Venice, Calif., has always been known for its bohemian, free-spirit counterculture. The Doors and the Dogtown Skateboard phenomenon were both born here. Today’s Venice, however, maintains its eclectic bohemian and artistic nature with a more urbane sophisticated sensibility.
The little beach town outside of Los Angeles is full of charming walkway streets, cozy cafes, and some boutique gems.
Abbot Kinney has become the main Venice strip for galleries, upscale restaurants, trendy cafes and shops, and funky old thrift stores, emerging from the once rough neighborhood that it was only a few years ago.
Barbara Phillips opened her shop, Minnie T’s, eight years ago—the first high-end apparel store on the strip—despite the warning of friends that this would never work. “I had no idea that it would turn into ‘the Street,’” she says.
“Abbot Kinney is evolving; every day there seems to be a new store,” Phillips acknowledges. “They are really well-done, beautiful—I’m impressed.”
On a shelf as you walk into the store are exquisite handmade sandals, created from remarkably textured leather by LA’s Cydwoq. The urban, modern chic boutique is filled predominantly with earthy-toned apparel and sculptured wood and leather shoes.
Describing her store as simply, “what appeals to me,” the petite silver-haired style powerhouse with a broad smile considers Minnie T’s as an extension of her own closet. Phillips stocks her store with unique pieces without compromise, quite a contrast to the days when she was a buyer for other people.
“I’m very conscious of fabric and the feel of fabric next to your body,” says Phillips.” It has to have the right feel, the right material content, and the right look.” Only natural fibers will do.
Hand selected
In fact, Phillips tries on everything before she puts it in the racks. Each piece is hand-selected to ensure that it looks as good on as it feels. “I do the homework for my customers,” she explains.
And who exactly are her customers? The clientele, Phillips explains, consists of “architects, graphic designers, writers—independent women who get it.”
As a shoe enthusiast, and with a background as a shoe buyer, Phillips mixes shoes with apparel. She doesn’t want to just fill the stores with a standard variety of shoes, but rather, like choosing art, she picks shoes from passion, not necessity.
The trend now, reports Phillips, is “rich hippy,” joking that women spend a great deal of money to achieve a casual, hip look.
“You can have high fashion without a label,” says Phillips.
“You don’t have to wear Prada.” Many of the designers—from Italy, France, Ireland, Japan, New York, and Los Angeles—are not necessarily well-known, but they exude a distinctive style that she is drawn to.
Among the numerous cutting-edge designers in Minnie T’s collection are Hazel Brown, Kerry Cassill, Marika Charles, Isabel Benenato, Christian Luppi, and Jean Paul Gaultier.
With a new store in up-and-coming Culver City, Phillips attributes her success to her good instincts.
The store is located at 1355 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Phone: 310-664-3600; e-mail: [email protected]
