In Refined Form

Can signs of a society’s maturity be found in its underwear drawers?

While this country may be doomed to never completely catch up with the sophisticated shopping tastes of Europeans, the steady proliferation of neighborhood lingerie shops--especially in Los Angeles and New York--are giving boutique owners a reason to believe the shopping habits of more American women are becoming increasingly refined.

“In Italy or France, you see small lingerie stores in every neighborhood, which echoes the sophistication of the population,” said Helena Stuart, a lingerie designer and owner of Only Hearts boutiques in Santa Monica and New York. “I see it here as the growth of the individual and also as a reflection of our society’s maturity. The appreciation of the finer things in life is growing, and lingerie is no exception.”

The trend toward neighborhood lingerie shops with mid- to high-end lines has really taken off during the last few years, boutique owners say. These shops are more Rodeo Drive than Frederick’s of Hollywood, heavily influenced by European lines and an old-fashioned commitment to service.

When Lynn Harris first came to Rodeo Drive a dozen years ago, “there was nothing in this town. Zero. It didn’t exist,” she said. Now the owner of Sloanes in Beverly Hills estimates about a dozen such lingerie stores are strewn throughout Los Angeles.

Although they may carry racy leopard-print or black peignoirs, they are more likely to build their businesses by selling luxurious chemises, silk gowns and bras, lots of bras. The art of the perfect fitsomething women in this country are finally discovering, they say--is their reason for being.

“American women suffer in their bras,” Harris said. “I always give them the bra size they say they are. Invariably, it’s not their size.”

Most women don’t get fitted properly in the first place. This is exasperating as they get older and their sizes change.

She compared the growing awareness of designer underwear to the strides American fashion has made around the world.

“Clothes have gotten better here, and designers here are selling more in Europe,” Harris said. The greater discovery of fine lingerie in this country should follow, she added.

The shops have gotten a boost from the trend toward allowing underwear to show, whether it’s a bra strap designed to peek out from a sleeveless dress or a slip being worn as a dress itself, Stuart says.

Stuart, who had just returned to New York after a trip to sell her Only Hearts line of lingerie in Paris, said that buying fine lingerie is an acquired taste, sort of like learning to appreciate fine wines.

“You don’t just wake up and say, ‘I am going to buy a $150 bra.’ It grows slowly. You appreciate it more the more you buy something,” she said.

About 90% of the clientele are women, owners say. But men appreciate the ease of service. For instance, computer records document the taste of their significant others, and shop clerks actually know the person they are buying for.

Laurie Levy opened Intimo, a lingerie shop between a Vons market and a coffeehouse in La Can~ada-Flintridge, a year and a half ago, after research showed that businesses emphasizing service were more likely to thrive. She had taken note of the trend toward inner wear as outerwear and decided that people were becoming disenchanted with the discounter boom, enabling smaller shops to flourish.

“The main reason customers shop here is they get one-on-one service,” Levy said. Working women and mothers who don’t have enough time to shop make up her client base. She takes phone orders, then runs the packages to customers waiting in their cars. She has even hand-delivered “emergency bras” to a client’s mailbox.

Joanne Lieskovsky, 38, who abandoned buying underwear in department stores, considers Levy akin to a personal shopper who helps the mother of four make time to shop in her neighborhood.

“Laurie knows what I like, and that makes it a whole lot easier,” she said.

The boutiques’ wider and possibly more offbeat selection also pulls in customers. Terry Boyle, 48, a certified public accountant, said she started shopping at Tres Jolie in Pasadena because of the wide variety and unusual styles that owner Rose Nassanian carries.

“She has access to more styles,” said Boyle, who lives in Pasadena. “The big department stores are more locked in with their big suppliers. They have big brand names, but she gets these smaller manufacturers that we don’t see as frequently.”

Tres Jolie only carries what the owner politely refers to as “the better lines” imported from France and Italy. Many owners shy away from the term “high end” because they think it intimidates customers.

Like many of the owners, Nassanian said people come to her because she has the knowledge to make the right fit.

“Sometimes they have no clue what size they are, and they are often wearing the wrong size,” she said.

