IN REVIEW : Egalitarian Street Life Is 1-Size-Fits-All
It was a moment of unparalleled excitement when at least some credit cards were fairly aquiver with meltdown anticipation the day that Street Life, funky little Manhattan store filled with private label merchandise, announced it was coming to town. Now that it is ensconced on Main Street in Santa Monica, West Coast fans of the shop can tell you the threat of financial ruin is just minutes away.
This store is for the woman whose clothes are more likely to carry labels from Third World countries than from big-name European designers. Street Life doesn’t ooze chic. The attraction is far more basic. Almost everything is priced less than $100. And with a truly egalitarian, one-size-fits-all system where one size really does seem to fit all, you can delude yourself by thinking you’re buying a Size 8 even if you’re closer to Size 18.
The designers, Sheryl Lukonski and Leila Mae McDissi, specialize in easy basics done in a variety of fabrics and colors. The clothes are extremely spare, same-color buttons are the only ornamentation. In any given season the number of actual body styles will be limited--about 60, all made of cotton/spandex in four colors, cotton interlock in at least three colors and a variety of seasonal novelty fabrics--rayon or cotton prints, wool or corduroy. It sounds like a large line, but that’s barely enough merchandise to fill a convenience store.
The spring and summer collection (which dropped 30% in price on July 1 for a summer sale) has cotton interlock and cotton/spandex show-off-your-hard-body clothes--bra tops, swing tops ($45) high-waisted tap shorts ($28), halter-neck unitards ($65) and minuscule skirts in a rainbow of colors. There are brilliantly colored rayon baby-doll dresses ($52) and full-legged jumpsuits ($97) for those who are looking for more camouflage. The swimwear rack has, among others, ‘40s-style gold cire suits for $40, and two-piece suits with interchangeable tops and bottoms in leopard print, gold cire or black for $20 to $25.
The store personnel are invisible until called upon, then quite accommodating. The majority of the customers are local residents, leaning toward matrons and yuppie mom-and-daughter teams. The dressing rooms are Spartan and cramped but the parking is easy, the prices are reasonable, and everyone can wear a Size 8.
*** Street Life
2801 Main Street, Santa Monica: Rated on a scale of * to **** (best)
Street Life, 2801 Main St., Santa Monica, Calif. 90405. (213) 399-4979. Mon.- Thur. 11-7, Fri. and Sat. 11-10, Sun. 12 -6. Major credit cards accepted.
