New Column: bop

Long known in fashion magazine circles for their extensive selection of brands from classics (7 for All Mankind, Marc by Marc Jacobs) to the hottest, most cutting-edge lines (Kova & T, Pencey) bop has everything—literally—a girl could need to dress from day to night. Rounding that out is swim apparel, intimates, jewelry and shoes.

In other words their Best of Madison win was well-deserved for the sheer amount of fashionable possibilities they offer gals of all stripes—whether they want a sleek tank with fringe down the front, jeans that hug their curves, a haute-hippie maxidress or a black silk cocktail dress with feathers at the hem like, ahem, someone I know. (See below...)

Read my latest column on bop here!

P.S.: Thank you to Mollie Milano, bop's store manager, for modeling her hot Michael Kors gladiator heels in my column's photos!

My Buy of the Week

I heart the Marc by Marc Jacobs store in Bucktown. It’s got a nice range of price points (everything from $5 jewelry up to thousand-dollar handbags) and carries urban, yet feminine looks (they carry men’s items, too). Items that can be mixed and matched, like a sequined zip-up paired with this spring’s drapey, deconstructed pants, or a cute ruffled top paired with skinny jeans and heels. I could build a whole dream wardrobe out of pieces by Marc by Marc Jacobs (locally, Marc by Marc Jacobs is sold on shopbop.com, FYI).

Don’t get me started on the handbags: my current handbag is a quilted raspberry oversize pocketbook style that looks eerily similar to his quilted “Bonnie” in fuchsia (that retails for $1,300). Oh, Marc, can’t you make your handbags more affordable than $1,300?! His current crop of spring handbags ring in at (um, a bit more) affordable ($400+) and are patent leather satchels and hobos in sunny yellow, beautiful navy and cool gray.

Since I’m not holding my breath that I’m going to win the lottery or a cash prize of any sort soon, I settled on some cheap and chic bangles ($5 apiece! see image) from Mr. Jacobs on my store visit. They’re perfect for this spring’s rocker glam look that’s still en vogue. I also snagged a cute silver necklace with a key charm.

Now if I just could’ve picked up that gold clutch dotted with pyramid studs I would’ve really been rocking … alas, another time!

Marc by Marc Jacobs, 1714 N. Damen Ave. 773-276-2998.

What's Your Style? I Quiz My Friends

So this blog is usually all about me, and what I think. And I don’t profess to be the most interesting person, so this week, I turned it around and asked a few of my friends what they thought! You see, I have made friends with young professionals and business owners alike in Madison, all of whom have their own signature style. And I love chatting with them about where they like to shop, their favorite things they’ve bought and more. So read on for what some of these fab ladies had to say!

Kristin Wild, owner, Atticus

Shayna Miller: What's your signature style? What store best captures you?
Kristin Wild: My style is usually kind of downtown and edgy with elements of practicality thrown in. I get inspired by girls who live on the Lower East Side of New York and the East End in London, but I’m a Wisconsin girl so I have to tone it down a bit. I wear flat boots all winter long, and I usually have some sort of scarf wrapped around my neck because I’m always freezing.
I’m also huge fan of high/low dressing. You know, mixing Aldo shoes with an Alexander Wang dress. It’s fun, and it just makes sense. My shop sells designer jeans, but I’m still a poor twenty-four-year-old! So, I save up for good quality, investment pieces and I buy trendy, one-season pieces at H&M or Target. Of course, Atticus is the shop that best captures my style!

SM: What’s your favorite piece(s) in your wardrobe? How long ago did you buy it, where did you get, why do you like it?
KW: My favorite piece of all time has to be the dress I got while interning at Temperley in London. It was my first designer piece, and Lily Cole wore it on the runway. It’s a mini dress with a plunging neckline and back made from silk with the Temperley Godet print in red, blue and ivory. I’ve had it now for about four years, and I wear it every chance I get!
Currently, my favorite piece is a scarf by Aude that we carry at Atticus. They make the most incredibly soft scarves from T-shirt material and they’re super long so you can wear them a million ways. I wear one every day and usually end up wrapping it three times around my neck to stay cozy!

SM: What's your favorite budget buy you’ve gotten? When did you get it, and what do you like about it?
KW: My favorite budget buy would probably be my pirate pants from H&M. I got them for, like, $10 right after the first Pirates of the Caribbean came out. Ha! I loved Keira Knightley in that movie—she made menswear look so sexy. I’ll wear heels or a feminine silk top with them to balance out the look.

SM: What's your favorite splurge(s), where did you get it, when and what do you like about it?
KW: My favorite splurge would be my soccer booties from Marc by Marc Jacobs (see picture, above!). I adore his shoes, but even the Marc by Marc line can be pricey. I first saw the booties on Shopbop in August of 2007, and I stalked them daily for five months until they went on sale! They’re completely impractical but I’m in love with them.

