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Upscale Skirt stores to expand to Rittenhouse Square

Skirt, a fashion institution on the Main Line where shoppers have their own stylists to pick pieces and recommend trends, is opening on Rittenhouse Square in late August.

Kate Powell (right) of Bryn Mawr consults with stylist Keira Vederman at the Skirt store in Bryn Mawr. There is another outlet in Stone Harbor, N.J., and soon, owner Maureen Doron will open a third one on South 17th Street. (JEFF FUSCO/For The Inquirer)
Kate Powell (right) of Bryn Mawr consults with stylist Keira Vederman at the Skirt store in Bryn Mawr. There is another outlet in Stone Harbor, N.J., and soon, owner Maureen Doron will open a third one on South 17th Street. (JEFF FUSCO/For The Inquirer)Read more

Skirt, a fashion institution on the Main Line where shoppers have their own stylists to pick pieces and recommend trends, is opening on Rittenhouse Square in late August.

The boutique selling women's apparel, jewelry, and shoes opened in Bryn Mawr in December 2001, and has built a loyal following.

Owner Maureen Doron is hoping many of those who grew up with her on the Main Line and now are raising families or working in Center City will shop at her new store at 212 S. 17th St.

"It's been a long time coming," said Doron, who also operates a Skirt boutique in Stone Harbor, N.J., from Memorial Day to Labor Day. "I have been looking for spaces at Rittenhouse for several years. I love that when you leave the parking garage" at the corner of 17th and Chancellor Streets, "you run smack into our space."

Brittany Goldberg and Jacob Cooper of retail adviser MSC Retail handled the Rittenhouse lease for Doron.

"Philadelphians have been begging her for years to open in the city, but it was all about finding the right location," Goldberg said. "When presented this site, she jumped on it immediately, knowing how competitive small space is in Rittenhouse Square."

Sales so far this year at the Bryn Mawr flagship shop are up 20 percent from the same time last year, Doron said.

She attributed her retailing success to her staff. Skirt is known for its stylists who give personalized care to customers and have made long-term relationships with them. They keep notes of what customers bought in the past to aid in buying new pieces to mix and match.

Doron said many of her stylists previously have worked at Neiman Marcus or Christian Dior stores, and "bring that level of customer service at Skirt."

The Bryn Mawr Skirt has nine full-time stylists, while Stone Harbor has seven. Doron is hiring six stylists for her Rittenhouse boutique.

"I put all of my money into my staff," she said. "I hire career stylists who want to do this as a living and are skilled at what they do in finding the right trend, color or lifestyle for your tastes.

"I treat these women as the skilled experts that they are," Doron said. "We don't work on commission. When we tell you that you look good in something, we mean it. We have no ulterior motive."

Clothing at Skirt ranges from casual to high-end. A blouse, on average, sells for $200, same with a pair of pants. A dress costs $400, on average.

"I love fashion and clothes and have a real store for women," Doron said. "That's really what has kept us in business. Our customers have grown with us."

Skirt's clientele runs the gamut, from 20-somethings to 70-somethings. Most are in their 40s, ranging from professionals to stay-at-home moms.

Kelly Croce Sorg, 36, of Villanova, shops at Skirt on the Main Line, and so does her 59-year-old mother.

"It's mostly about the relationship," said the mother of three children, ages 5, 7, and 9, of her stylist, Janice Uff, who also is store manager. "But Skirt has great sales, too."

The Bryn Mawr store is now offering discounts of 25 percent to 75 percent on certain items.

"Their stuff is comfortable, stylish and fashionable," said Sorg, who went to high school with Doron. "I'll invest in a major blazer, but I'll have 50 different ways to wear it."

Doron said that while her Bryn Mawr and Stone Harbor shops also sell shoes, the 1,200-square-foot Rittenhouse shop won't.

What if a piece of clothing doesn't quite work for a customer?

"We do offer full refunds, because we never, ever want you to go into your closet with something hanging from our store that you never wore," Doron said.