“It’s a little bit more feminine here,” says Chérie D’Sa, on how her Newport Beach shop, Jolie, differs from La Bella, her 16-year-old Long Beach boutique in Belmont Shore. D’Sa, 46, and 30-year-old Nicole Stephan, buyer of handbags and shoes for both stores, opened the long-planned expansion to O.C. in September.
She describes Jolie’s décor as “modern Parisian,” with concrete floors, white walls, fur rugs, and a mannequin sporting a floral Afro. But as chic as it is, the thoughtfully curated goods are what shine: apparel, fine jewelry ($200 for rings to $7,125 for a Suzanne Kalan diamond bracelet), and home and fashion accessories. Helmut Lang and ALC share space with harder-to-find labels such as L.A.’s RtA Denim—its $3,350 calf-hair moto jacket is worth checking out—and Diane Cotton jewelry ($330 to $650). Huntington Beach resident Stephan stocks a good mix of heels and flats by Schutz and Mint & Rose ($140 to $600), and bags by New York-based Boyy ($598 to $860).
You’ll notice a lot of black, white, and neutrals because, as Stephan says, “no one ever comes in and asks, ‘Do you have that shoe in yellow?’ ” D’Sa says customers, including Urban Decay founder Wende Zomnir, are enthusiastic. “They’re sophisticated, contemporary, style-obsessed, and very welcoming.”
Jolie
3400 Via Lido
Newport Beach
949-723-009
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