Jennifer Nicholson returns to fashion, sets up shop in Venice
Designer, retailer and Hollywood royalty Jennifer Nicholson (daughter of Jack), who once headlined Los Angeles Fashion Week and showed her collections in New York and Paris, is returning to fashion after a nearly five-year hiatus. Opening Friday, Pearl Drop is her new boutique on Lincoln Boulevard in the up-and-coming retail area of Venice known as the Linc. Inside, she’s showcasing mostly California-based designers, plus pieces she’s designed herself.
The store: Pearl Drop, a play on Pearl, which was the name of Nicholson’s store in Santa Monica that closed in 2005.
The vibe: Boho goddess festival wear — just in time for Coachella, which is one of Nicholson’s favorite springtime excursions. “It’s an Instagram dream,” Nicholson says of the music festival, where she stays in the Safari Tents.
The interior: Eclectic and light-filled, with baroque-looking, “underwater mermaid grotto” – inspired antiques culled from Nicholson’s Malibu beach house (a glass side table with pink seahorses for a base, and a glass pirate ship chandelier, for example), mixed with rustic wood and mystic crystals.
The goods: Gregory Parkinson caftans made of over-dyed Indian fabric; GoldDust hippie dresses; drapey, Goddis fringed cardigans; Mara Hoffman tribal-print tops; Pamela Barish sari dresses; Kathy Rose snake bracelets; Alex & Lee artisanal crystal necklaces; Heyoka fringed leather bags and neck pieces and Calleen Cordero sandals.
Also on the racks are Nicholson’s own designs, including leather pants and biker jackets with zipper pulls molded into the shape of shark’s teeth (one caramel-colored jacket has a dream catcher detail in the back), plus caftans and kimonos in a jewel print created with L.A. artist Alia Penner. Prices range from about $70 to $3,000.
The verdict: A boho gem that’s worth the drive, even if you don’t live in the neighborhood. Bonus? There’s ample free parking (you won’t find that on Abbot Kinney). And there’s a courtyard in back where Nicholson plans to offer libations from Moon Juice and yoga workshops with her kundalini yoga teacher. “So you never want to leave!” she says.
Nearby: Lots of interesting shops emphasizing locally-made wares, including General Store, Tradesmen Los Angeles, Deus Ex Machina, Sacred Door/All for the Mountain and the Quest by Hayley Starr.
Pearl Drop, 328 S. Lincoln Blvd., Venice, (310) 399-1304, pearldropvenice.com coming soon.
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Jennifer Nicholson is designing an image of her own
Boutiques that emphasize locally made wares have popped up on Lincoln Blvd.
