What’s in Store: Babette
May 8th, 2008, 4:40 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Sam Mittelsteadt
Babette
7051 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Information: (480) 947-2450 or babettesf.com
(To sammit readers: For some reason, Internet Explorer messes up our photos. I highly recommend switching to the free Firefox, which lets you see posts as we intended: The pictures are indeed to the “right” or “left,” and text flows around them nicely. However, whichever browser you use, click on any of the thumbnail photos below to be taken to a full-size version of the picture.)
First off: Yes, there is a Babette (the woman) behind Babette (the store). In fact, 
Babette — who goes by one name professionally — has been designing clothing for 40 years now; a book displayed at the Scottsdale store features a retrospective of fashions as well as how her permanently pleated fabrics are produced. (The process involves an autoclave and special paper.) She’s even got an eponymous fragrance ($65, left), which comes in its own red pleated cocoon.
Babette’s pieces are cut from the “classic” cloth — no thigh-high summer hemlines, no high-waisted denim — with a near-signature, artfully mussed look. (Store manager Carol Brull compares it to “Issey Miyake, without the price point.”) Most can literally be wadded up into a travel case and emerge ready to wear — ironing, in this case, is anathema — and don’t need dry cleaning.
“They fit any figure” — a blouse labeled “petite” typically fits sizes 4/6 and sizes go up to XL — “and fold to fit in travel bags.”
The Scottsdale boutique, which has been open about four months, is one of only five flagship stores in the United States.
Core customer: Women ages 30 to 80 “who are very savvy,” says sales consultant Michael Hausrath. “They’re drawn to sometimes-edgy looks, with great fabric and architectural pieces.”
On the mannequin (left): Cap-sleeve microfiber plaid-pleated blouse, $197; microfiber 
City Pant, $226.
Best seller (right): Snap-front silk flower-pleat blouse, $214. (It’s pleated first by hand, and then in a paper pattern.) “On top of jeans, it’s great,” says Brull. “Undo a snap or two, and it shows the belt buckle.”
Low price point (left): Most pieces hover in the $200 range, which perhaps could be justified by the fact women could wear them for years to come. “I have clients who come in and have Babette from 10 years ago,” Brull says. Cotton and nylon shell, $211. Evening basket bag, $302.
High price point (right): Laser-cut silk bubble skirt, $574.
They’re excited about: Brull can’t wait for the first complete group of fall clothing. “The colors include ‘citrus,’ ‘bark’ and ‘forest,’ ” she says. Want a first look at Babette’s fall line? The store will host a trunk show May 31 and June 1 during regular store hours.
ammit
| WHAT SAM WORE: 5/8/08 | ||||
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| The shirt: Polo shirt by Le Tigre (Buffalo Exchange) | ||||
| The pants: Loose-fit button-fly jeans by 1969 (Banana Republic) | ||||
| The shoes: Sandals by Miu Miu (Saks Off 5th, Arizona Mills) | ||||
| The scent: Amen by Philosophy |
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sammit
