In the ♥ of Montrose
Shop while you sip: New Fashion Studio boutique features built-in bar & designercollections
A spiral light fixture greets customers at the new Fashion StudioPhoto by Clifford Pugh
Located next to El Real, Fashion Studio is in the middle of the burgeoning lowerWestheimer revitatizationPhoto by Clifford Pugh
Mirrors on one wall reflect the atmospher at Fashion Studio.Photo by Clifford Pugh
Fashion Studio, interiorPhoto by Clifford Pugh
For retailer Michael Malik, it's all about the experience. So when laying out his new Fashion Studio men's and women's boutique, located next to El Real restaurant in the old Tower Theater complex, he created an atmosphere that is like a contemporary home. The focal point of the new store, which opens Thursday, is a large bar with a granite countertop located near the dressing rooms, with a leather sofa and flat-screen TVs mounted on the walls.
"The whole concept is to make it so comfortable that it becomes a social happening," Malik said.
"The whole concept is to make it so comfortable that it becomes a social happening," Malik said. "You can hang out, have a drink and you'll find something."
Malik created a makeshift bar at his M2M Style Lounge, located about a half-mile away on Montrose Boulevard, and found that shoppers liked it so much that he decided to put in a permanent bar in the new location. "That was an experiment. This is the real deal," he said,
He will continue to operate M2M as well as an interest in two other Houston-area boutiques.
The new Fashion Studio is bathed in shades of gray, with red accents, including an antique pay wall phone, behind the bar. "It's like the old-fashioned bartender who always answered the phone behind the bar," Malik said. "And it offsets the whole modern idea with something old in it."
A contemporary spiral chandelier greets guests at the entrance. Off to one side is a case with a wide collection of watches. Malik plans to add wallets, cologne and facial products.
The new store carries cutting-edge collections from J. Lindeberg, Diesel, Velvet Men and G-Star and jeans brands like Castle, Sinclair and Rockabilly. In January, he plans a buying trip to Bread & Butter, a Berlin trade show featuring the latest styles in contemporary clothing, to pick up additional brands not found in Houston.
As for the boutique name, Malik explains he is a fashion designer who strayed from his passion when opening retail stores. "It reminds me that every day (I can tell myself), 'Michael, you need to go back to designing," he said. "It's my studio."
The store will remain open until 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on Saturdays in order to attract the spillover crowd from El Real next door and across the street from Chris Shepherd's highly anticipated new restaurant, Underbelly, and the house craft beer bar Hay Merchant by partners Bobby Heugel and Kevin Floyd of Anvil fame, now under construction.
