You never know who’ll walk in through the doors of Coco’s Couture Consignment – Prada, Missoni, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Tiffany, Kate Spade, Lilly Pulitzer and Jimmy Choo have all made multiple appearances there.
Actually, it’s their dresses, suits, blouses, shoes, handbags, jewelry and more that have shown up at the well-established Miracle Mile Plaza boutique.
“It’s a treasure trove here,” says Gloria Pariseau, the shop’s new owner, looking befittingly chic in a lime green Indian silk tunic with matching Carlisle silk trousers, silver slip-ons and pearl drop earrings.
“If it makes women feel good about themselves and puts a little chin up and stride in their step, that’s what it’s about.”
It just so happens that those designer labels do have a way of making women stand taller, walk more confidently. The beautiful fabrics, impeccable workmanship and stunning designs are significantly superior.
Carrying such quality top designers is nothing new to the consignment shop that was opened 18 years ago by fashion-minded Arlette Johnson, a petite French woman affectionately known as CoCo. But what is new at today’s Coco’s Couture Consignment is Pariseau, who has made interior changes to the shop, established an online store and introduced some new and less expensive designers to the inventory including Baby Phatz and Cheap & Chic by Moschino without jeopardizing the quality.
What remains the same is the goal to help women dress beautifully for that upcoming gala, dinner party or luncheon, or smartly and appropriately for a business meeting. With racks of elegant ball gowns, suits, daywear and luxurious fur coats as well as designer shoes, scarves, handbags, sunglasses and jewelry, there’s abundant opportunity to walk out of Coco’s Couture Consignment sharply dressed from head to toe.
For years, the boutique has attracted fashion-minded women on the hunt for exceptional items and those wanting to cull their own wardrobes, knowing this is the place to go to buy items or else sell pieces that they no longer wear or want, letting them move on to another owner, another life.
It was and still is the best place to shop for quality consignment of high-end designer fashions, Pariseau proudly states. “Coco’s was the only place for 100 miles to Palm Beach where you could get beautiful things,” she said. Now things have changed a bit with online shopping and other stores cropping up, she added, “but what makes Coco’s unique is that the clothes that come in here are exceptional and from all over the world.”
Such as the red suede jacket with leather trim and conk buttons that has the Navajo signs for “abundance” and “happiness” hand-painted on it. The consignee wore it to a wedding in Santa Fe, and later brought it to Pariseau to sell to someone else who will have an occasion to wear it.
Another statement piece – this one arriving via New York where the owner wore it to a special occasion in Manhattan – is the show-stopper vintage gold lace gown lavishly jeweled with beaded bodice by Conelli.
A navy blue Escada power suit of embossed silk with flared cuffs and hemline is a nice feminine touch and could easily turn heads.
And accessories, including a Wittall and Shon wide-brimmed portrait hat with black and white striped ribbon, are ideal for a garden party, polo match or the Kentucky Derby.
Pariseau, with her Shirley MacLaine-red hair, ivory skin, green eyes and level-headed approach to business, wants to build on the successes of its previous owner, who moved her alterations business – CoCo’s Alterations and Tailoring which was formerly part of the consignment shop – to a new location one block over, to 22nd Street.
Pariseau is forging her own style and manner of enterprise but staying true to the spirit of the boutique that is a virtual mainstay for fashion-conscious women in the market for second-hand clothing and who enjoy a break in the price. And it’s also a mainstay for those who want to consign their gently worn clothes, shoes and accessories. Consignees gets 50 to 70 percent of the sale price depending on the value of the item.
“It’s nice to be in a spot where you do have a responsibility to improve on and continue on a legacy,” Pariseau said.
Pariseau grew up in Minneapolis and moved to Boca Raton decades ago where she worked for Arvida, a large community builder, and then founded a commercial property management company. She also partnered with a friend in a high-end consignment shop, a time she remembers fondly. “It was the best time. I love working with women and helping them put together great looks,” she said.
Occasionally, she would visit Vero on weekends from Boca Raton “to get my sanity back and enjoyed the small-town friendliness.”
Later, she worked in England for a company that builds and sells Formula 1 race parts and during that time she traveled extensively to cities including London, Paris, Rome and Prague, which broadened her exposure to the fashion scene.
Back in the United States, she retired to Highlands, NC, where she quickly learned retirement was simply not for her. Eventually, she moved to Vero Beach to pursue her next dream.
“I’ve always been a fashionista,” she said. “When I came to Vero and found out Coco wanted to sell, it was the end of a trail for me. I had been going in that direction for some time.”
One of the things she enjoys so much about her business is that she can help others feel the way she does in her clothes.
“I don’t get it when women choose to be ordinary – anyone can be ordinary,” she says. “Just by adding a scarf, piece of jewelry and having a good fit, you can be extraordinary.
“It’s the way you feel in your clothes that’s important, whether off the rack or haute culture.”
And the importance of that shouldn’t be underestimated, a lesson she learned early on admiring how her mother dressed. “She was always dressed to the nines. She wouldn’t allow me to run out of the house, helter-skelter. I had to dress and I appreciated it.”
Looking around the shop, she pointed out some physical changes she made by knocking down some walls to create an open and airy feel to it. The inventory is organized by size and there are separate shoe and clearance sections to make shopping easy.
She carries a wide assortment of handbags – both vintage and recent designs – including a small boxy black leather Bally handbag with gold handle, brown shiny leather Bottega clutch, embossed paisley Escada zippered handbag with matching cigarette holder that can be used as a cell phone case and Delvaux brown leather handbag.
At the glass counter in the front of the store, there are some very special pieces – vintage Fendi tortoise sunglasses, Chanel earrings, a Mexican silver bracelet, Kenneth Jay Lane bracelet and Tiffany cuff ring.
“When in consignment, every day is a different day, you just never know what will come through the door,” she said. “One day, it’s an ordinary white shirt; another day, it’s a white shirt that takes your breath away, beautifully made with the finest fabric.”
Coco’s Couture Consignment will have a trunk show featuring Clair Brunetti costume jewelry on Nov. 20 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
