Last update - 10:50 02/04/2007
No gimmicks, no famous logos
The frustrating search for styles that suit their age and personalities inspired Yael Tal and Hamutal Gat to open their own boudoir
By Ilit Mainemer
A pleasant warmth envelopes you at the new store Boudoir - the Women's Room, in the trendy Basel neighborhood of Tel Aviv. Maybe it's Limor Rosner's attractive design: wooden floors, open cupboards and tall iron ladders, which give one the feeling of a private walk-in closet. Or maybe it's the soothing colors of the furniture and the clothes hanging on the racks; or the floral wallpaper on the fitting-room walls; or the doll statuettes scattered on the shelves; or the Schumann concerto playing in the background; or the pretty porcelain mugs in which coffee was served on a round table in the center of the floor.
In any event, there is something about the new store on 10 Eibschitz Street in Tel Aviv that catches the eye.
The store opened last week, and already the three women sitting there - owner Yael Tal, her partner Hamutal Gat and saleswoman Marga Kaplan - seemed as if they had been there forever. Sitting at the table, Tal is sewing what she calls fabric "candy" to decorate the display windows (she also created some of the statuettes on the shelves).
Gat and Tal have known each other for years. Formerly a guidance counselor at the Herzliya Gymnasia high school, Tal works primarily as a family and couples therapist. Gat, a lawyer, specializes in family arbitration.
"This [project] began to interest us as we got older," says Gat, explaining the difficulty of finding clothes that suit their age and personality. Adds Tal: "It's getting harder and harder to find clothes that aren't too old-fashioned, too big, too revealing, without unnecessary additions of patches or fabric." Their frustrating search and the desire for a little "action in life," as Tal puts it, inspired them to open the store.
They scouted for brands that fulfill their demands and chose fashions by American designer Eileen Fisher - who has a loyal following of Israeli women that buy her clothes in the United States - and by Crea Concept, a French company that has 20 stores in Europe, four of them in Paris. Scattered around the store are also some creations by Israeli designer Rina Zin, which speak a similar language.
As of now, much of the clothing on display is by Crea (Fisher's marketing method is to send stores new items each month, unlike companies that send the entire collection at the beginning of each season, Tal and Gat explain). However, at first glance it's hard to tell which items belong to which designer. The colors are harmonic: white, ivory, cocoa, smoky blue, gray and black. The materials are similar: mostly natural cotton and linen. And the styles are timeless, expressing simplicity without age or season. For example, there are loose linen pants that are cut high and have pleats at the waist, layered cotton knits, smooth and comfortable T-shirts, white shirt-jackets and ankle-length dresses with spaghetti straps, paired with leggings and a long robe-like jacket. Besides the clothes there are flat shoes by the German company Trippen on sale, which suit the versatile look that the store's owners are marketing.
Anyone who is searching for the latest trend won't find it here; those who want to sport a famous designer's logo or have a weakness for gimmicks will also be disappointed.
"I'll never wear anything with someone's name on it," says designer Fisher, who started her company 23 years ago, in an interview with The Sunday Morning Correspondent. "So I also don't want anyone wearing something with my name on it." In the same article, Fisher said that the Japanese kimono served as an inspiration in her designs, "with no expiration date": "People in Japan have been wearing this cut for 1,100 years because they decided it's the best design."
In her ads older women with graying hair are featured, not models; a campaign celebrating 20 years of the company's existence starred Fisher's own employees. Marga Kaplan, the saleswoman at the Boudoir, also doesn't dye her gray hair.
"From the moment we saw her, we decided that she would get the job based on her physical appearance only," laugh Tal and Gat. "Later we found out she has other assets, too."
Many options for mixing and matching, whether for a more laid-back or a more formal look, can be found at the new store. These include outfits featuring wide culottes that reach below the knee, a soft sleeveless T-shirt and an asymmetrical linen knit top; an unconventional "twin set" of a long tank top and cropped cardigan; and pants with a straight cut and a wide belt, and breezy buttoned shirts with white-and-mocha polka dots. There are also pretty linen scarves and comfortable jackets and suits with a masculine style. Soon the store will also sell Tal's own designs, including pants and sleeveless tops.
Price range: pants NIS 350-1,440; shirts NIS 300-1,200; knits NIS 870-1,300; dresses NIS 1,830-2,500.