Clothing Outlets Crop Up on a Pricey Shopping Street

Main Street in Santa Monica is a wonderful place to enjoy the fresh ocean air and browse in all kinds of interesting and pricey shops. But other than the Crystal Closeout Palace at 2816 Main St., there have been no attractions for the bargain hunter.

On my last trip there, however, I uncovered the outlets of two women’s apparel manufacturers and a resale store, all within a block of each other. Signs of the times?

Jericho, 2804 Main St., is the only outlet for the San Diego manufacturer of the same name, producing the Jericho label and the junior label, Climate. Both are carried by major department stores (Saks is one) and boutiques (e.g. Fred Segal) across the country. Price reductions here are 40% to 80% off the original retail. New shipments come in about five times a year. The best time to hit this store is at the end of April, June, September, November and December.

This is a simple, basic and well-designed line of cotton and cotton-blend casual dresses and separates in solid colors. Though it certainly has appeal to the young at heart, the designs are ageless.

Mismatched pieces usually end up at $20 each, and that’s what you’ll find at the front of the store. In the center is an odds-and-ends rack where everything is tagged at $10, but these are really the leftovers.

Jericho, 2804 Main St., Santa Monica, (213) 396-3244. Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Visa, MasterCard and American Express accepted.

On the other side of the street, look for Street Life, the only outlet store on the West Coast for this New York label. Most of the merchandise was marked about half off when I stopped in, but then it may have been sheer luck.

The Street Life label represents 75% to 80% of the inventory and appeals to the under-40 crowd. Don’t be put off by the metallic silver and gold stretch pants on the rack as you come in, although the $60 price might be well-spent if you have the body for them. As a matter of fact, climb over the fat cat that’s usually lounging on the stairs and check out the racks on the second floor. I found an assortment of styles either to camouflage the figure or to hug it.

Rayon print choirboy dresses were tagged at $36, tops from $20 to $38 and black velvet short swing skirts $24. All these reflected a price reduction of 40% to 50% off the original retail.

It’s “one-size-fits-all,” accommodating Sizes 4 to 14. The fabrics are nice, the styles rather baby doll-ish. A neat little shop.

Street Life, 2801 Main St., Santa Monica, (213) 399-4979. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. Major credit cards.

For the frugal movie buff, try Star Wares on Main, a resale store up the street. Celebrity contributors include Cher, Joan Rivers, Meryl Streep, Bette Midler, Lionel Richie, Michael Douglas, Johnny Carson, Sylvester Stallone and Michael Keaton.

There is a good selection of men’s apparel--and it moves out fast. Lots of women’s clothes, of course. A gorgeous red and black wool suit worn by Linda Evans in a “Dynasty” episode was well worth the $125 price. The $12 rack is great fun and the day of my visit was jammed with vintage clothes from the film “Mermaid.”

Keep in mind when you’re in a resale store that sometimes the donor, not the store owner, sets the price. Most of the prices in Star Wares are very, very reasonable; the few prices I saw here that were high were set by the donors.

If you’re a celebrity hound and a bargain shopper, you’ll have a ball.

Star Wares on Main, 2817 Main St., Santa Monica, (213) 399-0224. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Visa and MasterCard accepted.