SM: What’s your favorite local retail store in Madison?
KW: Probably not a fair question for me—I’m clearly biased—Atticus, obviously! I also enjoy shopping at Context for men’s jeans, Bop for Wisconsin staple pieces (Uggs, Chip & Pepper Bucky Badger tees, Juicy sweats), and A Stone’s Throw for workout pants and Smartwool socks.

SM: What store do you wish we had in Madison?
KW: I know it will never happen, but I would love a Barney’s Co-op! A more realistic choice would be Madewell, the new J. Crew sister store. I think it could do very well here. It has good quality basics like J. Crew, but a little more forward in design.
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Kristi Moe, owner, Moe Publicity

SM: What’s your signature style? What store best captures you?
Kristi Moe: Accessories because they ALWAYS fit! [I] love bangles, big earrings, hats, shoes, bags. Store: Dazzle!

SM: What’s your favorite piece(s) in your wardrobe? How long ago did you buy it, where did you get and why do you like it?
KM: A grey tweed newsboy cap—bought long ago enough to not remember where I bought it from (see picture). It is so hard finding hats that have the perfect proportion, fit and angle/slouch. This particular hat can be casual or dressed up for a funky style.
I love hats in general because they help you to stand out in a crowd and are a lifesaver for a bad hair day. My tip for finding the perfect hat: Try on every hat you see until you find one that works pretty good. You’ll likely not LOVE it until you break it in and get used to positioning it and get comfortable seeing yourself with it on.

SM: Your favorite budget buy you've gotten: when did you get it, what do you like about it?
KM: I’ve been searching since September NY Fashion Week for an orange (orange is huge for spring) patent handbag that is large enough to carry my padfolio for meetings ... haven’t found ANY. Not even at Dazzle. Very sad. Until I went to Aldo at West Towne Mall the other weekend when they were having their eighty percent off sale and I scored a gorgeous bag for $35! It’s bright orange patent with gold accents and just big enough to fit a padfolio.

SM: Your favorite splurge(s)—where did you get it, when, and what do you like about it?
KM: My favorite splurge is the best accessory ever ... perfume. You’re not a diva until you turn heads because you smell damn good. And sorry girls, I’m not telling which one it is. It’s my secret!

SM: Your favorite local retail store in Madison?
KM: Can I plead the fifth? I have several for different reasons. Atticus because of their commitment to the environment and high-quality, fresh designers; Context because of the life they’re breathing into the fashion scene for men not only in Madison but nationally; Sukara Sterling because she’s just so darn cute and her brand is infectious; Patricia Shoppe because her fashions are reflective of Madison ... ecclectic; J LaMore because Jennifer shows that high fashion can be warm, inviting and personable.

SM: What store did you wish we had in Madison?
KM: TopShop because they make fashion accessible and fresh in a very cool way. They’ve been able to become a successful corporate entity (in the U.K.) while including young emerging designers which is risky for a big business to do; but keeps them from offering bland, cookie-cutter merchandise.
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Katie Vaughn, associate editor, Madison Magazine (and fellow Madison Magazine blogger!)

SM: What’s your signature style? What store best captures you?
Katie Vaughn: I’m drawn to simple clothes with clean lines, but I like to accent them with an interesting piece or two—maybe a pair of fun shoes, a bright scarf or cool jewelry. I get a lot of my clothes at Banana Republic (they do simple silhouettes with little extras like pleats, ruffles and touches of embellishment really well), but I look for accessories everywhere.

SM: What’s your favorite piece(s) in your wardrobe? How long ago did you buy it, where did you get and why do you like it?
KV: It’s hard to choose but a few of my favorites are: A black spaghetti-strap wrap dress I got years ago but always go back to because it’s sexy and simple. A dark pink cashmere wrap/scarf that’s warm and provides a nice pop of color. A silver leaf necklace made from a pair of earrings I liked but never wore. My turquoise bikini because it represents the ultimate in easy dressing—if I’m lucky enough to be on a beach, what more do I really need?

SM: Your favorite budget buy you’ve gotten, when did you get it and what do you like about it?
KV: I like picking up inexpensive pieces when I travel. I’ve found great shoes at boutiques and jewelry everywhere, especially markets. I also love buying interesting fabrics, which my mom is nice enough to make into dresses and skirts. A paisley print for a few dollars in Greece became a wrap skirt that I wear with camisoles and sandals in the summer and a turtleneck, tights and boots in winter.

SM: Your favorite splurge(s)—where did you get it, when and what do you like about it?
KV: Good denim is my best splurge. I got hooked at the Blues Jean Bar (thebluejeansbar.com) in San Francisco when I lived out west. A great pair of jeans can elevate whatever else you’re wearing—and give you a fantastic boost of confidence all day.

