Ace & Jig
By the time Cary Vaughan (left) and Jenna Wilson finally got down to launching Ace & Jig, they’d already had a lot of time to figure out what a Cary-plus-Jenna line would look like. They had worked together on-and-off for about ten years, starting with internships for a lifestyle store in New York’s Nolita called Language. “We got to know each other doing all that late-night stuff like ironing and seaming, cleaning the office, and emptying the trash,” Jenna explains.
Eventually, the work got more interesting: The nearly inseparable duo headed up design for LaROK, during which time they got to travel the world—Paris! Tokyo!—and eventually came to realize they were ready to do their own thing. “We wanted to start a line that tapped into what we’re the most passionate about, and Cary and I both have an intense love of textiles,” Jenna explains. “We both have textile collections—we both love
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Fiona and Allison Shop for Inspiration
For this duo, opening their doors required some boutique-fueled globetrotting.
The view from Fiona and Allison’s Tokyo hotel room.
Last December, Fiona Thomas and Allison Sires debuted their clothing line, Thomas Sires, along with a store by the same name on Elizabeth Street in New York’s Nolita. In addition to carrying their own line of polished and ridiculously wearable womenswear, they’ve also rounded up an intriguing amalgamation of jewelry, home goods, toys, and other tchotchkes. To really pin down the sort of boutique they wanted to create, the twosome traveled, coming home with a list of very cool, hard-to-categorize shops they admired. Here, Fiona walks us through their four favorites.
Ooga Booga / Los Angeles, California
“This place has a great, eclectic mix of books, clothing, art, and music—you can tell that the owner is artistic and creative, and the store is an extension of that. They have done some collaborations in the ‘zine world, so we have since seen their booth at the NY Art Book Fair. Plus, the name is just the best.”
(943 N. Broadway #203, 213-617-1105)
Merci / Paris, France
“After all the hype we’d heard, we were still excited and impressed. The owners, who founded Bonpoint, have really impeccable taste, and there’s no way you are walking out of there without buying something. I think you can even purchase their shopping bags.”
(111 boulevard Beaumarchais, 01-42-77-00-33)
Bonton / Paris, France
“We visit this awesome children’s store every time we go to Paris. You can tell the owners have the best time merchandising the store. It’s so sweet and colorful—it’s exactly as we would have wanted our bedrooms to be growing up.”
(82 rue de Grenelle, 01-44-39-09-20)
Claska Gallery & Shop “DO” / Tokyo, Japan
“We came across this beautifully curated and understated store in the craziness of Shibuya. It turns out Claska has other shops and some hotels, and the company produces this great book Tokyo by Tokyo, which my mom had actually brought back for me from Japan when she visited.”
(1-3-18 Chuo-cho Meguro-ku, 03-3719-8121)
Come back on Wednesday to score the edition Fiona and Allison created especially for Of a Kind!
