Letâs face it: New York and European designers have been âreferencingâ (i.e., ripping off) SoCal coolâthat hippie-glam-â70s thing we do so wellâfor years. High/low dressing, denim with sparkles, leather and lace, Hollywood grunge, yoga, streetwear, hip hop-meets-red carpetâall of it comes from L.A.âs magically mixed sartorial history. So itâs about time a local designer cashed in on the cachet of her hometown. Former stylist/retailer-turned-designer/creative director Jeannine Braden, born and raised in L.A., named her nearly year-old line Le Superbe after the Venice street she grew up on. (She picked the moniker with her then-boyfriend, designer William Beranek.)
âEverybodyâs trying to chase the California lifestyle,â Braden says in the downtown showroom that reps her line, 10Eleven. Sheâs the very picture of a perfect fashion hodgepodge herself, dressed in a shaggy chub jacket, a Le Superbe surf tee, fringe-bottom cropped boyfriend jeans, and shiny rainbow heels. âItâs all about the contrast. We come from a world of surfing, rock and roll, beach, and nightlife,â she says. âI saw European lines attempt it, and in late fall 2017 I texted colleagues and said, âIf we did an L.A.-based line, it would be 100 percent authentic. It wouldnât be lying.'â
Bradenâs mentor and agent, Betsee Isenberg, who helped start Theory, Vince, Helmut Lang, Joie, among others, encouraged her old friend to go for it. âBecause itâs got its own DNA,â says Isenberg. âPeople hear âCaliforniaâ and think, âStreetwearânot real clothing.â So we added glam and femme to the casual lifestyle.â
Los Angeles is reflected in every pieceâand not just the obligatory palm leafâbut in diaphanous robe dresses in the ombrĂŠ shades of a golden sunset, sequined board shorts, and glittery pencil skirts that mirror the flashing lights of Hollywood Boulevard. Even the style names shout out the city, like the Morrison and Trader Vic jackets, Ocean Park shorts, Abbott cami, and Sundowner skirt. Thereâs also a print called Dawnridge, named after the late Tony Duquetteâs eclectic Beverly Hills home.
Though it debuted just last year, the line is already carried by Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman stores across the country and on e-tail sites like Shopbop and Revolve. No oneâs more surprised by the rapid success than Braden herself. âI guess the universe wanted it to happen,â says the kundalini yoga devotee. âIs that too hippie-dippie?â Not for L.A.
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