FIT WITH FLAIR
Don’t we all wish we could find that perfect fit? That’s the idea behind Numari Custom Fit Women’s Wear, an online company that sells dresses in numerous styles that can be custom ordered. The company was started by Arti Anand, who graduated from Gaithersburg High School and, in 2010, the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business; and Komal Kushal Raj, who received a master’s in business administration in 2011 from George Washington University School of Business and now lives in Clarksburg.
To order a dress, go to the company’s website, www.numari.com, pick a style and decide on sleeve and hem length. Submit your measurements (Numari’s website offers instructions) and place your order. You can also book a virtual appointment with a salesperson online or an in-person appointment at your home or office. Dresses range from $160 to $235 and include various styles, such as the sheath, fit-and-flare, drop waist and A-line. Fabrics include lace, linen and ponte knits. Orders ship in three weeks, and shipping and returns are free.
This summer is all about white. Crisp and cool, the shade is right for just about anything: dresses, sandals, handbags, cuffs, sunglasses—even an iPhone case.
PICTURE THIS
Looking for that perfect print for the living room? Bethesda resident Nadya Sagner is willing to do the legwork. A journalist by trade, Sagner started writing a lifestyle blog, www.bluelocketart.com, in 2011, naming it in honor of her grandmother who gave her a blue-and-gold enamel locket when she was a child. After about a year, Sagner began doing informal art consulting for friends, who urged her to start a business. That’s when the blog morphed into an art consulting firm based in Sagner’s home.
Sagner does a free one-hour consult with clients in person or by phone or Skype, then charges a $75 hourly fee to locate art, usually from online sources. She doesn’t charge a commission and clients buy the art themselves.
In addition to shopping on Etsy, Sagner likes sites such as 20×200.com and ugallery.com, where prints—and sometimes originals—sell for $100 or less. She recently trolled online for ethnic textiles that usually cost thousands and found similar pieces for under $200. She also contacts artists directly: “I had admired one California artist’s paintings for years, but her work was way out of my price range. I recently e-mailed her and asked what prints she had for sale that I could afford…and now her print is in my living room.”
OPENINGS
Charm, the Georgetown-based jewelry, accessories and gifts boutique with such fashion-forward designers as Jennifer Zeuner, Dogeared Inc. and Gorjana, has opened a store-in-a-store at REDDZ Trading on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda. REDDZ is known for high-end designer resale finds from names like Gucci, Manolo Blahnik and Chanel. …Meanwhile, at Westfield Montgomery Mall, Bethesda-based Joyful Bath Co. has debuted a kiosk selling all-natural organic bath salts, scented soaps and gifts. Rochel Roland, a Kensington resident who turned her hobby into a business, uses ingredients like honey, green tea, gingerroot, vanilla and coconut milk. The kiosk is located near the Brookstone store in the Nordstrom wing. …In Chevy Chase, Merritt Gallery/Renaissance Fine Arts brings traditional-to-contemporary art on canvas and paper as well as sculpture to the Chevy Chase Collection on Wisconsin Avenue. The gallery, which also has locations in Baltimore and Haverford, Pa., is known for works by such names as Picasso, Renoir, Matisse and Warhol as well as more obscure artists. Museum-quality framing and preservation are also available. …And at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg, Floyd’s 99 Barbershop has opened. The Denver-based chain offers hair care services to men and women, with a bit of rock ’n’ roll style.
Cynthia Hacinli lives in Chevy Chase and has written for GQ, The New York Times and National Geographic Traveler. Send Shop Talk ideas to editorial@bethesda
magazine.com.
