Take a Bow

You opened your women's clothing store in March. Why Washington Square?

We knew the area didn't have anything like this, but we also knew it was a Catch-22 because it's more of a destination, and not a place for foot traffic. Still, this is a community, and we knew Brookline supported their local businesses.

Did you look at Newbury Street? Or the South End?

We never looked at Newbury Street, period. We didn't consider Charles Street, either. I see [stores there] as powerhouses, and I wasn't going to compete with them, wasn't ready to compete with them. When it came down to it, we truly liked this area, and the space was calling us.

What trends are you looking forward to this fall?

Purple is going to be huge. Gray is humongous this season - and the funniest thing is that they've created new shades of gray, like brown-gray. Highwaisted pants are back in, wide legs are back in.

What exactly will you have?

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent does great going-out clothes - and I picked pieces to reflect fall's colors [right]. I wanted dark, wide-leg jeans, so I pulled in Hudson jeans for that. They've created a good pair of pants. We also have James's high-rise jeans, which people like. They are a fashionable high-rise, so they aren't up under your bust. Not too high, not too low.

So, are they "mom jeans"?

No! These jeans have a 91/2-inch rise, where some high-rise jeans have a 12-inch rise.

What have you bought at Velvet Ribbon for yourself?

I have a pair of drawstring capris - they sound so old lady-ish - from Joie. Fabulous. I love them and could live in them. You can dress them up. I wear them in the store all the time. I also have a black wrap dress from Robert Rodriguez that he did really well with. And I have a cute, cute cropped jacket from Bow & Arrow that I get so many compliments on.

You have the phrase "Style your personality" on your website. Is that a mantra?

It really does embody what we believe in: that fashion is part of each person's makeup and should be tailored to fi t their individual personality.

So, your clothes can do the talking for you?

I think so, I really do.