These trendsetting local boutique owners share some of their fashion secrets.
By Sabrina Azadi
Newport Beach’s idyllic blue waters and breathtaking views sets the tone for a cool California style, which is embodied by several local duos—from husband-wife couples to a mother and daughter and pair of best friends—who all own boutiques here.
Each epitomizes the essence of coastal chic in their own distinct way. And, through their boutiques, selling clothing, accessories or both, these duos fulfill their fashion vision and guide their clientele into creating an effortless look that’s at the heart of Newport style.
Here, these trendsetting teams talk about this town’s sense of fashion, their own style mantras and sources of inspiration.
Raan and Lindsay Parton
ALCHEMY WORKS, Lido Marina Village • 438-1183 • alchemyworks.us
Husband-and-wife team Raan and Lindsay Parton of Alchemy Works couldn’t find a lifestyle store that fit their personal style, so they opened one: Their Lido Marina Village location (they also have another in LA’s Arts District) showcases a carefully curated collection of clothing and houseware items.
“Our style aesthetic is culturally eccentric with a lot of travel artifacts, indigenous items mixed with contemporary items, found objects and fine art,” Raan says. But when it comes to clothes, he prefers to wear his own label, Apolis, a socially responsible menswear line with clean cuts and premium fabrics that he founded with his brother.
“The way we decorate the store and the way that I personally dress is similar. I like to wear things that are classics, but with a pop of something unexpected, like a vintage necklace or something we found on our travels.” —Lindsay Parton
Apolis is available at Alchemy Works, which carries easy-to-wear brands with an endless vacation vibe that suits the Partons’ lifestyle. But the products are interesting beyond their face value. One of the biggest trends the couple has noticed is that people have become more educated consumers—and connect to items and clothing that have a story.
“The mostly black, white and neutral palette at our Lido store represents our version of understated saltwater nautical,” Lindsay says. It also shows the duo’s ability to update the coastal style into a contemporary and fresh version, not only in terms of clothing but one that overlaps organically into the home.
Marie and Kelly Gray
GRAYSE, Fashion Island • 949-640-0025 • mkgrayse.com
This dynamic duo, mother-and-daughter team Marie and Kelly Gray, are accustomed to creating clothing that women want to wear. After the success of the iconic St. John knitwear brand (first founded by Marie with her late husband and eventually run by Kelly) that they later sold, the pair has returned to doing what they know best. Their current venture, Grayse, is an elegant yet easy-to-wear clothing line available at their store of the same name at Fashion Island—one of three locations.
Armed with a new mindset, they now address the needs of stylish women who no longer need a power suit to enter a boardroom. The Irvine-manufactured clothing line combines their last name, Gray, with the word “graceful,” which is central to the brand’s philosophy. Their sense of style has evolved along the way, and it’s evident in what they like to wear and design. It’s still glamorous, but no longer about knits. It focuses on separates as well as paper thin, hand-cut leather jackets and sequin evening dresses that are easy to slip on and comfortable to wear all night.
“Style and comfort are the new signatures of modern elegance. You feel 10 times more beautiful when you’re comfortable.” —Kelly Gray
When it comes to their own fashion choices, Kelly believes that “Life is too short, [so] why not be happy, sparkly and glamorous.” And, although the duo share a similar sense of style, on a typical day Marie says she prefers clothes that she can wear from work straight to the Shady Canyon golf course, “Where I spend every spare moment.”
Cydney Morris and Dallas Wand
STONE COLD FOX, Lido Marina Village • 949-791-8151 • thestonecoldfox.com
Childhood friends Cydney Morris and Dallas Wand, creators of the feminine and flirty clothing label Stone Cold Fox, have known each other forever. So it’s no surprise that stylewise they’re compatible, too. A mutual love of vintage lingerie along with a boho vibe is the premise for their LA-made clothing label. According to Morris, their brand’s name Cold Stone Fox refers to a 1970s saying for a “babe with an attitude,” much like their clothing. But their updated version is anything but outdated and translates to modern floral prints and slinky silk slip dresses.
“We’re both really easygoing, and that’s the thing with Stone Cold Fox—you can throw it on, and you feel really amazing wearing it, and it’s easy to mix with other items,” Morris says. Their clothing line is not only a reflection of who they are and what they like to wear themselves, but for these California girls, it’s just as important that it’s made locally, too.
“We design around the way we dress. We both like to be effortless. We have a feminine side and a cool girl side with some sex appeal.” —Dallas Wand
After the success of their Venice Beach boutique (close to where they live), it was a natural step for them to open their second location—which started as a pop-up shop, but the lease has been extended—at Lido Marina Village. By doing so, these Laguna Beach natives feel they’ve returned to their roots.
And, whether they are scouring for treasures at a flea market or enjoying home-cooked dinners with friends, what’s important to them both is being comfortable in their own skin, feeling good about what they wear and having fun along the way.
Jason and Gorjana Reidel
GORJANA, Fashion Island • 949-662-6101 • gorjana.com
What started as a business venture on their apartment floor has blossomed into a successful jewelry brand for Laguna Beach husband-and-wife team Jason and Gorjana Reidel, who now have several brick-and-mortar boutiques bearing the Gorjana name across Southern California and New York City, including one at Fashion Island.
Known for their dainty and timeless jewelry that compliments whatever you’re wearing and is meant to be layered—the brand’s style is the antithesis to statement jewelry. This viewpoint trickles into all aspects of their life and their personal sense of style.
“My style motto is ‘the devil is in the details.’ ” —Jason Reidel
“I think my style is very California. There are days that I want to dress up, and there are days that I just want to be in jeans and a T-shirt,” says Gorjana, who is never without her signature Power Gemstone bracelets. “Comfort is a pretty big thing for me and making sure what I’m wearing goes with my lifestyle, as I am running around a lot—we have two children—so that kind of plays into it.”
Jason, who grew up on the East Coast, believes that clothing has an energetic way of connecting people. “I don’t want to be the kind of person that the first thing you notice is my outfit,” he says. “But if you actually took the time to look, you’d see there was a decent amount of thought that was put into what I’m wearing.”