SM: What's your favorite local retail store in Madison?
KV: We’re lucky to have Bop in Madison. They offer ideas for pushing the envelope fashion-wise. And I’m looking forward to checking out Atticus soon.

SM: What store do you wish we had in Madison?
KV: Maybe just more stores in general? I can always use another reason to shop!
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Elizabeth Wewerka, owner, Lady Moxie

SM: What’s your signature style?
Elizabeth Wewerka: My signature style is no signature. I like to shake it up and try new things ... to dress for whatever my mood is. I’ll wear anything from boho chic to minimalist to (gasp!) old school St John’s.

SM: What store best captures you?
EW: Lady Moxie: it’s responsible extravagance. It’s green, it’s economical and it’s styling.

SM: What are your favorite piece(s) in your wardrobe? How long ago did you buy it, where did you get and why do you like it?
EW: Currently I’m all about belts … BIG, HUGE ONES. I’ve gotten five or six over the last season and I keep coming up with new outfits that center on them. I guess I like them because they reign in the skirts that I often wear as dresses lately (see photo).

SM: Your favorite budget buy you've gotten: when did you get it and what do you like about it?
EW: My all-time favorite budget buy is an 18K gold and coral cocktail ring that I got for two bucks. I’ve had it for five years now. I love how it makes me think of a trip I took to Hawaii. I really wanted to buy coral jewelry out there but I had the hardest time paying the tourist prices on the islands. I found the ring at a consignment store right after I came home.

SM: Your favorite splurge(s), where did you get it, when and what do you like about it?
EW: My Shanel Regier custom-made corset or my brown Vicmatie boots. The corset was made for me by one of the designers I carry at Lady Moxie and I like it because it’s a one of a kind that fits me like a glove.
The boots I got down at Lori’s in Chicago and I like them because they are very unique “tough girl” boots. Everybody always comments on them when I wear them.

SM: Your favorite local retail store in Madison?
EW: Lady Moxie. But if I’m shopping elsewhere, I’d have to say Woldenberg’s; all of the staff there is soooo good at servicing the customer, even the customers who only shop the clearance racks. I remember going there once before I actually moved to Madison. I was looking at the furs and one of the ladies asked me if I wanted to try one on. I said something about them being lovely but only being able to afford vintage. She tsked and waved her hand at me, pulled one of the coats off the hanger and had me wrapped in it in
about two seconds. When staff can make you feel special like that, it makes a fan for life.

SM: Store you wish we had in Madison?
EW: Honestly, I am very into supporting local shops. So if I could have another shop in Madison, I’d hope for another locally owned boutique.

Stylemaker Q&A

Mollie Milano
Store manager and buyer, bop

Mollie Milano has a dream job: managing bop, a retail store that sells some of the most fashion-forward, fun looks in Madison (not to mention nationally with shopbop.com) and buying all of the store’s inventory: denim, tops, dresses, shoes, handbags and more. As bop’s only storefront, Madison is lucky to have this fashionista haven right in our backyard. And Milano’s been at the helm for four years.

What’s your background? Where were you working before?
I was in Chicago working at Mark Shale, a women’s and men’s larger-scale boutique (there are eight locations in the Midwest). I worked at the Michigan Avenue location. It sold similar designer things that bop sells. They also specialize in suiting for men and women. I worked there from 2001 to 2003.
I started working for them part-time and then became manager of their outlet in Lincoln Park, and then managed the Michigan Avenue store and interned as a buyer.

Why did you move to bop?
There was an opportunity to manage my own store instead of being a co-manager. [I wanted to work on a] smaller scale with customers and work with them more directly. The biggest pull, though, was to be the buyer. I was learning about it, but to actually travel to New York and do that, that was a huge reason of why I took this job. It’s hard to find a buying job if you’re not in New York City.

What are your day-to-day duties with bop?
To run the store. I receive new merchandise, merchandise the store to look appropriate for the seasons; pretty much anything that would fall under a store manager’s responsibility: hiring, firing, window displays.
A lot of what I end up working on is buying for the next season and then doing re-orders for the current season.

What sells well at bop?
Marc by Marc Jacobs handbags sell really well.
We still do really well in our Seven Jeans.
The more casual, sporty stuff is our trademark, like bop basics T-shirts, denim (that’s what we sell the most of).

How do you as the storefront buyer, work with the shopbop.com buyers? Obviously the store carries less items.
We work as a team, but also individually. [Shopbop.com buyers] buy for different areas. One person buys T-shirts and denim. Another buys designer boutique stuff. I pretty much do the store. It’s not like [the shopbop.com buyers] buy a bunch of stuff and I pull from what they buy. I purchase everything separately for the store when I travel to New York. I keep the Madison customer in mind. I may buy something completely different than what the shopbop.com buyers buy.
A shopbop.com buyer is going to be buying stuff for a much broader audience because those things sell around the world. They need to be stocked in more fashion-forward and more expensive items.
For the Madison store, I look for clothing that’s trendy but has been interpreted for the Madison customer and the real-world girl. It might not be a $600 jacket but a $300 jacket. The quality will be the same, of course. The Madison customers are really stylish and trendy but not all of them are really stylish and trendy, so I have to make sure I get stuff for the more classic person as well as a few key trend pieces.