Sara’s Lingerie, with locations in Studio City and Encino, is known for customizing bras in stock, said Helene Levy, buyer and manager of the Encino store. She has transformed a bikini into a G-string and modified a 38D bra to fit a 32 back.

“American women are educating themselves in lingerie shopping,” Levy said. “They are finding the costly lingerie is more comfortable.” At Sara’s, chances are they will find something they like--15,000 bras are in stock.

A second Sara’s boutique opened in Studio City in March to take advantage of the tastes of a younger, trendier crowd.

“We could buy really crazy, funky things that will sell there,” Levy said. “We can put in a lavender collection of bras and panties, and it goes in two days. In Encino, we could sit with it for two months.” Customers at the 6-year-old Encino shop tend to be more conservative and build up a collection of finer bras over time, she added.

Joni Nussbaum, 42, a Northridge homemaker, has shopped at the Sara’s in Encino for the last two years because they are “absolutely wonderful as far as fitting bras and helping. Whatever you need, they’ll do.”

An upscale lingerie shop’s success might have as much to do with its location as the tony underthings it offers. Michael Mangimelli, co-owner of Intima, a year-old shop in Pacific Palisades, said neighborhood shops are on the upswing as customers enjoy the comfort and selection his store offers.

Nancy Sullivan has shopped at Intima since it opened a year ago.

“My preference is to shop at a boutique. It’s more personal and special,” she said. “I grew up in the Palisades. I never thought there would be a place like Intimo. You always had to leave the Palisades to find anything cool.”

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A Brief Lingerie Guide

Intima

15302 Antioch St., Pacific Palisades;

(310) 573-3794.

First impressions: Upscale, unstuffy elegance.

Specialty: Bras and bra fitting.

Average price of a bra: $40 to $50.

Best nonlingerie sighting: Sign in window: “Stockgirl wanted, sanity required.”

Owner quote: “I don’t think women like shopping for lingerie, and I think they feel more comfortable in here. It’s not so cold and impersonal.”

Only Hearts

1407 Montana Ave., Santa Monica;

(310) 393-3088.

First impressions: a young, fun spin and heart-shaped gifts to boot.

Specialty: Second skin, a lightweight Only Hearts bra.

Average price of a bra: $40, but ranges from $32 to $150.

Best nonlingerie sighting: $5 heart-shaped tea infuser.

Owner quote: “We do well in Manhattan, but California is an even better place for us. I attribute it to girls being able to wear the pieces outside.”

Sloanes

368 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills;

(310) 274-6501.

First impressions: So Rodeo that it’s downright intimidating.

Specialty: European designer collections.

Average price of a bra: $90 to $190.

Best nonlingerie sighting: Silk stools on which customers sit at glass counters to view the wares.

Owner quote: “Women always think men choose to buy black. Men always choose light or a pretty color. I think it’s a virginal thing.”

Tres Jolie

350 S. Lake Ave., No. 114, Pasadena;

(626) 795-5734.

First impressions: Your mother might shop here.

Specialty: Bodysuits and bras.

Average price of a bra: $45 to $50.

Best nonlingerie sighting: Indoor courtyard location with soothing fountain and browsing opportunities.

Owner quote: “Most of the time, customers are fascinated when they walk in and right away I can tell them what size they are.”

Intimo

637A Foothill Blvd., La Can~ada Flintridge;

(818) 790-2479

First impressions: Where the suburban mom shops.

Specialty: Fitting foundations.

Average price of a bra: $40 to $50

Best unwritten policy: Allows harried clients to take home items to try on before they’ve purchased them.

Owner quote: “My customers are a little more sophisticated. A nightgown with cupids shooting arrows is not going to do.”

Sara’s Lingerie

12244 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; (818) 754-8929

17211 Ventura Blvd., Encino; (818) 990-1270

First impressions: Twin splashes of European elegance land on the Boulevard.

Specialty: Custom fitting.

Average price of a bra: $110 to $120.

Biggest difference between shops: The fun stuff and the celebrities are found in Studio City.

Manager quote: “Eight out of 10 times customers walk in wearing the wrong size bra.”