Jeffrey Opens First West Coast Boutique In Palo Alto
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer
The fashion industry is smitten with Silicon Valley. Case in point: the debut of Jeffrey, a luxury designer boutique at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto. It’s the first West Coast storefront for Jeffrey Kalinsky, the beloved retailer whose portfolio includes Jeffrey New York and Jeffrey Atlanta. “At the beginning of 2017, I decided that I wanted to open a new store,” Kalinsky recently told Haute Living. “I started to look around at where I thought there was an opportunity, and I found an opportunity in Palo Alto and I seized upon it.”
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer
With 12,000-square feet of minimalist decor, the gorgeous shop feels like a massive gallery. The beautiful selection of clothing is displayed as artwork. International men’s and women’s collections from Celine, Gucci, Christian Dior, Prada, Rick Owens, Balenciaga, and many more are featured throughout. Kalinsky curates the collection of goods and doesn’t discriminate when it comes to clothing type. He’s simply in search of the best of the best. “I sell hoodies. I sell sweatpants. I sell jeans. I sell dresses to go to a bar mitzvah. I sell things to wear to a black-tie benefit. I sell stuff to wear on airplanes, in Paris, in India, wherever,” he says.
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer
While some recent openings in the South Bay have incorporated tech elements into the shop—such as Hermès and Lululemon—Kalinsky wanted to recreate the same experience he offers in New York and Atlanta. There’s no bells and whistles here—the clothes and service speak for themselves. “What makes us stand apart is we’re a very high-touch business,” Kalinsky explains. “It’s all about having a relationship with the client, knowing the clients’ needs. Either going to his or her home, cleaning his or her closet, or helping he or she pack for a trip. Or waiting on them in our store and being ready for them when they get there and having a dressing room experience.”
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer
Kalinsky isn’t a follower of trends; instead, he wants to help his clients find their own sense of style. “My stores always have been about style. We’re not a trend store. If everybody says, ‘Sell red for fall.’ I may or may not have red, it depends on how I felt about red for fall. If I end up having it and it’s the trend, then I got lucky,” he explains. “But my customers are interested in expressing their own personal style. We carry at least 80 designers who all do different things. So there’s really a great choice in our store. People can express themselves any way they want.”
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer
He hopes to be in the store personally interacting with clients three times a year and is contemplating hosting a charity event (similar to the one that he hosts in Atlanta) that will allow him to give back to the local community. Trunk shows, designer visits, and everything that comes along with a world-renowned designer boutique are in the works.
Jeffrey is now open at the Stanford Shopping Center.