(Sam’s note: When I wore my Wonder Woman belt a few days ago and got stopped by some random people who wondered where I got it, I pointed them to my blog so they could read the profile of the store …. but I discovered that for some reason or another, I never posted it! My belated apologies to Vivi — and here’s the article, which originally ran March 2.)

Vivi’s Boutique
95 W. Boston St., Chandler
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
Information: (480) 857-0777 or vivisboutique.com

“We’re trying to make downtown Chandler high-end,” says Vivianna Kedzior, who opened Vivi’s Boutique two months ago a block off Arizona Avenue. Her corner store is just a few doors down from shops like Urban Crib (where Kedzior found many of her displays and shelves) and the new generation of wine bars and restaurants that attract a decidedly more upscale crowd.

So despite Chandler’s conservative reputation, the Colombia native and single mother of three wasn’t worried about scaring off shoppers with what she calls her “dark, sexy atmosphere.” Customers step through luxe upholstery to try on clothing in the intimate dressing rooms, where shadow boxes of old Playboys, flowers and velvet adorn the vermilion walls — a marked contrast from the main room, with its high stamped-tin ceilings and chandeliers with smoky topaz prisms.

On the mannequin (left): Tie-dye cotton top with bugle bead detail by Religion, $110. “Ginger” low-rise jeans by Seven for All Mankind, $230. Skull necklace with Swarovski crystals, $90.

Core customer: “It’s not about age,” Kedzior says. “It’s people who want to be trendy.” Most are Chandler residents delighted to discover they don’t have to drive to the mall to pick up the see-and-be-seen-in brands.

Best-seller (right): Like most boutiques, Kedzior does a booming business in denim. Vivi’s carries popular lines like True Religion, but also has a few exclusives, like the “Honey” boot-cut “booty fit” jeans with fitted waist by Joe’s Jeans, and Freedom of Choice jeans with a higher waist, wider leg — and lower price ($160-$200).

High price point (right): Blue Tattoo jeans, $220-$360. Why will shoppers shell out twice as much for limited-edition designs? “It’s the pocket detailing,” Kedzior says. “And they’ve seen them on celebrities.”

Low price point (left): Baby Phat clothing, like this shift dress with gold foil cat print ($69). “Downtown Chandler still has a strong Latin community,” Kedzior says, “and they love her (designer Kimora Lee Simmons). The clothing is curvier, a lot of bling-bling.”

Local lines (right): Jewelry by Miachelle DePiano of Cosmopolitan Accessories and Debbie Jennings of Deb’s Beaded Treasures. (Shell necklace, $99.)

She’s excited about (left): “I was really afraid” of bringing in the Bejeweled line, Kedzior says as she holds up a track suit embellished with crystals and nailhead-style studs. “It’s high: The jacket alone is $300, and the pants are $150. But people don’t even care. It’s in every magazine.” She sells through the line as fast as she can replenish it. (Jacket, $295; pants, $139; hat, $92.)

ammit

WHAT SAM WORE: 8/20/08
The shirt: Slim-fit cotton/lycra button-up with elbow-length sleeves (French Connection, Kierland Commons)
The pants: Lightweight cotton pinstriped trousers by Penguin (Last Chance)
The shoes: Leather slip-on loafers by Bacco Bucci (Last Chance)
The scent: Amen by Philosophy
Listening to: “That’s How You Know It’s Love” by Morningwood

sammit

Posted in: What's in Store |

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