The name Sara Campbell and her timeless, cut-above fashions resonate with so many women, that when her latest store opened on Ocean Drive, it was as if an old, familiar friend moved to town. Indeed, a buzz among style-conscious women erupted and visits took place immediately.
Many seasonal people here know her from Boston and Nantucket, MA, Newport, RI, New Canaan, CT, Alexandria, VA, Lake Forest, IL, and other places. “There are huge Sara fans in Vero,” said Linda Clark, the store’s manager. “People from those zip codes are here.”
Opened in December, the Vero location is the 13th Sara Campbell store to open, and marking the occasion last Thursday evening at the shop’s ribbon-cutting was the founder herself.
“If you like bows and Audrey Hepburn and dressing up with pearls, that’s Sara Campbell,” said the personable, expressive and talented Campbell, who is based in Boston. “She also needs a beach tunic and fun things because Vero is a bit more casual.”
The self-described “dress maven” got her start sewing outfits for her dolls at age 7 in California, then blossomed as an art student who developed a wearable art line in the Northeast. She later designed for Talbots, Laura Ashley and Nordstrom. For 30 years the business focus was on wholesale accounts and private label. Her last order was in 2008. A year later, she burst into the retail world, opening a shop in Wellesley, MA, and eventually, proliferated in the Northeast, Midwest and South to the tune of 13 stores. The other Florida store is in Naples.
“It’s so fabulous,” she said of having stores. “It’s nicer to be closer to the customer as opposed to having designs twisted and turned around.”
“It’s a great way to connect to communities and make new friends.”
That’s exactly what she was doing Thursday at her shop on Ocean Drive. A minimum of 10 percent of the sales during the event went to Indian River Medical Foundation. Campbell’s connection to Vero Beach and the foundation was made through her good friend, Maureen Bauchman. Campbell’s father and brother are both doctors, so fighting cancer and supporting women’s causes has always been at the heart of the company’s mission from its beginning, she said.
Campbell is proud of the fact that everything is made in the United States except for the cashmere items, and she adds, “We are not corporate on any level.”
Campbell designs the clothing line and her business partner Peter Wheeler is hands-on with store design. “Each store is completely its own personality,” she said. “There’s no planogram, no schematic. There’s the signature black-and-white striped wallpaper, then it’s an adventure.”
And the adventure is an enticing one for fashion-minded shoppers. The Ocean Drive store features a variety of dresses, suits, slacks, tops and white blouses, as well as accessories.
Approaching high dress season, the store is full of various styles of dresses that can be worn to weddings, luncheons, fashion shows, cocktail parties and more.
The dress silhouettes are classic. They come in bright colors and different textures and trims to allow variety. The ponte dress with scallop hem is a big seller as well as the jacquard shift dress and so-called Magic dress with stripes or mini checks.
“The beauty of our fabrics is that they are sophisticated, modern and classic,” Campbell said. “I want to buy a dress and three years from now, it’s still in. It’s not a trendy item.”
Added Clark: “It’s classic with a lot of whimsy. There’s always a twist – like a scalloped hem, bell sleeve, exposed zipper in the back … something to give it a little sex appeal. Just because you are wearing classic clothes doesn’t mean you can’t kick it up.”
Campbell gets her inspiration from old movies, the Mad Men television series, things she observes on the streets. Her passion is design, and she always has her sketch book handy. “I love that part of day dreaming,” she said.
“I’m really a 50s girl. It’s hard to make a cute dress with sleeves but I’m empathetic to customers who want sleeves.” For that reason, 60-70 percent of the dresses are made with sleeves.
“Whether they’re 38 or 58, women don’t want to look like girls. But they don’t want to look old either.”
One of the appealing things about Sara Campbell items sold in the Vero Beach store is that “the items don’t scream Florida,” said Clark. “There are plenty of lighter, citrusy colors that go with our climate, but they’re not just for a Florida wardrobe. They transfer beautifully to going up north in May and June.”
