast: “Metallic accents on clothing, especially in more oxidized, industrialized-looking sequins and paillettes.” Fall craving: “A Ziroco ruched chiffon cocktail dress in lavender [$810]. The proportion is so modern. The chiffon organza, the silk-georgette roses, it’s hard to put into words—incredible.”

Suitable Alternative Ben and Chris Ospital, co-owners of M.A.C.—Modern Appealing Clothing (387 Grove St., 415-863-3011), are considered by many fashion circles to be leaders of the SF pack. Each season, the sister-and-brother team brings off-the-runway fashion from Paris and Milan to their Hayes Valley store—from a thorough selection of trim Lanvin suits to faux-fur women’s coats from Japanese design house Zucca. “We try to be eclectic and free-wheeling in range,” says Chris Ospital. “It’s about having the meat and potatoes always, but also trying to be exciting, enticing and new.”   Hot labels: Dries Van Noten, Martin Margiela, Lanvin, Walter Van Beirendonck Designer discovery: “Sophia Kokosalaki is head designer for the House of Vionnet,” says Ben. “She’s an up-and-comer who makes sexy dresses that are all about the bizarre drape of silk with twisted hand-sewn seams. They are awe-inspiring confections.” Must-have accessory: “It’s the year of the great scarf,” says Ben. “New York is about knowing where your wallet is. San Francisco is about knowing where your scarf is.” On SF style: “It’s authentic. People buy clothes here like they buy food at the Ferry Building,” says Ben. “People care where their clothes came from.”   Fall craving: “A Martin Margiela wool geometric cape [$1,395] with a sleeveless leather cowl dress [$1,195],” Ben says. “His collection was an investigation of geometry and silhouettes; it’s gentle but still has an air of power.”

Atlantic Crossing At Cielo (2225 Fillmore St., 415-776-0641), general manager Bessie Lee has a discerning eye for adventurous European designers, noting that fashion is about creating your own point of view. “Clothes should be like a second skin,” says Lee, who has worked for the Pac Heights shop’s husband-and-wife owners, Mehri and Jasi Jaiswal, for 14 years. “You connect with clothes when you put them on, try them and feel them. What we wear each day is a form of self-expression.”   Hot labels: Anne Valérie Hash, Ann Demeulemeester, Yohji Yamamoto Last-season keeper: “Anything in a bubble shape. For fall, pair a top as a layering piece under an angular Thierry Mugler jacket, so there’s a soft flounce that creates interest.” Last-season loser: “Baby-doll tops. Not because they don’t work, but because the market is so saturated.” On SF style: “Women here are independent thinkers. Sometimes we’re misrepresented as being behind the fashion. I disagree. We wear what we feel, and it’s not about displaying our goods.”   Fall craving: “An Anne Valérie Hash three-quarter-length coat with a bubble hemline [$1,845]. The fabric looks like Persian lamb, but it’s wool, with a wide belt at the waist. It gives a great definition, like a cummerbund. We can never have too many coats.”

Urban Studies Metier (355 Sutter St., 415-989-5395), near Union Square, regularly graces the pages of national fashion publications, thanks to the eye of owner Sheri Evans. The breezy boutique attracts an artsy professional customer with its harder-to-find New York and L.A. brands, such as Mayle, Zero Maria Cornejo and Alexander Wang. The selection of edgy pieces always in store reflects Evans’ personal style: “mix-it-up, slightly bohemian, tossed-off chic.”   Hot labels: Lutz & Patmos, Trelise Cooper, Neal Sperling, 3.1 Phillip Lim Last-season keeper: “Menswear-influenced pieces that were introduced this spring, particularly the vests and the borrowed-from-the-boys shrunken blazers. Layer the vest over a beautiful Rag and Bone blouse tucked into the new trouser jean from Acne and wear with heels for a sexy, rock-and-roll look.” Last-season loser: “Blousy tops. For fall, everything is getting tailored and cleaned up. We’re tucking shirts in again.” Must-have accessory: “A belt! We are using belts on everything from knits to dresses. Jeans look fresh with something tucked in and belted. Voluminous dresses get belted and draw attention to the waist again. Even boots have buckles and belt details.”   Fall craving: “The 3.1 Phillip Lim plaid three-quarter-dolman-sleeve day dress [$474] is great with a big belt. Plaids look very new this season in subtle colors.”

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