Creating Thoroughly Modern Antiques

Esquire magazine recently anointed Fred Segal Melrose “America’s coolest store,” so it’s not surprising that in the eight years Molly Isaksen has worked at Ron Herman, the boutique’s Brentwood outpost, she has acquired an education in international design.

Although the 25-year-old Los Angeles native had been thinking about designing for a while, her first small, sweet collection did not materialize until a local fabric shop closed and bolts of extraordinary silks in storage since the 1940s and ‘50s became available. With partner Claudia Gersh, Isaksen purchased Beverly Hills Silks and Woolen’s stock of 40 silk, cotton and chiffon prints. A variety of patterns took shape as sleek skirts and sleeveless dresses, even when there was only enough of a particular print for two sheaths.

“I’ve learned to appreciate great fabrics and well-made clothes, and I know that customers want the best, the newest, the most beautiful things,” Isaksen says.

So she lined skirts with satin slips trimmed in lace, and included a hidden closure on a dressy silk coat that rivals much more costly models by Dolce & Gabbana. “I wanted to keep the styles incredibly simple because it was all about the fabrics. Even though the prints are vintage, the designs are timeless.”

Actress Mimi Rogers, who bought a purple and blue flowered side-slit pencil skirt priced at $225 from Isaksen’s Belle de Jour line, is among the women who enjoy limited-edition, semi-antique clothes.

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Girl Talk: The true language of sisterhood does not speak of the pain of childbirth or the indignities of male oppression. It is our shared need to groom that unites the world of women. Every person born female eventually experiences the annoyance of a broken nail, the peculiar agony of a bad haircut. Country singer Deana Carter tapped into the layers of meaning that accompany feminine beauty rituals when she called her Capitol Nashville album “I Shaved My Legs For This?” It doesn’t matter how good the song is, or if Carter can carry a tune. She deserves a place in some hall of fame just for that title.

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Footnotes: The news in evening dress isn’t that colorful gowns have edged into receiving lines among all the black. It’s the way high-heeled boots have replaced strappy sandals and pumps with everything from slinky dresses to tailored tuxedos at black-tie events. The boots are usually suede, often go only as high as the ankle, and have been spotted around town in black, red or metallic leather.

“High heels are empowering,” Gucci designer Tom Ford has said, and every woman who’s tried a pair of narrow pants on with high-heeled loafers or boots knows she instantly feels taller and skinnier.

Empowered? I’m not sure. In high heels, you can stand and fight, but you can’t flee. And there’s the comfort factor, something Sharon Stone doesn’t choose to ignore. At Premiere magazine’s recent Women in Hollywood luncheon, she wore her favorite black velvet J.P. Tod loafers with a sleek pantsuit. (The trick to getting a leggy look, even with flats, is to show a flash of ankle.)

Stone is one of the most stylish women in Hollywood because she doesn’t fall for the cliches that have long defined glamour. Watch the way a woman whose feet and back don’t hurt moves. Now that’s sexy.