The storefronts on the 500 block of Water Street has certainly seen its share of fashion turnover in the last few years, beginning with the arrival of Fred Boutique, followed by various offshoots from its owners: Red Heel shoe boutique, Luci Boutique, Luscious and now White Star and Lounge Boutique.
Today, as it stands, the locally-owned Downtown lineup is as follows: Lounge Boutique, 534 N. Water St.; Luci, 532 N. Water St.; White Star, 524 N. Water St. and Fred Boutique, 522 N. Water St.
Lounge Boutique, launched by former Luci Bayshore co-owner Motiya Lopez, is the latest arrival -- although White Star, a new men's store, is new as well, opening in April. (Read more about that new store tomorrow in Andrew Wagner's story)
Lounge debuted Thursday, May 13 as Milwaukee's new "denim hub." The store specializes in in premium denim brands and styles from designers around the country.
"Women love their jeans but finding the perfect design and fit in Milwaukee can sometimes be challenging," says Lopez. "Lounge Boutique puts the comfort back in denim shopping by offering a great selection along with denim experts to help find the perfect fit.
Denim here is organized fit, color, wash, type, fabric, rise and even body type. According to Lopez, the list of brands grows weekly and includes names like Big Star, Mavi, Vigoss, Frankie B., Seven (coming in June), Elite, Mike Lane, Hard Tail and LAMB.
Lounge Boutique also carries all women's basic wardrobe needs, such as lace camis, well-fitting t-shirts, purses, accessories and stylish fitness apparel.
"Comfortable clothes can and should be stylish," says Lopez. "That's what we love about denim, today you can dress it up or keep it casual without losing comfort. We are bringing Lounge Boutique to Milwaukee for women to find their favorite wardrobe pieces locally. Our style experts focus on sexy and stylish comfort that is customized for the customer. We want women to have more options in premium comfortable clothing."
Lounge Boutique is open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, 12-7 p.m.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
