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California Closets

denim,’’ she says. ‘‘These jeans are so cool and minimal. Mostimportantly, they suck you right in.Women are buying them likepopcorn.’’

7. Foslien collects art the wayother women collect accessories. A favorite artist, Susan P. Long,died four years ago, but that hasn’tstopped her from trying to buy moreworks, like this one from Long’sestate. ‘‘Her pieces depict realmoments in life for me.’’

8. For this season, Foslien’sbuying buzzwords were ‘‘romantic,’’‘‘feminine’’ and ‘‘slightly safe,’’ all embodied by this silk-and-lacefrock by Barbara Tfank, a formercostume designer for films.‘‘Barbara’s designs are beautifullyorchestrated,’’ Foslien says. ‘‘I would wear it to a chic gardenparty.’’ ($3,120 at Susan.)

9. Her candidate for cutestevening bag? This calf leatherwristlet from Balenciaga. Thecrystals form the zodiac sign forTaurus. It’s $1,495 at Susan.

10. Foslien’s musical taste is asvaried as her closet. When she’s not singing along to Gwen Stefani’s‘‘Hollaback Girl,’’ she skewshighbrow with the pianist FujikoHemming. Hemming’s recordingsare at www.cdjapan.co.jp.

11. ‘‘San Francisco isn’t whatI’d call a sexy town,’’ Foslien says.‘‘It’s more of a sensual town. I’m not going to buy a truckload ofminiskirts, cleavage to the navel ortoo-sheer fabrics.’’ Instead, shefocuses on limited editions, like this

hand-woven silk dress fromRodarte, $8,740 at Susan. ‘‘Ourcustomer doesn’t want things that everyone else has.’’

12. Last but not least, one ofFoslien’s all-time favorites: JunyaWatanabe. ‘‘I was the first Americanto carry him.’’ She’d put this trench(shown from the back; $1,560 atSusan) over a tee and jeans. ‘‘WhenI buy designers like Junya, I’m notbuying clothes; I’m buying art.’’ ■

I N - S T O R E

SUSAN FOSLIEN DRESSES THE BAY AREA THE AVANT-GARDE WAY.SANDRA BALLENTINE MEETS THE RADICAL RETAILER.

1. Nothing makes Susan Foslienhotter under her Comme des

Garçons collar than people whothink Northern Californians have

no style. ‘‘It’s irritating,’’ she says.‘‘We have more fashion here

than you think.’’ Foslien opened her stylish store Susan in the San

Francisco suburb Burlingame in1983 and has since opened another

Susan in San Francisco, with amore casual offshoot — the Grocery

Store — near each of them.

2. Foslien proclaims this theseason of the dress. Those by

Lanvin, she says, are ‘‘killer.’’ She’sespecially taken with this geisha-

inspired silk number, which is$1,890 at Susan. ‘‘You can wear it

to a wedding — or even down the aisle! — with Lanvin’s blacksatin platform shoe, or dress itdown and wear it over pants.’’

3. By day, the Bay Area is prettycasual. ‘‘We have a Mediterranean

climate,’’ Foslien says, ‘‘so knee-length shorts, like this pair from

Marni, and a great ballerina flat are really practical. This print makes Bermudas look

fresh again.’’ ($520 at Susan.)

4. Susan carries a cache of one-of-a-kind pieces by the Parisian

jeweler Taher Chemirik. ‘‘He used todesign jewelry for Chanel,’’ Foslienexplains. This gold, diamond, pearl

and tourmaline necklace is $10,400.

5. With a keen eye toward theEast, Foslien imports 10 Japanese

lines. Her most recent Tokyo find is Toga, designed by the

newcomer Yasuko Furuta. ‘‘This isthe first season she’s been sold

outside of Japan, and I think she’sone to watch.’’ Her feather-light

bolero is $325 at the Grocery Store.

6. There’s no doubt in Foslien’smind as to which pants would

look best under the Lanvin dressabove: J Brand’s dead-simple

stretch-cotton cigarette jeans ($180at the Grocery Store). ‘‘We’ve had

enough raggy, ripped, embellished

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