Why does bop only have a storefront in Madison? Are they thinking of opening more retail storefronts?
The store was opened here because the founders of the company live in Madison. They felt like there was a customer segment that didn’t have anywhere to shop in Madison—people who were trendy and forward thinking and wanted to wear things you see in larger cities and they felt like Madison didn’t have an outlet for that. [The store opened in 1999].
From there they went online in 2000. We had originally planned on opening more stores but because of the manpower required just to keep the site growing, the owners abandoned the idea of opening more stores. So they focused their efforts on growing the site rather than opening stores. [Ed's note: shopbop.com was bought out by amazon.com in 2006].
We do very, very well as a boutique. We don’t have any reason not to have a store, but we don’t have any plans on opening more stores.

What is your trademark style?
Some of my favorite brands are Marc by Marc Jacobs and Theory. I like Splendid cardigans, bop basics T-shirts, C&C California tank tops, J Brand jeans and Citizens of Humanity jeans.
My trademark style is definitely more classic with an edge. I like skinny jeans with black boots. I like wearing a cardigan with skinny denim (I like anything with skinnys!). I love collared shirts and a preppy look. Preppy, but edgy preppy.

What are your favorite fall pieces the store will be carrying?
We’re getting these really cute slouchy boots from Oh … Deer! that I’m excited about. Seychelles is making a slouchy half bootie. ($275 and $110, respectively)
J Brand 912 skinny jeans with zippers at the ankle.
T-shirts from Retrosport that have old-school political slogans on them, recreated for 2008. They’re really cute, those will be a good seller. ($35)
Rebecca Taylor leopard cardigan. It’s a leopard print on a gray background and it’s long, so you can layer it. ($315)

What’s your favorite thing in your wardrobe of all time?
I’m a purse girl—I have a ridiculous purse collection. My favorite is a Louis Vuitton Speedy. It’s a special edition, perforated on the outside with green suede on the inside. I love it! My husband gave it to me for our anniversary a few years ago.

What are some classic pieces you suggest women invest money in? What should a woman spend less money on?
A good pair of classic, basic, bootcut jeans in a dark wash. They can be dressed up or down. If you take care of them they’ll last you a long time. There’s no reason to go and get a pair at the Gap that will get really stretched out and worn looking; you’ll just keep buying the same pair over and over again. If you take care of premium denim it will last a while.
A nice pair of flat boots you can wear with everything.
It’s important you spend money on your accessories: pumps, boots, jacket, a handbag and cashmere cardigan sweaters.
You can spend less on something like a great knockoff of a trendy blouse, or a cute camisole you might wear for one season in a bright color.
You don’t need to splurge a ton on jewelry. Costume jewelry is prefect, and jewelry trends change season to season.
You have to make sure the pieces you spend money on are classic pieces and not trendy pieces.

What celebrity has your dream wardrobe?
Katie Holmes. I think she’s adorable. I just think she always looks put together and classy. She’s trendy but she does it in pieces, she doesn’t go all-out trendy. I don’t think Katie will look back and say, “What was I thinking?” She’ll think, “I looked cute, I looked stylish.”

Is it hard being a buyer and buying things that you don’t like or wouldn’t wear?
It’s a tough line to walk. I won’t buy a piece that I think I won’t wear and that I don’t think others should wear, either. If it’s that unacceptable, I don’t want it to represent bop and I don’t want it in my store (laughs)! Every season there are things I won’t wear and don’t love, but I know my customers will wear. There’s a lot of younger stuff in here I wouldn’t necessarily wear, but I have younger customers high school and college age that would wear these items.
You learn your lesson as a buyer you can’t buy all things that are your taste. You have to remember that having a boutique means that you can’t just buy for your style, the point is to let your customer express their style.

Finally: Major fall trends you’re seeing?
Brightly colored jewel tone stuff in green, purple and fuschia.
People will be doing minidresses with boots.
High waisted skirts with a blousier tank top tucked in (see photo, above).
Animal print. We say that every season, but we have quite a bit. We don’t sell any real fur in the store; that’s a statement I like to make in the store.
Girly jewelry. Things threaded with a piece of ribbon, for example. We got a Marc [Jacobs] necklace with a little gold bow that’s cute.
We’re still seeing layering necklaces, people are wearing a couple.

bop, 222 W. Gorham St. 255-2570. shopbop.com