Ecru Private Label Puts Tab on Melrose Basic

Ecru, the Melrose Avenue store whose racks are filled with clothes by such cutting edge designers such as Spain’s Sybilla and Italy’s Dolce & Gabbana will offer basics designed by a new L.A. design team: shop owner Elaine Kim and designer Anthony Miller.

Tight black cocktail dresses, hot pants, hip huggers and halter tops bearing the Ecru label will be sold starting in June at the Melrose location as well as Ecru shop in Marina del Rey. The line will be available to other retailers beginning next spring. Prices range from $85 to $350--moderate for the Ecru stores, where a pair of shoes can cost $400.

The clothes were unveiled at a store reception where models wore Marilyn Quayle-style flips and French twists affixed with plenty of hair spray.

Half the line is made of a cotton and Lycra blend, which is “not necessarily for tight shapes,” says Kim. “We like the play of it. It has body.” Jumpsuits, strappy mini-dresses, hip-hugging pants and baby-doll tops are offered in stretchy black (a Melrose Avenue basic).

A second group consisting of similar styles is made of brightly colored Ultrasuede, which hasn’t been taken seriously since Halston last showed it in the ‘70s. Kim sometimes pairs it with macrame. “It’s modernity. It’s machine washable.”