What’s in Store: The Purple Skirt
August 23rd, 2007, 1:32 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Sam Mittelsteadt
The Purple Skirt
4647 E. Chandler Blvd., Phoenix
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
Information: (480) 785-1811 or shoppurpleskirt.com
The core customer: “I don’t really care what Jessica Simpson wears,” store owner Bev Carpenter says wryly, “and I don’t think my customers do, either.” They might be looking for something unique that sets them apart — the store’s informal slogan — but “they’re not looking for ‘hot,’ ” says Carpenter. “They’re looking for wearable versions of ‘hot.’ ”
On the mannequin (left): Dress by Hart ($143). One trend that’s surprised even Carpenter: Her customers aren’t picking up 
dresses — not even sundresses — like she thought they would.
High price point: Handbags by GoldenBleu (right), like the Luella patent leather bag ($572).
Low price point: L.A. Made tees in “fun colors and styles” ($22 to $48).
Top seller: New cuts of Taverniti denim. “They used to be a very rigid, rock ‘n’ roll jean, but they’ve added 2 percent stretch 
so they’re wearable for more bodies,” she says. “And they’ve got very cool, interesting little touches.” The back pockets on the Sgt. Pepper style, for example, resemble the pockets on the Nehru jackets the Beatles wore on the album of the same name.
She’s excited about: Clothing that gives back by giving part or all of sales to charity. The Omni Peace tank ($68, right) by Signorelli — the two-year-old L.A. line designed by Highland High School graduate Meredith Garrett — raises money for the Millennium Promise Foundation, dedicated to ending extreme poverty by 2025, and the tongue-in-cheek “Feed the Models, Save the World” shirts ($48) by MyEdin help benefit the Eating Disorders Information Network.
