Blackburn + Sweetzer Has Moved

I’ve been anticipating the opening of Clothespin at 8654 Melrose Avenue, ever since I received news of fashion vet Gale Parker’s (a former Vogue editor and design director at Ralph Lauren) plans to set up shop.

While the name is homespun and the boutique itself is cozy, it’s fittingly steps away from luxury retailers such as Balenciaga and Alberta Ferretti. The owner and designer, Parker has filled the space with her sumptuous dresses, blouses and skirts made from vintage, never-worn 1940s prints from across the globe. Nice touches include beading detail and hems finished with lace from Paris. The silhouettes I love, which are kind to an hourglass figure: “At Ralph Lauren, everything was cut on the bias, but most women need room to move in the back,” Parker explains. “My dresses are cut on the bias, but only in the front.” The result is not only improved wearability, but adds a subtle and appealing asymmetry from front to back at the hem.

The dresses, blouses, fabrics, vintage accessories and more, more, more…

You will pay for the craftsmanship, here, with tops ranging from $300-$580, skirts from $380-$450, and dresses from $660-$1,000. For $100 more, you can choose from a custom book of 200-plus fabrics; the turnaround is two weeks. At a slightly lower price point are handmade pins for $120 and scarves for $220.

Crafty pins

Clothespin designer/owner Gale Parker

Along with a choice selection of refurbished vintage slips (look out for original slips from Parker in the future) and sweaters, she’s also brought in vintage boots, bags and belts from Hollywood Trading Company. Parker and HTC owner Zip Stevenson met when Parker brought in a pair of jeans to be repaired: “She discovered my vintage gear and bought a pair vintage boots for herself,” Stevenson says. “We also discovered we had many many friends in common from her time at Ralph Lauren.” It’s a little known fact, but Ralph Lauren is just one on a pretty impressive list of past and current retailers HTC has supplied with vintage, including a hefty roster of shops in Japan.

Toward the back of the shop, Parker’s created a sitting area, which can be made private by floor-length curtains. “I want to really take the time with customers. Discuss their style. Talk about fashion.” Indeed, she’s offering lovely dresses in gorgeous prints, but it’s also more than that—she’s also providing an entirely lush and welcoming shopping experience, if the budget allows.

» Shops—A Peek at Clothespin Coming to Melrose
» Shops—Former ‘Vogue’ Editor and YSL Muse Gale Parker Brings Clothespin to Melrose