Layers of Chic

No one needs to tell you how smart layering is for winter wear, but too often layering consists of this piece and that piece, until it’s not layering, it’s pizza. OSKA truly defines the idea of layering, creating beautiful individual parts of the picture, which stand alone, or work together like a great band—each element unique and timeless. The store, in the One Colorado shopping plaza, features a host of stylish parts, from jackets and pants to vests to caps, all beautifully designed to complement each other.

“You know, you go outside and you see yourself next to a lady wearing the same outfit,” says OSKA’s Diane Bowden.  “That’s never OSKA.  OSKA is very architectural, with unique, beautiful fabrics.”

As the Southern California fall turned to a nippy winter this week, Bowden was dressed comfortably and elegantly in OSKA pants, paired with a long-sleeved top and scarf, the whole and the parts equally striking.

“What is beautiful about OSKA,” she says, “is that, I made this look for the holidays, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be.” She addresses a wool jacket in a display. “You could change it so it matched with this boiled wool fabric that has many different colors in it. So you could see sort of black there, so if you put on a pair of black pants, the look is totally different…”

As Bowden describes it, “Our customer is a well-traveled woman who likes the comfort, but also wants to look chic while they’re traveling, for example.”

The OSKA look is striking, but easily at home in an urban setting or an airport lounge. Because of the wide range of combinations available from tops to accessories, it’s a look that is at once European and local.

“We can dress a young woman size zero to a woman wearing (a larger size) and dress them equally beautifully and stylishly, and surprisingly enough, they’re wearing the same item, but they look totally different,” Bowden added.

“It’s not like mass production,” says Bowden of the Munich-designed clothing line. “When we get a collection, which is basically two times a year, I might only get one size 0, and maybe one size 2.”  Clearly, we’re not at Target anymore, Toto.

“When I go home,” Bowden chuckles, “My mom tells me, ‘Why do you dress so nicely for traveling?’ “This is wool,” she laughs, fingering the fabric. “It’s warm, it’s chic looking, but it’s comfortable.” Just like the store.

OSKA is at 13 Douglas Alley, Pasadena and 9693 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills. You may call (626) 432-1729 or visit www.oska-pasadena.com